Technical Tidbits 11/3

In what was a must-win game against the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday, Georgia Tech's defense finally came through and showed us all that they are more than capable of holding their own against quality competition. Before you get on me about UVA being a sub-par offense and nothing to write home about, just remember that your Jackets held Kevin Parks, an All-ACC running back, to 13 yards on just 2.6 yards per carry. That is really something remarkable, especially when you consider that Parks is the exact type of player which has given Tech fits all season -- a physical, downhill runner who takes a lot to tackle. We should all be very proud of what the defense was able to do despite struggling at times this season, and the great performance will hopefully provide a foundation to build on as the season comes to an end.

Even without the services of starting B-Back Zach Laskey, Georgia Tech's run game hasn't missed a beat under the leadership of senior do-it-all running back Synjyn Days. When Laskey went down during Tech's loss to UNC, everyone was worried about who would step up and fill the void left by the massively talented senior. Some called for Paul Johnson to burn the red shirt of freshman C.J. Leggett over eight games into the season, but Days has stepped up and proved to everyone that he is more than capable of playing B-Back. Just how good has Days been this season? He has reached the century mark in both of his starts, compiling 257 yards over the last two games.

At this point, Georgia Tech can do whatever it wants and still have no control over whether or not they make it to Charlotte. The Coastal standings are always a jumbled train wreck and this season is no different because Tech sits at the perfect position to possibly win out and still finish in second place to the Duke Blue Devils. I don't think that anyone thought that Tech's loss to Duke, as ugly as it was, would have this much of an impact on the Coastal race. In fact, it is the biggest ACC game of the season simply because it just short of clinched the division for the Devils; Duke would need to lose two conference games and Tech would need to win out for the Jackets to make the trip to face FSU. All Pitt had to do in order to help out Tech fans tremendously was kick a 26 yard field goal to beat Duke. They missed it and lost in overtime because we are fans of Georgia Tech and can't have nice things like championships or happiness.

I'll leave you today with the highlights from Tech's big win over Virginia. If you are that one guy who didn't watch the game, you at least owe it to yourself to watch the best plays. It's only fair.

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Is Georgia Tech's defense actually improving or was their great performance nothing more than an anomaly?

Have a great Monday!