Kicknical Kickbits 10/26

Hello. If you came here and expected to read about something besides Georgia Tech's miraculous walk-off special teams touchdown against Florida State then this article is not for you. The play took just a few seconds to materialize but will take days to fully appreciate. Let's get started!

What better way to start off an ode to such a beautiful play than with some hilarious irony? Hey, remember the original Pick Six from the 2013 Iron Bowl? Yeah, so does Jimbo Fisher. Because he went out of his way to express how well-prepared his team would be for such an occurrence in an interview before the 2013 National Championship. WHOOPS. I have no issue with Jimbo -- he is far and away one of the classiest coaches in all of college football -- but that's just hilarious. What's even more hilarious is Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo's answer to the question of whether or not he would have made the tackle that the Alabama kicker missed. From Aguayo's 2013 interview with Pete Fiutak:

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. When I watched that I was like, "Oh my God." First of all, the kicker gets rocked. And the punter can't make the tackle. But it is what it is. I'm always doing tackling drills at practice. I'm ready for that.

Hang on, what was that last part?

I'm ready for that.

Oh. I see. Preparation is one thing, but when the time comes and you completely whiff on the game-saving tackle you look pretty silly. I mean, he missed so badly he did a 360 spin off of the field of play. If I had the Photoshop skills you better believe that play would have been edited into a video of outer space with On the Wings of an Angel playing in the background. Sorry not sorry.

Every great play comes with an equally phenomenal story, and Lance Austin's miraculous kick-six is no different. The second Lance found the end-zone on what was undoubtedly the biggest play of his entire career, he went down on his knees and paid tribute to his late grandmother, Louise, who lost her battle with cancer. That coupled with the fact that Lance ran into the end zone side by side with his brother Lawrence is what really sets this play apart from any other. The odds of the play happening at all were astronomical, but having two brothers share the moment together is nothing short of amazing. Congratulations to Lance Austin on a generational play.

One of the best things about ESPN covering a game is that you know there will be at least ten different angles of every play, and the Miracle on Techwood is no exception. Take a look at the video below to see every camera angle from the most exciting play you've ever seen.

What a play. Just the fact that every single person on that field did every single things right to make it happen is one of the most amazing things in all of sports. Roberto Aguayo, as hard as I laughed at his comments from 2013, is an all-world kicker at the collegiate level. Before that play he was 60 of 66 on field goals for his career. He had never missed a single time in the fourth quarter. He will almost certainly be playing on Sundays in the near future. In fact, he almost certainly would have made that kick if Patrick Gamble hadn't blocked it. He's that good. And Georgia Tech managed to rally, block his kick, and then return it for a touchdown. That's amazing. I've always been a very stoic sports watcher, but that play was a well-deserved exception. I'm still not sure what to think.

I mean, come on. Florida State had not lost an ACC game in 1,113 days. That spans 28 conference wins in a row, including two straight three straight ACC Championships. In fact, their massive win-streak which was snapped by Oregon last season was a streak that started against Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship back in 2012 when the Noles beat the Jackets by 6 in Charlotte. We didn't get to break that streak, but this one was just as sweet. That ACCCG, by the way, came down to a last-minute interception thrown by Tevin Washington. On Saturday, however, it was Tech's turn to win on a last-second play. After a couple of close calls -- a two-point loss and a six-point loss -- the Jackets finally got those elusive Noles. Just think about what was going on the last time FSU lost an ACC game. It was October 6, 2012, and Mitt Romney was the leading presidential candidate. As Braves fans you may remember the infamous infield fly game. That was on October 6, 2012. It has been a long, long time.

Want to watch a replay of the game right now? Of course you do. Go hit up WatchESPN by following this link. Every replay is there.

I'll leave you today with Paul Johnson summing up all of our emotions. Over a million people have seen his reaction. Join them.

What was your favorite part of the Miracle on Techwood? Can you remember a more exciting play?