Although the Jackets made it through the season opener versus Alcorn State relatively unscathed, backup quarterback Tim Byerly suffered a leg injury in practice which could sideline him for an extended portion of the 2015 season. If the injury does end up being significant, this is a pretty big blow for the Jackets, especially if Justin Thomas goes down. Byerly, in addition to being the only real insurance policy that Paul Johnson had for Justin Thomas, was in line for some goal-line work, as we saw early in the Alcorn State game. I don't doubt Justin Thomas' ability to score inside the five yard line, but having Byerly as an option was certainly appreciated and his presence will be missed in one way or another.
The Jackets will attempt to improve to 2-0 on the season this Saturday when they take on the Tulane Green Wave in Atlanta, just one season removed from defeating the Wave at the grand opening of the brand-new Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. Tulane will come into the game 0-1 after falling by a final score of 37-7 at home against Duke. The Blue Devils are also on Tech's schedule for later this year, but I'm not really sure what that final score says about David Cutcliffe's football team just yet. We'll know soon enough if Tulane is that bad or if Duke is just that good.
While no team in the ACC fell to a cupcake opponent over the weekend, it is hard to argue that the conference did itself any favors with all three of its losses against quality opponents (four if you count Virginia Tech, whose outlook against Ohio State is looking iffy right now) coming in ugly fashion. North Carolina and new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik couldn't pull out a win over Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks, and the potent UNC offense was only able to put up 13 points. Auburn and UCLA both dismantled Louisville and UVA, respectively, and even Pitt had some trouble holding off Bo Pelini's Youngstown State squad. It is too early to say now, but this is shaping up to be a round season perception-wise for the ACC.
This is not a sports-relevant link, but it is sometimes cool to remember that Georgia Tech creates neat stuff that isn't football related. In this case, researchers at Tech have created an artificial intelligence system that is capable of writing fictional stories. No word yet on whether or not this same technology employed by Virginia Tech fans when they attempt to explain why their football team has failed to win anything of significance in the history of the program, but stay tuned.
How noteworthy is the loss of Tim Byerly if his injury ends up being significant?