Technical Tidbits 9/12: Tech remains undefeated with 35-10 win over Mercer, Georgia nearly slips against Nicholls State

Georgia Tech picked up win number two of the young season over the weekend, defeating in-state opponent Mercer by a final score of 35-10 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mercer, the the first team Tech ever played in football, revived its football program back in 2013 after an extended absence. Tech is the first FBS team that the Bears have played since then, and it showed in the form of a 35-3 Tech run to close the game out after falling behind 7-0 off of an opening-drive turnover. Perhaps it wasn't the margin of victory that many would have liked to see, but this season's crazy string of early upsets has taught us not to take anything for granted. In fact, a 25-point margin of victory looks great this season. It sure is bigger than that of UGA. Which won by two against, well...

Nicholls State. Yep, the No. 9 Bulldogs barely held on to beat the FCS team by a final score of 26-24 at Sanford Stadium. Had the Colonels held on, it may well have been the biggest upset in college football history; Georgia was favored by 55 points heading into the matchup. Maybe their next cupcake will finally finish the job and permanently scar the Kirby Smart era in season number one -- that opportunity will be against Louisiana Lafayette later this year. In the meantime, Nicholls State wants 'Bama.

Though Georgia Tech's defense held the Mercer Bears to just 10 points on Saturday afternoon, the FCS school's ability to move the ball up and down the field proved problematic for the Jackets throughout the game. The worst defensive drive of the game came in the third quarter, when Mercer took the kickoff and proceeded to go on a death march of their own that managed to burn nearly eight minutes off the clock. Tech lost the turnover battle 2-0, failing to really pressure the Mercer signal caller and struggling mightily to adjust to screen passes. The team hasn't given up many points through the first two games, but they've also faced two FCS-level offenses in that time. Improvements need to be made very soon.

In some other ACC news, Virginia Tech's weekend matchup with Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway shattered the world record for fan attendance at a college football game (autoplay video warning) by pulling in an astounding 156,990 fans from across the country. That broke the previous record of 115,000, set by Michigan at The Big House during a game versus Notre Dame a few years back. It was an incredibly impressive scene, particularly in the beginning when the fans formed an American flag that stretched the length of the stands. Though I doubt that the view from the upper deck was too great, it's still an amazing concept and will hopefully be a catalyst for more such games in the future.

Have a great Monday!