Technical Tidbits 9/22

During Saturday's huge win over Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech defender Chris Milton gave the Hokies a taste of their own signature Beamerball when he blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt from kicker Joey Slye. This has been something that the Jackets have absolutely perfected under Paul Johnson and the special teams coaching staff -- the Jackets are tied for second in the NCAA with three blocked kicks in four games this season following a 2013 campaign which saw Tech block five kicks (fifth best in the NCAA) and three punts (tied for second in the NCAA). Those are a lot of points left on the board for opposing teams and likely sealed Tech's win over the Hokies on Saturday.

In other special teams news, Saturday's win was more than a little bit special for kicker Harrison Butker, who nailed the game-winning field goal from 24 yards out to finally put the Hokies to bed on their home field. It has been an up and down season so far for Butker, who set a goal for himself to go perfect on field goals through the season but has been inconsistent on close-up attempts this year. I won't lie -- when I saw him line up for that chip-shot with time expiring, I immediately flashed back to then-Hokie Cody Journell absolutely botching a 25-yard field goal which would have sealed the game for the Hokies last season against Tech. We all owe Harrison Butker a lot of credit for delivering when he had to; high pressure situations can rattle even the best player.

Lost in all of the excitement surrounding football season is the fact that Georgia Tech has a basketball team which is gearing up to start their 2014 season in just over a month. The Jackets will face a very tough schedule this season, including out of conference games against uga, Northwestern, and most notably Marquette, one of the most consistent teams in college basketball. Speaking of consistency, last season was the first time in eight years that Marquette failed to reach the NCAA tournament. Whether that is encouraging as a Tech fan or not I'm really not sure, but the Jackets will have to bring their A-game if they hope to steal a W.

This week was a crazy one for the entire NCAA. Top teams were upset by not-so-top teams, quarterbacks recovered fumbles for touchdowns, and Wake Forest won a football game against a team that people have actually heard of. Take a look at this video for a great recap of all the excitement, be it good or bad. Also, please note the lovely framed picture of Michael Brewer behind the hosts. Gee, I wonder why that is there?

What does Tech's dominant special teams play tell us about the Jackets? Who is to thank for the success?