Finishing touches to GT class

CBSsports.com
New defensive coordinator Al Groh helped Paul Johnson finish out another balanced, impressive recruiting class with some late pledges, including four-star cornerback Louis Young from Maryland, who had been committed to Stanford.

The class features plenty of solid defensive talent and is heavy with defensive backs, an area of specific concern for Georgia Tech last season.
The class isn't getting much national attention, in part due to its size—the Jackets have just 18 commitments, due to a lack of available scholarships.
But on paper, the class compares favorably to the best the Jackets pulled in during any signing period in the last decade, including the 2007 class that yielded Jon Dwyer and Josh Nesbitt, among others. It is composed almost entirely of in-state players.
There are no quarterbacks in this class, but there are a couple of athletes—Barry Bostic and Synjyn Days among them—who were talented option quarterbacks in high school. Bostic, for one, is projected as a defensive back, although he's happily offered in the past to do some work on offense if Paul Johnson needs it.
Offensive lineman Morgan Bailey is another highlight, bringing size and athleticism in the kind of package Paul Johnson prefers along his line.
Defensive lineman Denzel McCoy is one to watch as well. He stuck by the Jackets when others, including former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin particularly, came in hard for him last fall.
McCoy has already organized much of the Georgia-based portion of this class into a network of phone calls and texts, and some have even gotten together fairly regularly.
It won't get a lot of love from recruiting services, but this is a solid class for the Jackets that fills a lot of holes, and, if those same services are to be believed, projects a lot of future starters, particularly on defense.

Couple UGA commits earn Bobby Dodd TD club award

Atlanta Journal Constitution
Newnan safety Alec Ogletree has been named the Bobby Dodd National High School Back of the Year, and Douglass defensive tackle Garrison Smith has been named the Bobby Dodd National High School Lineman of the Year.
Ogletree led Newnan to 25 wins against two losses in his junior and senior seasons and had 85 tackles and 40 receptions this past season. He was GHSF Daily's Class AAAAA defensive player of the year.
Smith is a four-year starter who was a bright spot for 1-9 Douglass. He was named co-defensive player of the year in Region 2-AAAAA.
Both have committed to Georgia.
The awards are selected by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta, and Ogletree and Smith will be honored at Georgia Tech on Feb. 13, when the TD Club also will announce its all-metro team.

ESPN thinks Georgia Schools NFL losses are a big hit

Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com rates Tech the second-biggest loser, Georgia the fifth-biggest. His reasons:

“Georgia Tech: I was tempted to make the Jackets No. 1 on this list because every player who realistically could consider declaring did. Tech says goodbye to its two best defenders in DE Derrick Morgan and safety Morgan Burnett as well as quarterback Josh Nesbitt’s top two weapons, running back Jonathan Dwyer and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas.
“I still think Nesbitt, RB Anthony Allen and RB Roddy Jones are big-time players, but the offense takes a huge hit, especially when you consider that Thomas accounted for about two-thirds of the team’s receiving yards this past season. Meanwhile, Morgan had half the team’s 25 sacks.
“Tech could’ve been a preseason top five or six. Now I think it might not be in the top 20 …
“Georgia: The Dawgs’ defense has been really shaky the past few seasons and is in rebuilding mode. A new defensive coordinator is coming from the Dallas Cowboys (Todd Grantham), but he’ll have to retool Georgia’s scheme without the team’s two leading tacklers, LB Rennie Curran and safety Reshad Jones. Curran, a fireplug, had 130 tackles last season, while Jones, who put on a dazzling show against rival Georgia Tech, also picked off four passes this past season.”
Stewart Mandel of SI.com sees it pretty much the same. He has Florida first among his list of four losers, with Tech second and Georgia fourth. His comments:
“Georgia Tech: The defending ACC champs had a chance to return a staggering 19 starters, but leading rusher Jonathan Dwyer, leading receiver Demaryius Thomas, second-leading tackler Morgan Burnett and ACC sacks leader Derrick Morgan all turned pro. The Jackets’ running game should be fine with Josh Nesbitt and Anthony Allen, but Thomas was their lone receiving threat, Morgan and Burnett their best defenders …
Georgia: The Bulldogs’ defense struggled in 2009, costing coordinator Willie Martinez his job. New coordinator Todd Grantham would have inherited a depleted unit regardless, but his job wasn’t made any easier by the defection of Georgia’s two best juniors, linebacker Rennie Curran and safety Reshad Jones. The defense will now return just four starters.“

New DCs affect recruiting

Chip Towers of the AJC

Georgia and Georgia Tech both hired defensive coordinators in the last 24 hours. The timing is not a coincidence.


The Yellow Jackets are expected to name former Virginia head coach Al Groh as defensive coordinator later today. The Bulldogs tabbed Dallas Cowboys defensive line coach Todd Grantham head of their defense earlier Friday.

Why now? The NCAA calendar on Friday flipped out of the red of a dead period into the yellow of a quiet period. On Monday, it switches to the full-out green of a contact period that will continue for two weeks. Both schools are hosting official visits this weekend.

Tech and Georgia needed to have these situations resolved so they could introduce their defensive recruits to the men they’d be playing for if not just be able to say with certainty who it would be.

Ten of the Yellow Jackets’ 13 commitments so far are with either slated to play defense or have extensive experience on that side of the ball. Twelve of the Bulldogs’ 19 commitments are defenders.

“I got a text message from one of the players on the team this morning,” longtime Georgia Tech commitment Denzel McCoy said. “I think it’s a great hire. I think he’s going to bring some new things with him and that’s going to be good for us. I’ve heard nothing but good things about him.”

Georgia players are excited about Grantham’s pro experience.

“I’m kind of excited about it,” said Port St. Lucie linebacker Deon Rogers, who was about to board a plane for an official visit to LSU. “I didn’t know [the new defensive coordinator] was going to be from the NFL. I’m shocked but shocked in a good way.”

Rogers has been taking visits at other schools since Willie Martinez was fired as Georgia’s defensive coordinator last month. But he said he remains committed to the Bulldogs and the hiring of Grantham “definitely” helps.

Grantham’s hiring has helped with at least one other recruit. Manning, S.C., defensive end Dexter Morant has canceled a weekend visit scheduled for Clemson this weekend because he now intends to stick with the Bulldogs, according to DawgPost.com.

That does not mean Georgia’s top 10 recruiting class has been preserved. For the moment (Mark Richt doesn’t address media until 5:15 p.m.) we don’t know how Grantham’s hire will affect recruiting coordinator and assistant head coach Rodney Garner. The lone holdover of the defensive staff happens to coach defensive line, the same position Grantham has handled most of his career.

Garner is directly responsible for several of Georgia’s commitments, including high-touted defensive linemen Garrison Smith of Douglass and T.J. Stripling of Southwest DeKalb. He’s also the lead recruiter of defensive tackle prospects Mike Thornton and Jeff Whitaker

Jackets Allen Considered Draft

Interview by Heather Dinich of ESPN with GT's Anthony Allen

Earlier this week, I spoke to Georgia Tech's Anthony Allen about his upcoming role in the Jackets' offense now that leading rusher Jonathan Dwyer has decided to leave school early for the NFL. On Wednesday, coach Paul Johnson said Allen will enter this spring as the B-back. Here are the highlights of my interview with Allen, who could be Georgia Tech's next 1,000-yard rusher:


How did you take the news that Dwyer was leaving and how do you see this affecting your role?

Anthony Allen: The first thing, I was happy for Jon. He gets the opportunity to go to the NFL and do some big things with the rest of his life. Another part of me would say it’s a good friend leaving the program, a good player who’s dedicated to the team, dedicated to the school. As far as my role goes, it opens an opportunity for me to compete. We’ve got some good backs back there competing for that B-back position. We can get some more touches, do some more things next year.

Did Dwyer talk to you about his decision? Did you know it was coming?

AA: Oh yeah, I knew it was coming. With us being the same position, running backs, we hang out sometimes, but me and Jon definitely talked about it. I asked him questions about me leaving, and he asked me questions about him leaving. I knew what he was going to do, what his heart was leaning towards.

Did that influence you at all to stay?

AA: Oh, I don’t want to make it seem like, ‘Oh, Jon’s, gone, so I’m going to stay.’ I don’t want to make it seem like that, but it definitely played a part in my decision.

What do you think you’re capable of next year? Have you even thought about individual goals?

AA: You always think about individual goals. I’m waiting to see what’s going to happen after spring time, when we get into camp and everything. When I see what exactly I’ll be doing, I’ll make my goals from there, but I know when I get the ball in my hands I’m going to try to make something happen with it.

Is there any chance of you playing any A-back, or is it pretty much a given that you’ll be a B-back?

AA: I don’t even know. The coaches aren’t back yet. I haven’t met with Coach yet to talk about next year. I’m kind of taking this week to relax a bit. Of course when Coach comes back in we’ll talk about what we’re going to do for next year and we’ll find out.

Do you think you guys could be as productive offensively without Dwyer and, what is it, two starters on the offensive line?

AA: I mean of course, that’s how college football goes. You lose players and you get more in. It’s just a matter of us staying consistent.

What was up with the rumors I heard about you possibly leaving early?

AA: I sent my stuff in to the draft board. I had my two years of tape from Louisville, along with this year. I was just weighing the possibilities, if I went into the draft what would go on, but I talked to my family about it, and of course we decided to stay in school.

Are you willing to share what they said?

AA: I didn’t want to leave the Georgia Tech fans after just one year. I wanted to come back and of course get my degree and everything like that.

I mean the draft advisory board.

AA: Oh, you’re talking about them. [He laughed.] I said all I want to know is what round y’all are projecting me in. Let me know if it’s going to be in the first two, and if it’s not, then I’m straight. If you tell me it’s not the first two rounds, I’m good. I don’t need to know any more.

With all of the depth back there, do you want to be the guy, or will it be a group effort?

AA: We’ve got some great backs. I’m a big guy, but I played the A-back position. Coach is going to do whatever he can to get the best guys on the field. If you watch tape from his early years at Georgia Southern and Navy and everything, he’s always had a main B-back and a guy who came in to relieve him, and his A-backs rotated. I feel we’re going to do the same thing this year, regardless of who’s at the B-back position.

Orange Bowl Press Conference

Quayshawn Nealy signs after attending ACC Championship Game

AJC by Chip Towers

It wasn’t necessarily the clinching point for Quayshawn Nealy, but it surely didn’t hurt that he was in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in person to witness the Yellow Jackets’ historic win over Clemson in the ACC Championship Game this past weekend.

On Tuesday, the 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker committed to the Yellow Jackets.

“It was a great game,” Nealy said. “I really enjoyed that.”

Nealy, a three-star prospect according to both Rivals.com and Scout.com, said he chose Tech over Ole Miss and USF (South Florida). He also had scholarship offers from Georgia, Michigan, Kansas, Louisville, Purdue and Tulane.

“Well, [Georgia Tech] came into the ballgame late but, at first, they weren’t recruiting linebackers that hard,” Nealy said. “But when they did jump on the bandwagon they immediately jumped to the top of my list. I didn’t really know that much about them other than I had a cousin that graduated from there. I have relatives in Georgia, so they interested me.”

Nealy was asked what was the main reason he chose the Jackets over his other options. “I would say it would have to be the academics and the coaching,” he said. “Coach B.J. (Brian Jean-Marie) and me were able to really relate. He kept it real. And he talked about how I might be able to have early playing time, depending on how I do and how everybody else does once I get there.”

Nealy knows a little about winning, too. His undefeated Lakeland High team (12-0) plays Plant High in the Florida Class AAAAA semifinals on Friday. In the quarterfinals last week, Nealy blocked a punt and intercepted Georgia commitment Marc Deas and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown to clinch a 30-14 win over Osceola.

Nealy’s commitment gives the Yellow Jackets 13 pledges for the Class of 2010. Ten of those players are slated to play on the defensive side of the ball. He becomes their first commitment from outside the state of Georgia.

There is the possibility Tech could sign two or three more players, especially if any its many talented juniors opts to test the draft. Running back Jonathan Dwyer, defensive end Derrick Morgan, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and quarterback Josh Nesbitt are all juniors that have caught the notice of NFL scouts.

The Yellow Jackets currently have offers extended to defensive end Kareem Martin of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., and inside linebacker Justin Parker of Beaufort, S.C.

For your edification, I give you . . .

GEORGIA TECH’s CLASS OF 2010

1. OG Catlin Alford, Adairsville HS, Adairsville, GA
2. CB Ryan Ayers, South Paulding HS, Douglasville, GA
3. OT Morgan Bailey, Loganville HS, Loganville, GA
4. CB B.J. Bostic, Jefferson County HS, Louisville, GA
5. S Synjyn Days, Hillgrove HS, Powder Springs, GA
6. DT Shawn Green, Grayson HS, Lawrenceville, GA
7. S Fred Holton, Thomasville HS, Thomasville, GA
8. S Isaiah Johnson, Sandy Creek HS, Tyrone, GA
9. DT Denzel McCoy, Northview HS, Duluth, GA
10. LB Quayshawn Nealy, Lakeland HS, Lakeland, FL
11. RB Charles Perkins, Collins Hill HS, Suwanee, GA
12. S Jake Skole, Blessed Trinity HS, Roswell, GA
13. DE Anthony Williams, Union Grove HS, McDonough, GA

Dawgs probably independence bound

CBS
After the victory over the yellow jackets, where do the jackets head.

Earlier today, I was feeling pretty good about the Georgia Bulldogs' prospects for renewing their rivalry with the Clemson Tigers in the Georgia Dome, but, as the ensuing comment thread attests, the Tennessee Volunteers are likely to receive the Chick-fil-A Bowl bid because of the line of toppling dominoes set into motion by the Outback Bowl when it opted for the Auburn Tigers.
The Outback Bowl's selection is utterly indefensible, as Auburn is the weakest of the SEC's six 7-5 teams. As usual, C&F provides context and an explanation over at Team Speed Kills, where he sensibly observes:
While this is a surprise to rational people, it really shouldn't be given the Outback Bowl's history of bizarre bowl choice. Last year, the game selected 7-5 South Carolina pretty much out of necessity, though it could have gotten a better LSU team instead. The Gamecocks got waxed playing an Iowa team that they probably shouldn't have been facing.
That wasn't the first time the Outback Bowl officials made an asinine selection, either. Everyone in Bulldog Nation recalls the 1998 Kentucky Wildcats, who finished 7-4 overall and 4-4 in conference play. The 'Cats had lost in Lexington to the 'Dawgs, who finished 8-3 overall and 6-2 in SEC contests, yet Georgia ended up playing in what was then still the Peach Bowl on New Year's Eve while Kentucky spent New Year's Day in Tampa losing to the Penn St. Nittany Lions by a double-digit margin.
Why did the Outback Bowl do such a stupid thing? Probably because the co-founder of Outback Steakhouse was a University of Kentucky alumnus. I was so incensed by the snub at the time that I refused to eat at an Outback Steakhouse for the next year, and I've been back very few times since. The more rational part of my brain has decided since then that the SEC should simply scrap the Outback Bowl as one of its tie-ins.
Where does that leave us, then? Apparently, bound for the Independence Bowl, possibly to face the Texas A&M Aggies and probably to confuse Brian Cook. As C&F shrewdly noted in his headline, the Outback Bowl loves Auburn and hates American values. (I know, that's redundant. Unlike those Aussies at the Outback Bowl, I love America, and, therefore, I hate Auburn.) Tennessee fans understandably are annoyed at being passed over by the Outback Bowl and I'm nonplussed at the thought of the Bulldogs spending the holidays in Shreveport.
Still, this can be a learning experience. Hopefully, Mark Richt can use the fact that his team got an even crappier bowl game than it deserved (which is saying something) as motivation: "You don't want to go to the Independence Bowl? Well, tough, 'cause the Independence Bowl is what 7-5 gets you. If you don't want to come back here, wrap up when you tackle! If you don't want to come back here, stop somebody on third and long! If you don't want to come back here, pay your parking tickets on time and quit getting fifteen-yard penalties! If you don't want to come back here, stop throwing interceptions and don't get caught emerging from an alley! The next time you go into the locker room with a two-touchdown lead on Kentucky at home, I'm going to ask you, 'Are you going to stay focused are or you going to go back to the Independence Bowl?' You know the difference between Shreveport and New Orleans? Practice and discipline!" This is a golden opportunity for Righteously Indignant Richt to do what needs to be done.
There are two other potential upsides to playing an early bowl game in Louisiana, as well. First of all, Louisiana-Monroe just fired its head coach, so maybe they'd be interested in interviewing Willie Martinez while he was in the Pelican State. (Please?)
Also, if Georgia does face the Aggies, at least we know we wouldn't trot out any new-fangled uniforms; it was against Texas A&M in the first home game of the 1980 season that the Bulldogs wore for the first time what we now think of as their traditional togs: Wally Butts-era silver britches, Vince Dooley-designed red helmets with the oval "G," and the red jerseys they had always worn. The classics never die.
By the way, the Bulldogs won that game 42-0. I'm just saying.

What could have been?

Recruiting college sports is a funny thing. It's a quirky thing. It's a science, but possibly the most inexact one.

Coaches not only have to evaluate a player's physical tools or mental capacity, but also project their development, their potential upside, future value, and role within a college program.

Then they have to take all that, develop some sort of adequate cost-benefit rubric, and make decisions on what players to pursue, and how hard to pursue them. They do all of this, of course, with a rulebook thicker than a dictionary weighing them down and recruiting services offering fans an insider's glance into their work.

Mark Richt has long been a guy that's excelled in recruiting.

He goes toe-to-toe with every program in the nation, and has landed himself big-time names (Matthew Stafford, for example) and big-time classes (his overall hauls are rarely worse than top-15 material). Wisdom says—and wisdom is, to a certain extent anyway, right—that his team is stocked with talent.

But this Saturday in Atlanta, Richt could get a rudimentary yet insightful view of what might have been, just by looking across the sideline.

Demaryius Thomas. Morgan Burnett. Josh Nesbitt. Jonathan Dwyer.

All recruited by both Georgia and Georgia Tech, all wearing the white and gold when they run out of the tunnel on Saturday. Not by coincidence, the last three names on that short but talented list were all members of the 2007 class.

That 20-player haul, far and away Chan Gailey's finest whilst on the Flats, was good enough to rank 18th in the nation, according to Rivals.com. While nine spots lower than Georgia, the Yellow Jackets still celebrated the ranking, which was better than they were used to at the time.

Georgia's class that year ranked ninth, headlined by players like offensive lineman Justin Anderson, wide receiver Israel Troupe, quarterback Logan Gray, and running back Caleb King, considered by some the best overall prospect in the state of Georgia.

Compare those groups, three years later.

Gray, who was ranked just behind Nesbitt at quarterback nationally, has been unable to unseat starter Joe Cox this season, even when the latter has struggled.

Israel Troupe is listed as the Bulldogs' backup at one receiver position, with all-star starter A.J. Green out of the lineup.

Caleb King, once a Georgia high school darling (covered him for a time), has split carries with freshman Washaun Ealey, and has never locked down a starting place.

King might be the most relevant subject for our discussion. Now a redshirt sophomore, the Norcross, GA, native was one of the hottest commodities in Georgia high school football his senior season.

His blend of size, speed, and power, it was believed, would make him a great SEC back one day. For that, and as well, I'm sure, as several other reasons, Georgia went after King hard, and they got their man.

Three years later, King has 615 career rushing yards.

Dwyer went to Georgia Tech, and three years later, he's the top running back on most 2010 NFL Draft big boards.

The point is this: Talent is nothing if it's not developed properly, the same way you can't grow most plants in a lightless room, even if you water them every day.

Now, this one case study doesn't deny a body of work that suggests that Mark Richt certainly knows how to recruit. Just think of the number of players he's sent to the NFL. And his overall success at Georgia certainly suggests he knows what he's doing once he gets those guys, at least some of them.

But how often, in Richt's tenure at Georgia, has a player left without a ready-made replacement behind him? This isn't the first time the Bulldogs had to use tailback by committee, nor is it the first time the surprising lack of continuity at quarterback produced poorer-than-expected on-field results.

That also doesn't mean Richt would have automatically gotten those four guys had he not gotten other ones. In some cases—perhaps in all of them, I cannot say empirically, one way or the other—the player chose Georgia Tech over Georgia, as was the case with Thomas.

But even then, Thomas had already given a verbal pledge to Georgia Tech when Richt and Co. came in, essentially rendering Georgia's effort useless. And obviously, Georgia has A.J. Green, but right now he's injured, and might not play.

Whatever the reason, each of these players chose Georgia Tech over Georgia.

And on Saturday night, Mark Richt will look across the sideline and see a team that has a superstar running back, a top-flight wide receiver, a playmaker in its secondary, and a quarterback who is his team's unquestioned leader and obvious engine.

Richt would be hard-pressed to convince anyone that he wouldn't take any of that over his current options.

10 Reasons

10 Reasons the Institute hates the University [sic]:

CBSsports

These are ten chronological reasons why the Institute and the University [sic] do not like eachother and they are pretty legitimate reasons for Tech fans to generally distrust, dislike, or plain out hate ugag:

10. The founding of Tech in the 1880's was originally planned as the mechanical engineering school of uga. Uga politicians/faculty wanted the School of Technology in Athens but luckily the governor's office wanted an independent non-agricultural school that would not be influenced by the aggies. Big time controversy led to Tech's opening being postponed. Thank God the first Tech Men won the debate.

9. November 4, 1893. We are invited to play ugag in football. Our first ever victory in football. Our first ever dealings with ugag's athletic department and we are pelted by ugag fans with rocks and garbage. Then, chased by a mob back to our awaiting train. Our star player Leonard Wood finished the game with several stitches above his eye that were the result of hurled debris.

8. 1908. Ugag alumni incite Southern Conference investigation into recruiting practices of John Heisman. Heisman was the definition of moral character and gave all of his records, books, and such to the investigators who found no fault in his program.

7. 1919. The boys come home from World War I. Tech acted as a military officer training facility and had a full compliment of men on campus during the war. Ugag's student body was a mass of grunts that quit school and joined up. So in celebration of ugag's students return, they threw a big parade. In the parade, ugag displayed a donkey painted yellow that said "Tech in Atlanta" and a tank that had "UGA in Argonne" painted on the side. I'm sorry ugag fans but that's pretty f-ing low. Tech men were leading your hillbilly asses into battle and this is the thanks they get.

6. 1943 and 1944. Tech destroys ugag in football both years. Ugag does not recognize the games to this day. Sore losers. Once again, we were a military school at the time. The players that played in those games were legitimately enrolled at Tech. They were transfers from schools all over the country but our best players were still Tech Men (e.g. John Steber, Phil Tinsley, and Eddie Prokop).

5. 1978. Tech attempts re-entry into the Southeastern Conference after scholarship limits are imposed and a true recruiting ethics doctrine is implemented. At one point, SEC teams would over-recruit their rosters and dump kids in the middle of the Summer if they didn't make the team, leaving them without scholarships. This is one of the main reasons Dodd left the SEC in 1964. In the 1978 vote, the biggest opponent of Tech was...ugag. They rallied their fellow redneck schools and shot down Tech's attempt.

4. December 2, 1978. Dooley orders the hit on Eddie Lee Ivery that knocks Ivery out of the ugag game and out of the Heisman race. Bullshit move by a bullshit coach.

3. 1994. Ugag athletic department cites the The Omni's proximity to Tech's campus as the reason ugag can't beat Tech in basketball. They didn't take into account the fact that ugag fans don't give two shits about basketball and weren't coming to the games or that their teams/coaches sucked.

2. November 25, 1993. The most recent of Tech-ugag bench clearing brawls 'cause Ray Goof thought it was cool to leave the starters in with the game in hand. Congrats Ray, your team beat a 5 win Tech team. I wish Ryan Stewart had punched him in the face during the fight.

1. 1999. The ugag band stabs our giant inflatable buzz... That's pretty low. Good thing we made the band pay for it.

UGA vs GT injury report

Reports are that Coach Richt is saying that there is a good chance that playmaker A.J. Green and safety Bacarri Rambo will be able to play on Saturday at Bobby Dodd stadium. Nothing is definite, but if they continue to make progress this week they should both play.

Both players suffered injuries in the Auburn game that sidelined them for the loss to Kentucky this past weekend. Georgia fans know that these two would be extremely important in pulling the upset this weekend against the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech.

Still no word on whether Jacket center Sean Bedford will be able to go this weekend. Last report was that he was still on crutches.

Tech extends coaches contract to 2016

Coach Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets agreed to a contract extension to today. The contract looks to keep the highly successful coach at Georgia Tech until 2016. There has been no report on an increase in salary, but it should be assumed that Paul was rewarded for his immediate success on the flats. He is 19-5 in his first two seasons and is looking to beat UGA again in his second season and take tech to a BCS bowl game if they can take care of business in Tampa at the ACC championship game.

This comes on the heels of bad news out of Athens as UGA VII has passed away after a tenure shorter than two seasons.

Dawgs win adds bright spot to season

A very slow start to the game put a look of concern on the faces of the Bulldog faithful. Some typical miscues and some early scores by Auburn made this game look like it was going to be out of reach early. Joe Cox however kept composed and really put together a good game on the way to a UGA victory over one of their biggest rivals. This looks to be the start to a good finish to a disappointing season. Kentucky should be a team that UGA will take care of.

This will lead to the game that gives a reward of year long bragging rights. If Georgia can keep the offense playing like it did against the Tigers, they should be able to expose a Georgia Tech defense that has been kept alive by a powerful GT offense. Georgia will need to focus on tackling and avoiding the big play when trying to stop a myriad of talented Jacket offensive playmakers.

Georgia Tech has everything to lose in this game; while the Dawgs have a lot to gain. The jackets are looking to win the ACC and a chance to play in a BCS bowl, but many fans feel that the UGA game is just as important. The Dawg fans want to flex their muscle and prove that the SEC is dominant over a weaker ACC. It will prove to be a exciting atmosphere.

UGA vs AUBURN

Although this game isn't the matchup it has been over the past decade, the good old fashion hatred should still be there. Both teams admit they aren't the national powerhouse they looked to be when joining either university. The reason they joined the SEC is rivalries like this.

Questions that will be answered on Saturday:

Auburn Defense vs UGA Offense. Will a healthy A.J. Green able to expose a defense with noticeable holes in it?

Will Richt's new stance on penalties prove to show a difference in Georgia's discipline? He sat any player who committed a penalty in the Vanderbilt game for the rest of the series. (Not likely that Curran will be sitting if he commits a penalty early in a drive)

Can the Dawg's poor tackling team find a way to stop an explosive Ben Tate.

I predict that the game being in Athens and Blair Walsh will be the difference.

GT Recruiting this week

Paul Johnson is hoping for a great performance against Wake Forest this weekend for other reasons than a trip to Tampa for the ACC championship game. This is a huge recruiting weekend for the jackets. The AJC reports the following:

Three members of Georgia Tech’s 2010 recruiting class were selected this week to play in the Offense-Defense All-America Bowl.

AJC Super 11 quarterback/athlete B.J. Bostic of Jefferson County, DT Shawn Green of Grayson and DT Denzel McCoy of Northview were invited to play in the high school all-star game Jan. 2 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The game, in its third year of existence, pits nationally-ranked high school all-stars from the East against others from the West. It competes with the UnderArmour (Jan. 2, Orlando) and U.S. Army (Jan. 9, San Antonio) All-America games.

It will be a huge recruiting weekend at Georgia Tech for 2011 prospects. Among the recruits expected to be on The Flats this weekend are Pope OL Thomas O’Reilly, North Gwinnett QB C.J. Uzomah and Matthews, N.C., quarterback Christian LeMay.

Da' Rick Rogers = DA UGA FREAK

Future UGA wideout, Da'Rick Rogers, was recently bumped up to a five star on both rivals.com and scouts.com. No matter what the QB situation is in Athens next year, the passing game should be bright with A.J. Green and Calhoun native Da'Rick Rogers giving defensive coordinators headaches. Here is a Q&A Chip Towers had with the future Dawg.


Q: I saw you got a fifth star from both Scout.com and Rivals.com a couple of weeks ago. That a big deal to you?

A: “Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. Just shows I’ve been working hard. It kind of makes you want to work even harder. The harder you work the better the tributes are, I guess. There’s only like five or six [five-star prospects at wide receiver] this year, so it feels good to be one.”

Q: Yeah, but there’s some pressure that comes with that, too, isn’t there?

A: “I just try to take it all in and relax about it and brush the pressure away. I try to take it as motivation to just keep doing the right things. Coach is always telling me, do the right things and good things will happen to you. So I’ll just continue to do that.”

Q: So you’ve been committed to Georgia since June, but word is other teams are still coming after you. Who’s still pursuing you?

A: “Tennessee, USC and Florida. But I’m rock solid with Georgia.”

Q: What are some things they’re doing to try to get your attention?

A: “Hand-writing letters, coming to see me at lot, Facebook, MySpace, any means of communication they can find. They call my mom, they call the coaches, they call me. I try to avoid all recruiting but sometimes you can’t, so you have to talk to them. I’ll talk to them and tell them I’m locked into UGA. But they don’t care. They’ll still talk to you anyway.”

Q: Georgia’s obviously having a tough year, 4-4 so far. Do rival recruiters say anything about that?

A: “Oh yeah, they bring it up. But the way I see it is everybody has a down year. And it’s not really a down year. They’re just in a little slump. And from what I’ve seen the recruiting class coming in with me this year is going to help out a ton, especially on the defensive side where I feel like we’re lacking the most. Georgia’s going to be fine.”

Q: Since we’re on that subject, can you revisit your reasoning for choosing the Bulldogs?

A: “Mainly it was the coaches. I really couldn’t go wrong with the schools I was considering. So it really came down to personalities and getting to know the coaches and how the coaches approached me. Georgia really went way past football with me. They talked a lot about academics, about life. They came down here a lot, talked to my mother a lot. Really I just felt good about the coaches.”

Q: There’s a lot of scuttlebutt going around that you have some academic issues. Is that true?

A: “It’s something I’ve already got a handle on. I worked all summer; I’ve worked all fall. I’ve got all A’s and B’s right now. Last year I just wasn’t really focused. I just kind of goofed off. Your junior year is probably the last times you need to goof off and I goofed off most of the year. I was kind of on the borderline with B’s and some C’s. This year I’ve had to focus and get everything straight and right now I have all A’s and B’s. I just need to stay ahead of the pack now.”

Q: Talk about your relationship with Nash Nance.

A: “We first met over at Darlington. We’re pretty much like brothers, black and white brothers. I’m over there at his house all the time, hanging out, spending the night. I love him.”

Q: It looks like y’all have a lot of good players on offense, not just you and Nash.

A: “[Junior wide receiver] J. T. Palmer is a great player; he plays on the other side. We have a whole new line this year and they’ve done a great job. But mainly Dustin Christian. I feel like he’s one of the best junior backs in the state. Underrated. He’s kind of small but he’s thick up top and quick as a cat and hard to tackle. I don’t know what to say about him but he has just done some amazing things.”

Q: You guys are rolling, 9-0 heading into Friday’s game against Armuchee. What’s the feeling heading toward the playoffs?

A: “We’re getting better each and every week. Everything’s getting a little more up-tempo now. Last year we got better every game until the end of the season and I thing we’re on the same track. As long as we keep getting better we’re going to be hard to beat.”

Between Dogs and Jackets, only one is dressed for success

GREAT ARTICLE FROM THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION by Jeff Shultz

Georgia Tech showed up to play a football game Saturday night, wearing just its normal white road uniforms and gold helmets. Success, it seems, is dictated less by a program’s costumes than it is the athletes and the direction they’re moving in. Go figure.

We’ve seen for weeks how Tech and Georgia are moving in opposite directions. It hit home more than ever Saturday. The Jackets were not great at Vanderbilt. They actually found themselves trailing in the second half, 31-28, to an inferior team that had been averaging 8.7 points in its six losses. But Tech’s offense couldn’t be stopped. In the end, it pulled away. It’s what good teams do.

Georgia, meanwhile, hung with Florida for nearly a half, then self-destructed. It’s what bad teams do.

The differences between Tech and Georgia don’t stop there.


Mark Richt is losing the local battle to Georgia Tech but he lost the SEC battle to Florida and Urban Meyer a long time ago. (Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com)

One team is 8-1 and may go to a BCS bowl. The other team is 4-4 and needs two wins just to qualify for Shreveport.

The Jackets have the confidence to come back in games, even when they’re not at their best. The Bulldogs lack confidence and resolve. Why? Because they’re soft, either mentally or physically, or possibly both.

The Jackets, to their advantage, are a reflection of their coach. The Bulldogs, to a disadvantage right now, are a reflection of theirs.

When Paul Johnson sees something he doesn’t like in a Georgia Tech game or a practice, he tells you, sometimes in short, stinging verbal jabs. (Saturday: “I’m disappointed in the way we started. We missed some tackles and that just killed us. They hit a ton of big plays.”) We assume Mark Richt sees many things he doesn’t like. But it sure would be nice to hear and see him breathe a little fire once in a while. Peel paint. Make everybody believe you’re as angry as they are.

Johnson has not been to an ACC championship game yet, but nobody doubts him. Richt has won two SEC championships, but doubters are increasing in large numbers.

Johnson has a defensive coordinator (Dave Wommack) that every Georgia Tech fan would like to drop from a roof top. But there’s a belief that the head coach will mandate improvement or make a change, friendship and loyalty notwithstanding. Richt has a defensive coordinator (Willie Martinez) that every Georgia fan would like to drop from a roof top. But there’s a concern that Richt will do nothing because he has done nothing before.

Georgia Tech has a quarterback, Josh Nesbitt, who is beginning to master his team’s option offense and has developed into a nice passing threat (two touchdown passes against Vanderbilt). Logic says he will be even better as a senior. Georgia doesn’t really have a quarterback. Richt’s plan was to use Joe Cox as a bridge to Aaron Murray and/or Zach Mettenberger next season. Cox might’ve been OK if he wasn’t surrounded by chaos. But he’s not going to make a bad team better. And now why should we assume either freshman will be ready next season?

Georgia has a wide receiver, A.J. Green, who has “NFL star” stamped on his forehead. He is 23rd in the nation in receiving yards (732) with 44 catches, six for touchdowns. Georgia Tech has a wide receiver, Demaryius Thomas, who for some reason nobody is talking about. Playing one more game, but in a run-dominated offense, he is ahead of Green and eighth in the nation in receiving yards (823) with 34 catches and five touchdowns.

Johnson calls every play in the Tech offense. The Jackets rank 17th in yardage and 12th in scoring in the nation. Mike Bobo calls most plays for Georgia, with Richt monitoring. The Dogs rank 97th in yardage and 73rd in scoring.

Tech is redefining the pecking order in the ACC, this year beating Florida State and Virginia Tech, last year beating Florida State and Miami and nearly winning in Blacksburg. Georgia has fallen to a distant fourth (maybe) in the SEC, behind Florida, Alabama and LSU.

In two seasons, Johnson has built a program. He is winning games. In the same two seasons, Richt has manufactured black jerseys, black pants and black helmets, while his program is in decline. He is losing games. Not difficult to tell which school is making the fashion statement.

Dawgs vs Jackets

No matter how UGA and Georgia Tech's overall seasons are going, we can always expect thanksgiving weekend to produce an exciting rivalry game. To get this blog started I want to hear from both sides why either team will pull it out this year.

Will Mark Richt be able capture this rivalry and start another seven game win streak, or is Paul Johnson starting a streak of his own?