First Scrimmage Recap

Due to the rain, The Jackets had to step inside the Falcons practice facility in Flowery Branch for their first scrimmage in full pads. Here’s a recap from the AJC written by Ken Sugiura and Larry Harstein

Georgia Tech put on full pads for the first time Saturday at the Falcons’ indoor facility in Flowery Branch, and the offense and defense went at it for two hours.

There were no kickoffs or punts, just extra points and field goals. Officials were on hand but tried to refrain from calling too many penalties.

The offense struggled early before hitting stride.

“It was like the first scrimmage; it was good and bad,” coach Paul Johnson said. “I don’t take too much out of it. I think there were positives on both sides of the ball at times, and we did enough wrong on both sides of the ball to get beat 100 times, which is usually the way it works in the first scrimmage.

“We’ll go back and evaluate and look at some personnel,” he added. “I’ve got some ideas about personnel. I just want to confirm it.”

The highlights on offense included Demaryius Thomas catching two passes longer than 40 yards, one each from Josh Nesbitt and Jaybo Shaw, and B-back Anthony Allen stopping on a dime to turn a short grab into an 18-yard gain.

The low points included several fumbled snaps.

Wideout Paul Reese, a sophomore walk-on, earned praise from Johnson. Reese adjusted on a sideline route and hauled in a 37-yarder from Shaw. Later he broke tackles on a 10-yard run.

“I tell you, the guy who’s caught my eye the first part of spring is the Reese kid,” Johnson said. “He makes plays, he really does. If he’ll learn to be a little more physical and block, I think he could help us maybe.”

Young quarterback looks sharp

Quarterback Tevin Washington, who redshirted in 2008, played about 20 of the roughly 100 snaps in the practice. Several times, he made yards on designed runs or broken plays out of the pocket.

“He’s a good athlete; he’s just got to get the mental part of it down,” Johnson said. “He’s definitely a hard guy to tackle, no question about it.”

He had a few sharp passes, including two completions to walk-on A-back Jonathan Malone, one for about 15 yards and the other 43 yards for a touchdown.

Said Washington, “I felt good about a lot of [the plays], but I felt like I could do better on all of them, too.”

D-line looking good

For the most part, the rebuilding defensive line acquitted itself well.

Starting ends Derrick Morgan and Robert Hall blew up plays behind the line, tackle Logan Walls stuffed a couple of runs, and end Antonio Wilson knocked down a Jaybo Shaw pass and recovered a fumble.

Tackle T.J. Barnes crashed the line off the snap and swallowed up Shaw, causing a fumble and pouncing on the ball.

“T.J. made some plays, and some other guys did, too, but you have to look at the tape and see who they’re playing against to get a gauge on it,” Johnson said. “But I’ve got a lot of hope for T.J. He’s got ability, and we need for him to be a good player for us.”

Morgan, the only returning starter up front, termed it a “pretty good effort.”

“A lot of young guys got a chance to get in there and make some plays,” Morgan said. “We’ve got a lot of room for improvement. We’re going to come in tomorrow, watch tape and get better.”

Etc.

There’s greater emphasis this spring on pass protection. It was spotty at best Saturday, according to co-offensive line coach Mike Sewak. “I’d probably give it a D,” he said. “But that’s up from an F. We’re working on it.” … Kicker Scott Blair made all his extra points. Walk-on Cody Hutchings converted the only field-goal try, a 28-yarder.

And Football is Back

I’ve been too busy march madness-ing (Studying, Picking, Watching) to really stay in tune on the blog, but… Here goes nothing

As most of you know, Tech begins Spring Football Today (Monday) and they conclude on April 18th in the T-Day game with fourteen practices before it. Among the biggest questions entering the spring? Let’s take a look at the three burning questions.

1.) Who will become the #1’s at Left Defensive End along with the two defensive tackles. As for now, I’m taking Robert Hall at end with T.J. Barnes and Ben Anderson at tackle. Jason Peters will wrestle with Hall for the end spot and will see significant time starting or not. I think Anderson and Barnes are more of locks. Anderson played a lot last year and Barnes is a physical specimen at Defensive Tackle (6′7″, 325)

2.) Anthony Allen…Where will he play? Well, the best guess is, everywhere. He has the size to play B-back and the speed to play A-back. I think he’ll bump Lucas Cox for the starting A-Back slot but will also get spot time at B-Back when Dwyer needs a breather. He looked great about this time last year and it will be hard to keep him off of the field.

3.) Will the passing game blossom? We all know Paul Johnson has insisted his offense isn’t a run only type of deal. He installed some packages for the Chick-Fil-A Bowl but Josh Nesbitt didn’t have time to throw a quick screen that game. If the offensive line can adapt to the passing game blocking schemes and Nesbitt can find rhythm this offense could be scary good.

Outside of basketball….Tech’s womens team hammered Iowa last night to advance to the round of 32. Tech, a nine seed, will now face Oklahoma, the one seed of the region. Can The Lady Jackets pull the upset? Let’s hope so

And now for a baseball update… In some Polls tech is as high as number three in the nation. Junior Tony Plagman, six homers and 29 RBI’s and Freshman Matt Skole, seven homers and 25 RBI’s are leading the way. As for the seven ‘usuals,’ each is batting well over 300 and the Jackets are feeding off of momentum. Derek Dietrich is starting to find his form and will make a case for All ACC and All American. They are 16-2 and 6-1 in the ACC.

Back Later,
JE

Goodbye Tech basketball

Well, could the season end in a more appropriate way?

Seriously.

We lose yet another heartbraker. We could easily, ok maybe that’s an exaggeration, but we could be dancing this week.

The picture with Shumpert on his knees and Clinch in the background after Shump missed the jumper was seriously a tough one to look at. Clinch gave it everything he had the past month or so.

I really hope someone gives him a shot in the NBA. He seems to have learned from his mistakes and he is really a prolific scorer. Obviously he can shoot the trey but he is an underrated passer and driver. Hopefully he can do what Morrow did.

I’ll take a look ahead to next year soon, but not yet. Let’s hope Lawal stays.

Derrick Favors dropped 26 last night against Columbia in the AAA semis and they play in the championship coming up. Let’s hope they win.

Baseball is playing pretty well.

Out for now, bracket time tomorrow.

Go Jackets

And, I’m Back

So, after what seems as forever ago, I’m back. Due to different problems and conflicts I haven’t been able to post in a while. Rather than sit here and talk about why, let’s just dive right in.

Here is an excerpt from Scout’s 2009 ACC preview of Georgia Tech:
Georgia Tech Begins: March 23 Game: April 18

The early spring buzz … Boy, have things changed around Atlanta in a matter of a year, or what? Last March, the program was all about getting acclimated to first-year head coach Paul Johnson and his option offense. This March, the Yellow Jackets will be looking to fine-tune that system, specifically QB Josh Nesbitt, while moving up in the ACC pecking order. Tech has had a very quiet offseason, only making news on signing day with a solid class that addressed both sides of the ball and capitalized on last year’s nine-win season.

The big spring question is … How far along will the offense be compared to last year? As good as the Yellow Jacket attack was in 2008, Johnson knows it can be more efficient and explosive now that the learning curve is flatter. Jonathan Dwyer and Roddy Jones form one of the most dynamic backfield tandems in the country, and the line returns enough able bodies to offset the loss of LT Andrew Gardner. The fate of the option hinges on Nesbitt, who played to mixed reviews as a sophomore and had some problems with durability. If he regresses, Johnson won’t hesitate to give the ball to second-year point guard Jaybo Shaw.

The most important position to watch is … the defensive line. This is the one area where Tech genuinely needs to rebuild after losing three starters, who earned all-conference honors in 2008. Without Vance Walker, Darryl Richard, and Michael Johnson, it’ll be up to junior DE Derrick Morgan to be the new show-stopper. Helping him out along the front four, among others, will be Jason Peters, Robert Hall, and Ben Anderson, who’ll have a chance to parlay this spring into a starting assignment.

Spring attitude… After winning nine games, including an upset of Georgia, Georgia Tech will enter the 2009 season with high expectations and the wind at its back. Even getting throttled by LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl did little to douse the enthusiasm surrounding the program. The Yellow Jackets will spend almost a month of the spring working out the kinks on offense and retooling the interior on defense. Considering the talent in the offensive and defensive backfields, they’ll be thinking Coastal champs after nearly winning the division a year ago

Along with the specific Tech preview, here’s what they said about Tech in the basic ACC preview:

The Top 5 Players Who Need A Big Spring
1. Jacory Harris, QB Miami
2. Willy Korn, QB Clemson
3. Dominique Davis, QB Boston College
4. Derrick Morgan, DE Georgia Tech
5. Greg Little, WR North Carolina

The 5 Biggest ACC Spring Storylines
1. Is Virginia Tech going to find more offensive firepower now that the defense needs some rebuilding?
2. Is Christian Ponder the quarterback Florida State can count on for a full season?
3. The emergence of Russell Wilson as more of a leader and playmaker for NC State.
4. The Georgia Tech offensive line. Can it overcome a rocky year to be a positive?
5. Dabo Swinney. Was the end of 2008 a mirage for Clemson? Was Swinney really the right choice?

The Spring ACC Team Rankings
1. North Carolina
2. Georgia Tech
3. Clemson
4. Virginia Tech
5. Miami
6. Boston College
7. Florida State
8. NC State
9. Virginia
10. Wake Forest
11. Maryland
12. Duke

The Pre-Spring Call For Player Of The Year
1. Jonathan Dwyer, RB Georgia Tech
2. Mark Herzlich, LB Boston College
3. Tyrod Taylor, QB Virginia Tech
4. C.J. Spiller, RB Clemson
5. Alex Wujciak, LB Maryland

Now, enough for football, last night Tech played easily their second best game of the season on the hardwood in front of home fans at Alexander Memorial.
Lewis Clinch continued his hot streak with a thirty point game on senior night. He had twenty in the first half. He’s hit at least six treys in the the past four games, averaging right around 25 per contest in that span.
I think after two down years Clinch might be doing just enough to get another shot at the NBA. Hopefully he can follow in the footsteps of Anthony Morrow, go to a camp and make a team.
Alade Aminu also played well last night, defending and rebounding very well.
Gani Lawal continues to impress, but let’s hope not enough so that he leaves after this year. Just imagine our starting lineup next year with Udofia, Shumpert, Peacock, Lawal and Favors. Dnagerous. Along with Bell, Miller, Storrs and other highly touted freshmen coming in it could be a great year for the Jackets.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back soon,
JE

Just some news around Tech

For one, Jerrard Tarrant is a Tech football player again. Tarrant, a defensive back was suspended indefinitely last June when he was accused of rape. The charges were dropped and now he’s back. Tarrant can play both safety and corner and was supposed to contend for a starting job last year. Sounds like he’s stayed in shape so he should see the field some.

Now, to the basketball team. We just lost another one to VT, 76-71. That drops us to 1-9 in conference and 10-13 overall. I was going over games, and here’s what I think of the season so far, in ACC play

Game 1- UVA, L 88-84 –Blew both a regulation and OT win. Should have been a W
Game 2-Maryland L 68-61 — Blew a lead yet again in Maryland. Turnovers cost us the game. Should have been a W
Game 3-Duke – L 70-56. Played a bad second half. Deserved a loss
Game 4-NC State – L 76-71. Lost in overtime, blew a nine point lead with four minutes to go. Should have been a W
Game 5 – BC – L 80-76. Lost in OT, yet again. Up 3 in OT, gave Tyrese Rice the game. Should have been a W
Game 6- Clemson – L 73-59. See Duke above
Game 7- Wake Forest – W, everyone knows that story. Thing is, we can do that game in and game out.
Game 8 – FSU – L 62-58. Blew it. Turnovers, bad defense late. Should have been a W
Game 9 – Maryland – L 57-56. Did you watch that game? Should have been a W
Game 10 – VT – L 76-71. Didn’t catch this game but it sounds like it was the usual.

Well anyway. I know Should have, could have, would haves are very annoying, but still, it’s hard not to think about it. We are 1-9 in conference and could very, very easily be 7-3 or somewhere around that and in the hunt for an NCAA bid.

Anyway, thought it would be an interesting write.
Back Later,
JE

Thoughts on the recruiting class

Well, for those of you that don’t follow college football recruiting closely, today was National Signing Day, means all players, except for early HS graduates, make their verbal commitments official by signing the Letter of Intent.

Today, the Jackets signed twenty one players, which will equate from a ranking anywhere from twenty five to fifty based on recruiting analysts team rankings.

Now, there’s something different when you are recruiting at Tech, and more so for the triple option. The top offensive line prospect will most likely have absolutely no interest in Techs program and there is a good chance Tech may feel the same way. Since we run a ’system’ offense, we have to recruit a different type of lineman, quarterback, wideout, etc;. Therefore, Techs team ranking doesn’t really prove to anyone how good Techs incoming class may be. In my opinion, it’s pretty damn good.

Out of the 21 commits only one was truly in question heading into today, WR Stephen Hill from Miller Grove, a four star prospect according to Scout.com. Hill’s recruiting process has been a roller coaster. Commits to UCF, Switches to Tech, backs off Tech and will choose between Tech and UGA, picks Tech again, Yet again he backs off commitment (last night) and says UGA is back in the question. Well, this morning Hill made if official and signed his LOI for Tech and faxed the papers over which is big. Hill has Sunday type playmaking abilities, and if used right, he could be very good in this offense pending pass protection.

The other news the past couple of days has been the Dontae Aycock story. Aycock, a highly touted QB from Chamberlain, Florida made a ’secret commitment’ to Tech a few weeks ago. He vowed to not take any more visits but didn’t want to go public quite yet. Well, Aycock broke his word and took a visit to Auburn. The Tech staff found out, pulled the scholarship and that was that, Aycock signed with Auburn this morning.

Now, as a whole Techs recruiting class was headlined by QB Jordan Luallen, WR Stephen Hill, DB Roderick Sweeting, DT J.C. Lanier, DE Emanuel Dieke among many more.

I’ll give a few ‘awards’ out to a couple of players:

Most likely to have an impact as a freshman (offense) – Stephen Hill – Could start opposite Bebe as a freshman
Most likely to have an impact as a freshman (defense) – J.C. Lanier/Roderick Sweeting – D line has spots open so Lanier could play early and often. With Jahi gone, Sweeting will compete for playing time early
Most likely to be leading the team in four years – Jordan Luallen (Some say he’ll have a shot to take the QB job from day 1, however, I disagree)
Biggest Darkhorse: David Sims (QB/S) – Clocks a 4.45 forty yard dash, could be dangerous at QB or Safety
Best NFL Prospect – Stephen Hill

Other notes on some commits

Daniel Drummond – Aback/Bback from Flowery Branch, had a great senior year, hard nosed, not sure if he’s athletic enough to get playing time in his first few years

Emmanuel Dieke – Nicknamed Too Tall, could me Michael Johnson Jr.

Carl Miles – Dback, Good size at 5′10″, athletic

Lance Richardson – Good sized safety, good hitter

Izaan Cross – DE, also from Flowery Branch, Athletic, needs some technical work

Euclid Cummings – Another DE prospect, great speed off the edge, good size, needs to work on getting off blocks

Julian Burnett – LB, Small but very smart, good tackler

Antonio Foster – O lineman, Smart, Aggressive, Great run blocker, needs some pass work

Orwin Smith – Aback, Great highlights, A tad slow, Should be better than rating

Jemea Thomas – Safety from Fitzgerald, Very smart, Little small for a Safety but is a playmaker

Raymond Beno – Guard, Quick and Agressive, needs to get stronger

Will Jackson – Guard, Agressive, Strong, Needs to learn how to fire off the ball

Chris Crenshaw – DE, Fast, Needs some technique work

Jeremy Moore-WR, Fast, Good Blocker, Not Sure if he can ever be a starter

Jay Finch – O Guard, Great Speed, Needs to get stronger but should excel in offense

Brandon Watts – LB, Great speed, could even play Safety, Should be very good, just needs some tuneup

Well, there you have it, what I think of Tech’s class

Play FSU tomorrow in basketball, Go Jackets,

JE

Tech Notches first win over #4 Wake

Couldn’t ask for a much better way to get your first ACC win than to beat the #4 team in the nation. Tech’s first ACC win is long overdue, and it should have come many weeks ago when we lost to UVA in overtime at AMC.

Anyway, I really think this could spark the season, like Shump said after the game. We are 1-6 and literally could just as easily be 5-2 and in the hunt for a tourney bid. We play FSU coming up so let’s hope we can get another one under our belt and again get over .500 for the season.

The freshman came up big yesterday with the game tying and winning shots, basically from the exact same spot. The shot to tie the game was a pretty routine shot, one that you would expect a college basketball player to make… The winner, however, was a tough, off the dribble shot where he needed to square up in the air. Shumpert is a natural two and since Moe Miller has come back to play the point I think we have and will continue to improve.

Gani Lawal again looked like a future NBA lottery pick yesterday, recording yet another double double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Let’s hope he decides to stay.

Alade Aminu, at least for now, has bragging rights over younger brother Al-Faroq, who will go onto be a very good player. Aminu had a double double and added in a career high six blocks. If you ask me, Aminu is vastly underrated. He is a very good defender and an above average offensive player. He’s a good free throw shooter as well. Don’t be surprised to see Aminu get a look in NBA camp.

Couple other quick shout outs – Lewis Clinch looks to be returning to form, which is very good for Tech. Let’s hope he keeps scoring the basketball.

I thought Moe Miller played well despite not looking great in the boxscore.

Lastly, props to Nick Foreman who played a great defensive game, not allowing Teague to get the ball which caused the turnover with seven seconds left.

That’s all for now,
JE

Just some news on the Tech front

The Clemson Game

Well, different setting, somewhat of a different story and yet again, the same result. Going into the game I actually had a lot of confidence in this game. Clemson had been sliding a little recently and hadn’t played all that well down the stretch. Not saying Tech was playing well, because, obviously they were not, but for some reason I had a good feeling.

As tipoff rolled around I plopped down on my couch and I thought I was in for a Tech upset. Well as many of you know, I didn’t get what I wished for. Tech. after being down 25-20, went on a 12-4 run to take a 32-29 lead. Clemson then got a couple of easy buckets and knocked down some clutch free throws in the last minute to take a 37-32 halftime lead. If that last minute of the first half gets cut off I honestly believe we win the game. We had the lead, in little john, and we end the half on an 0-8 run. It completely changed our players attitudes and set the tone for the second half.

Once the second half rolled around I was still on my couch only this time I had a bad feeling inside. That bad instinct soon became reality as Clemson started bombarding us from all over the court. Oglesby was raining it, set threes, threes off the dribble and threes on the break. I’m sorry, but it’s not that complicated. We kept getting tortured off the dribble which resulted in a slam for the Tigers underneath, multiple times. Watching this second half was painful.

As you all most likely know, we dropped this game by 14. We are winless in conference and have now dropped below .500 (9-10) for the season. It’s going to be a long one, fans, but make we can light some sort of switch and get something going these days. We have tough games ahead (Wake and UNC) and then some winnable ones. Let’s hope Hewitt keeps giving it his all and doesn’t throw the towel in.

As for other news surrounding the Tech campus and anything concerning it…

Top football commit Stephen Hill is now looking at the Dawgs. I don’t know about you all, but, I was kind of expecting it. Hill was a great pickup when he declared his intention to sign with the Jackets. He was a fast, physically imposing WR who made plays downfield. I think if he does come down here he can be the #1 receiver for years to come, however… I just don’t know if he’ll stick around. UGA was very high on his list but refused to give him a scholarship offer. When UGA lost out on a JuCo receiver to the Sooners they immediately contacted Hill. UGA coaches stopped by Miller Grove today but CPJ is also scheduled to stop in soon.

The AJC just recently posted an article about CPJ trying to sway Hill to stay with the Jackets. My link ‘thing’ is not working right now, so check out www.ajc.com/sports for the article

Mark Bradley did a little research on Derrick Favors over the past couple of days. To see that, check out the Tech page on the AJC sports page as well.

Thats all for now,

JE

Out of Commission for a couple of days

I’ll be in Fort Worth, Texas the next couple of days and unable to post any articles. I know the limiting has been posted since football ended, but I’m looking to pick that up.

I will start covering a little bit more sports information outside of Tech while there is a slow period. I will continue to cover the Jackets basketball and recruiting information.

Please contact me at espenlaubjake@yahoo.com with any article suggestions or if you would like to write one yourself.

Thanks,
JE

Just a Check in on Tech Athletics as a whole

Just thought I’d do a quick check in. Tech faces off against BC tonight inside Alexander. Tyrese Rice and company have hit a three game skid after upsetting then #1 North Carolina. Boston College was preseason ranked #11 in the ACC and they are quickly returning to a team of that caliber. They are essentially a one man team. I have a good feeling about the game tonight. I think the players are feeling the heat of 0-4 in conference and will play hard tonight for their first ACC win. I’m taking Tech at home in a relatively close battle. Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to free throws.

Tech got some good news today when D’andre Bells doctor said he felt very good about Bells chances of playing when the 09-’10 season rolls around. He is one of the best perimeter defenders in the ACC and he has been missed this season. Since we are looking like a much better team next year, with the maturation of players and the coming of a great recruiting class, maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. Best wishes to D’andre and his recovery.

Nothing to new on the football recruiting front. We picked up a commitment from Lance Richardson, which scout calls a “hidden gem.” Richardson is a safety prospect and looks like he could pan out to be a pretty good football player.

Lastly, best of luck to Wisenhunt when the Steelers try to impose their will on the Cardinals prolific offense. Will a Lombardi trophy be in the cards for a team who looked like an almost definite first round out? We shall see. As for me? I’m cheering for the Cardinals. One, because Wisenhunt was the definition of a utility guy at Tech (Playing QB, TE among more) along with the fact that Arizona bounced us out of the playoffs in the opening weekend.