September 7, 2016
In This Issue
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Georgia Tech's Opener in Ireland Through The Eyes of The Irish Times
We thought we'd let you see the unique perspective the media in Ireland has on college football and specifically the game last week between Georgia Tech and Boston College. This is a story from The Irish Times trying to describe to their readers what was going on.
Controlled chaos as college football circus comes to Dublin
Georgia Tech pip Boston College at the Aviva on a day which shows it is more than a game
In a week where Irish-American relations may have soured somewhat thanks to a certain ruling by the EU Commission regarding a certain American technology giant's tax affairs, a very Irish welcome was given to the fans, players, marching bands, cheerleaders and general hangers-on of both Georgia Tech and Boston College for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at the Aviva Stadium.
That welcome was a gloomy Autumn day on Dublin's southside where the rain persisted for the duration of a sporting event Ireland is not used to.
In truth this wasn't so much a sporting event as a festival of Irish/American culture with the celebrations beginning last Thursday and surely continuing long into Saturday night in the pubs and clubs of Dublin.
While any American CEOs in the 40,000-strong crowd for the opening NCAA game of the season may have looked slightly sceptically at the IDA Ireland banner on the Havelock Square end inviting them to "Touchdown in Ireland, where it's great to do business", proceedings went off without a hitch on what was a spectacular occasion. At the end it was the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech who were celebrating a 17-14 victory after a dramatic finish to the fourth quarter.
Both sides arrived in Ireland in need of a strong start to the season following disappointing campaigns last year. While Boston College felt more like the home team thanks to their Irish connections - the private university was set up in 1863 by Jesuit John McElroy who hailed from Enniskillen - the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech were well represented by thousands of fanatical fans.
And yes, these fans are fanatical about college football. Both sides attract average attendances of about 45,000 for home games and that's quite mediocre compared to some of the bigger colleges across America. To sum it up: the 10 largest stadiums in America (in any sport) are all home to college football teams. The coaches of both Georgia Tech and Boston College - Paul Johnson and Steve Addazio - are paid $2.5 million a year and the pair languish around 35th place in the list of highest paid college football coaches.
Head Coach Paul Johnson's Press Conference
Previewing Mercer
Opening Statement:
"
We're excited to get back home this week and have a chance to play again. We didn't play as well as I had hoped. You have to give Boston College credit. But we can play better than that. So, its gonna be a challenge this week to try to up our game.
"I'm sure that Mercer is excited about having a chance to come and play here. They've got a number of kids from metro Atlanta, a lot of in state players. I know what that would be like for them, having coached at Georgia Southern at one time. So, I'm sure they're going to be fired up and excited to play. We need to be as well. It's our first home game
"Mercer's got a lot of kids who have played football. Their quarterback has played every game since they started back
(in 2013). They've got some experience on the offensive line. Defensively, they're not as big as most teams we're going to play, but they run around pretty good. They also have the advantage of coming off playing a team that is very similar to us in style
(The Citadel). So, they've had all camp and two weeks to get ready to play. There's probably not a lot you're going to do that's going to surprise them. I'm sure they're coming in with the attitude that there's nothing to lose. Throw caution to the wind, see what happens."
On facing another running QB...
."We've got to do a good job of staying in our rush lanes and continue to try to fight and get pressure. My take watching them...I think they'd rather run the ball if they can."
On getting the biggest improvement from week one to week two and who he looks to have the biggest improvement...
"All of them. None were very good. Some areas were better than others. From physicality on offense, eyes on defense, leverage, missed tackles, assignments and alignments. We can get better at all of it."
On Ryan Rodwell, averaged just 37.4 yards on five punts...
"We have no punter right now. It's wide open. .It doesn't mean he might not be the punter. But we're charting every kick this week. There's a good chance there could be somebody else, given the opportunity."
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Mercer Head Coach Bobby Lamb's Press Conference Previewing Georgia Tech
Opening Statement:
"We were disappointed in the outcome of the game. Had many opportunities to win. The most disappointing stat of the night was 10 penalties to 1. We led the nation last year in the least amount of penalties.
On the similar offenses between Citadel and Georgia Tech
...
"
We get the advantage of working on it in preseason camp. Our defense did a good job of defending it once we got used to the speed of the game. The difference is Tech gets the ball out on the perimeter a little bit more and the speed's gonna be a bit faster. They have a dynamic quarterback who can make plays. He's certainly the key t their offense.
On this being their first game
in a big conference
...
"
Obviously, we've had a lot of firsts here at Mercer. This may be our last first. What better way to start than in our home state in Atlanta where we have over 30,000 alumni. We have a campus there in Atlanta. I've been in a lot of big arenas, played in a lot of big stadiums over the years. We're gonna have a great atmosphere and I'm sure a lot of Mercer people will show up.
"It's a football game and you've got to go play just like you do in 5 star stadiums."
On preparing for Tech's speed...
"Even though you practice with your scout team, its tough to emulate a guy named
Justin Thomas. He's very quick and agile If you look at that Boston College game, he just willed his way to win on that last drive.
On handling Tech's size...
"Up front, they've got a lot of size. Their ends and tackles are big. They're pretty experienced.
Ted Roof knows what he's doing. For us to be successful, we've got to keep those guys off balance."
ACC Football:
Week 1 Power Rankings
A wild week one combined with some cupcake opponents doesn't give the ACC Power Rankings much clarity, but we have a general idea of the talent of each of the ACC teams, including a shake-up at the top.
#1 Florida State Seminoles
(1-0, 0-0) Last Week -
W, vs. #11 Ole Miss (45-34).
Talk about a tale of two halves. In the first half, FSU couldn't get out of their own way.
Deondre Francois looked like a Redshirt Freshman, the Noles committed 11 first half penalties,
Dalvin Cook forgot that he needed to bring the ball with him while running into the end zone, and I was contemplating how far to drop FSU in the power rankings as they were down by 22 points. Flash forward to the second half, the Noles looked scary good. Francois settled down and FSU went on a 30-0 run, the largest comeback in school history against a good Ole Miss team.
#2 Clemson Tigers (1-0, 0-0) Last Week - W @ Auburn (19-13)
In week 1 for the Tigers, there was some good, and a lot of bad. The bottom line is that Clemson was the only team in the top 25 to win in enemy territory this week. Maybe they got caught up in their own hype or maybe it was week one on the road jitters, but the Tiger offense was not adequately prepared for this game. Not only did
Deshaun Watson not look like the Heisman Trophy candidate that we have been hearing about all summer, he was average at best, forcing throws to receivers who weren't open. Combined with basic play calling that looked like the Tigers ran the same 4 plays over and over again, the Tiger offense needs to improve, and quickly.
The Georgia Tech Sports Website
Georgia Tech Express Official Website
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News & Information on Georgia Tech Team Sports
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Tech Vs Mercer For Home Opener
Georgia Tech (1-0, 1-0 ACC) vs. Mercer (0-1, 0-1 SoCon)
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016
* 3 p.m. ET * Atlanta, Ga * Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field (55,000)
TV:
ACC Network: Online: WatchESPN.com.
Play-by-Play - Matt Stewart, Analyst - Al Groh.
Radio: 680 The Fan;
93.7 FM. RamblinWreck.com for 38-station affiliate list.
Satellite: XM 83 / Sirius 83.
Online: RamblinWreck.com.
Play-by-Play -
Andy Demetra
, Analyst -
Sean Bedford
, Sideline -
Randy Waters
* Fresh off of a season-opening ACC win in Ireland, Georgia Tech opens the home portion of its 2016 schedule versus Mercer on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
* Georgia Tech sits atop the ACC with a 1-0 record in league play after topping Boston College, 17-14, last Saturday at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The Yellow Jackets trailed 14-7 with less than six minutes left on the clock but a 40-yard field goal by senior
Harrison Butker with 5:57 to go and a four-yard touchdown plunge by true freshman
Dedrick Mills with just 35 seconds remaining in the ballgame lifted Tech to the come-from-behind victory.
* Separated by just 87 miles, Georgia Tech and Mercer are meeting on the gridiron for the first time in 78 years. Mercer, which did not field a football team from 1942-2012, is playing an NCAA Division I FBS opponent for the first time since reinstating its program three years ago. The Bears are members of the Division I FCS Southern Conference.
* Georgia Tech is 92-25-4 all-time in home openers. The Yellow Jackets have won 17-straight Bobby Dodd Stadium lid-lifters, including all eight under head coach
Paul Johnson.
* Last Saturday's come-from-behind win over Boston College marked the fourth time in the last 27 games that Georgia Tech scored the tying or winning points in the final minute of regulation.
* With 119 passing yards against Boston College, senior quarterback
Justin Thomas moved into the top 10 in Georgia Tech history in career passing yardage. He ranks eighth in school history with 3,314 career passing yards.
Scouting Mercer: Mercer comes into Saturday's contest with an 0-1 record after dropping a heartbreaking 24-23 decision to The Citadel Iin its season opener on Thursday, Sept. 1.
* Like Georgia Tech, Mercer opened the season with a conference game, as it and The Citadel are both members of the NCAA Division I FCS Southern Conference. The Citadel is ranked No. 15 nationally in FCS.
* Quarterback
John Russ accounted for 246 of Mercer's 392 yards of total offense against The Citadel with 172 passing yards and 74 rushing. He also scored two rushing touchdowns. A four-year starter, Russ has been behind center for all 36 games since Mercer reinstated its football program in 2013.
* Although they have never squared off as head coaches,
Tech's Paul Johnson and Mercer's Bobby Lamb have a long shared history. Johnson was the offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern and Lamb was the recordbreaking quarterback at Furman when Johnson's Eagles defeated Lamb's Paladins, 44-42, in the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA national championship game. Johnson and Lamb went
on to meet five more times from 1997-2001.
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Freshman B-back Dedrick Mills comes back, lifts himself, Georgia Tech
over BC
In the weeks leading into the season-opening game
against Boston College in Dublin, Ireland, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson assured and re-reassured that there would be a role for Dedrick Mills -- be it on kickoff return or at B-back.
The role Johnson didn't foresee for the
talented freshman was the guy to score the game-winning touchdown. It's a role both can get used to down the road. Johnson reassured Mills of that.
"The last touchdown by Dedrick, I wanted to get him the ball because I really think he is going to be a good player," said Johnson. "He didn't disappoint me."
Mills' four-yard run on a second-and-goal play with 35 seconds remaining capped an 11-play, 59-yard drive that used 2:58 and provided the Jackets (1-0, 1-0) the winning points in their season-opening 17-14 win over Boston College (0-1, 0-1).
"It felt pretty good," said Mills of the run, which came complete with his refusal to be denied at the two-yard line, resulting in his body-surfing his way into the end zone.
"I had my teammates to back me up and to push me in. It was just fun."
The run put a nice finish on Mills' first collegiate game, in which he ran for 68 yards on 18 carries, good for a 3.8 yards-per-carry average -- all team-highs. More important, the hard-charging 5-10, 217-pound product from Waycross, Ga., learned a lesson in mental toughness and resilience, as his ability to move past a third-quarter fumble made the final series and future such heroics possible.
The bounce back was delicious irony for Mills, who knew all about the demoralizing power of the turnover, as he'd forced three fumbles and added a pick in his years as a linebacker for Ware County.
The first true freshman to start a season opener for Tech since wide receiver
Tyler Melton in 2008 credited his teammates for getting him back in the game and couldn't let them down.
"After I fumbled the ball the first time, I kind of got down," he said. "They came back up to me and were telling me I have to forget that last play. It's time to play another play, there is nothing you can do about it. I got my chance again and I just had to finish the play and drive the ball in."
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Former Yellow Jackets in the NFL
A number of ProJacket defenders stood out in the final week of the 2016 NFL Preseason.
Making his first start of the preseason slate, OLB
Brandon Watts
(GT 2010-13) recorded seven total tackles, three solo and four assisted, to help lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 27-25 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, Sept. 1.
Cornerback
Mario Butler
(GT 2007-10) also played well in his first start of the preseason, as he totaled four solo tackles for the Buffalo Bills in a loss to the Detroit Lions on Sept. 1.
Across the field was DB
Isaiah Johnson
(GT 2010-14), who posted two tackles for the Lions in the 31-0 win over the Bills, while DT
Adam Gotsis
(GT 2012-15) finished with two tackles himself for the Denver Broncos in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
DB
Chris Milton
(GT 2012-15) recorded an interception and a pass defended for the Indianapolis Colts in their win over the Cincinnati Bengals, CB
D.J. White
(GT 2012-15) got the start and tallied one tackle in the Chiefs' win, while OLB
Philip Wheeler
(GT 2003-07) finished with four tackles, two solo and two assisted, in the Falcons' 17-15 win over Jacksonville.
See is a complete list of the Football ProJackets currently on NFL rosters.
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Tech Volleyball opens home schedule Thursday as they host the Georgia Challenge
The Yellow Jackets open their 2016 volleyball home slate on Sept. 8 when they host the Georgia Challenge. Tech plays Georgia State at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
In their most recent match last weekend  Georgia Tech (4-2) rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match 2-2 and force a fifth frame, but Kansas State (4-2) prevailed 3-2 in the final match of the K-State Invite.
The two teams battled back and forth in an opening frame that featured 12 tied scores. Gabriela Stavnetchei led Georgia Tech with four kills in game one, but the Wildcats prevailed 25-22.
The Jackets led set two 19-14, before K-State made a comeback to pull within one 21-20. The teams fought for the lead with four tied scores, but at 25-25 K-State scored two points to capture the game 27-25.
The Yellow Jackets overcame an 18-15 deficit to tie game three 22-22. Tech scored the next three points capped off with an ace from Rebecca Martin to win 25-
22 and force a fourth frame.
K-State, who finished second in the four team tournament that also included MIchigan and Tennessee State, regrouped in overtime and jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fifth stanza and led 8-3 at the switch. The Yellow Jackets rallied from down 12-6 to within two, 14-12, but the Wildcats held on to win 15-12.
"I'm proud of how we kept fighting and giving ourselves a chance to win the match," head coach Michelle Collier said. "Our team competed really well against two very established programs today. It's early in the season and we have so much to grow and get better as a group and individually. This group is resilient and we will take what we have learned this weekend and be ready to work hard next week to be a better team for our first home matches. It's a long season, and a long process, and our goal is to keep getting better every chance we get."
After putting down 15 kills in the morning match, Stavnetchei tallied a career-high 16 kills against K-State with a career-best 19 digs for her first career double-double.
London Ackermann tallied a career-high 32 digs and earned All-Tournament team honors.
"They didn't give us the match," said Wildcat senior outside hitter Brooke Sassin. "We definitely earned it."
This Thursday's first opponent, the Georgia State Panthers, are 3-3 and coming off a tough loss at Belmont in the Bruiser Showcase where they lost in three close sets. Key players: Celeste Friesen (49 digs), Sarah Renner (34 digs) and Kristina Stinson (26 killls).
The Yellow Jackets follow their match with the Panthers on Thursday with a 7 p.m. match against Kennesaw State. The Owls are off to a bad 1-6 start after losing all three matches at the Texas State Tournament to Tulsa, Texas State and Stephen F. Austin. Key Players are Katarina Morton (30 digs), Anaiah Boyer (20 kills, 12 digs and five blocks) and Kristi Piedimonte (48 assists).
Georgia Tech wraps up the tournament on Friday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. against Georgia.
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Cross Country Tops KSU In Season Opener
Tech's men's and women's cross country teams opened their seasons with solid starts Saturday with both teams going 1-1 in the dual meet against Kennesaw State and Georgia. The women topped KSU, 20-43 and fell to UGA, 18-39. The men's squad took Kennesaw State by a score of 15-50 and fell to Georgia, 22-33.
"It was great to see the men and women race and overall I was pleased with the efforts," said Georgia Tech cross country head coach Alan Drosky. "While we were hoping for better results overall, we came up short against two strong Georgia squads and were able to come away with wins against two upcoming Kennesaw State teams. The strength of both our teams is our depth and I think we saw that today. But we just didn't have an answer for the strength Georgia had up front."
On the women's side, Tech was led by (So) Mary Prouty, who finished sixth overall with a personal-best 5k time of 18:24.50. For the men, (Jr) Nahom Solomon captured a second-place finish overall for the Jackets with a time of 25:15.13.
"Both teams showed some good things we can really build on as we prepare for our next competition."
Both squads will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 24 for the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn.
Click Here For The Full Story and More on GT Cross Country
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