Mailbag 9/25

Whats a good CFB watch party food to make?

Chris: I went to a buddy’s place last Sunday to watch NFL games and he had made homemade guacamole that was insanely good. So do that; everyone loves guac. Adjacently, my mom makes a fantastic pico de gallo, so do that as well. You can’t go wrong with chips and guac/pico/salsa.

Stephen: Slow cook a big [Aerosmith] chunk of meat. pull it apart with whatever utensil strikes fear in your heart. Hold a beer in your hand while you gaze upon your creation and smile.

Georgia Tech opens as a 10-point underdog to Temple. What is your honest prediction for the game against Temple this Saturday?

Ben: I’ll give a score prediction on Saturday, but I expect another low-scoring affair, but I will tell you that I think Tech covers.

Chris: We keep it close and it all comes down to the final two minutes. At that point its up to the Gods of WarFootball.

Jake P.: If the coaching staff starts to realize that Tech isn’t that good at passing the ball, it might be a decent game.

Stephen: I predict more woodworking is in my future. Hopefully the tools make enough noise that I can’t hear the radio call.

Carter: I predict afterward I will find somewhere in Midtown Philly to have a nice drink or two.

Is this the most shameful line in Tech history?

Ben: Temple isn’t exactly a horrible team. They almost beat UCF last season, so I wouldn’t say the line is shameful at all.

Jake P.: I think the most shameful line in Vegas history is oddsmakers thinking we would be able to put up 28 points in a game, much less go up by 28 over The Citadel.

Stephen: Eh, it’s less shameful than having this happen to your team.

Carter: *takes long drag from imaginary vape pen, exhales slowly* sure, why not?

Who gets the bulk of the playing time for us at QB against Temple?

Ben: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nishant: yes

Carter: No one knows, not even Dave Patenaude.

Stephen: Oliver after Johnson does something UTL.

What’s more fun: having everything by this coaching staff compared to the previous one, or having dental work done while listening to a Michael Bolton cover artist?

Ben: I think it depends on how bad the cover artist is. Like, does the artist sing Michael Bolton’s songs better than Michael Bolton? If that’s the case, yeah, I’ll take the dental work. As long as it isn’t much worse than the original, I’ll probably still take the dental work.

Chris: We basically did a 180 which means the comparisons are so easy to generate and its the worst. It’s the equivalent of the “talk about X” question in post-game interviews. To some extent I get it; we really are in an opposite world. But I think it’ll die down next year once everything isn’t as new and fresh.

Carter: Honestly, there are worse things than Michael Bolton. He was featured on that Lonely Island song, so I could listen to that on loop, even if it was a cover. Wait, how bad is this cover?

Is 20 a good number for the over/under on how many times our offense will fail to convert on 3rd or 4th down and short (<2 yds) this year?

Ben:

Chris: **BIG INHALE OF BREATH** yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Jake P.: I thought that as long as the team puts forth #RELENTLESSEFFORT it doesn’t matter how many third and fourth downs get converted.

Carter: Does anyone else hear that high pitched buzzing sound? No? Just me?

Is there any result this season that would erase the ill will of the Citadel loss?

Ben: Either beat UGA or somehow make it to the ACC Championship and upset Clemson. Honestly, winning out the schedule except for UGA would do a lot to take care of that ill will, similar to what Temple did under Collins last season after a loss to Villanova.

Chris: So I think a win against UGA would clear up pretty much everything, but that doesn’t mean the loss won’t follow us.

Carter: Beat georgia. Shouldn’t be hard.

How long before we stop hearing about the Citadel loss from our rivals?

Ben: You’ll probably never not hear it.

Chris: Until we beat each of them.

Nishant: Or until one of them loses to an FCS team. Place your bets on which will happen first.

Carter: Go ahead and pitch your tent here, ‘cause it’ll be a while.

Given Temple’s head-scratching start, what is your true positive result for this weekend?

Ben: I think it’s a positive if the defense bounces back after the debacle against The Citadel, and the offense finds some sort of identity.

Chris: First and foremost, a win. Barring that, a loss in which we don’t embarrass ourselves, run a consistently productive offense, and have a consistently solid defense that makes a couple big plays.

Nishant: If they stop rotating QBs within a single drive, I’m willing to call it progress.

Carter: I am positive I will have a nice drink after the game is over.

Is Bronston Tankersley of yellowjackedup.com of any relation to Ben?

Ben: Wouldn’t you like to know?

Chris: I have absolutely no idea, but I’m all in on like 10 ridiculous conspiracy scenarios I just thought up.

Carter: No one has ever seen Ben and “Bronston” in the same room before....

Stephen: Bronston is his street name.

Ben (again): Before I saw this question, I didn’t know there was another B. Tankersley who covered Georgia Tech sports for a fan blog, which is strangely specific. To my knowledge, we are not related.

Tech over/unders this week?

• 150 Passing Yards (Last Week 118, Average 110)
• 250 Rushing Yards (Last Week 183, Average 174)
• 50 Penalty Yards (Last Week 80, Average 37)
• 21.5 Points (Last Week 24, Average 17)
• +1.5 Turnover Margin (Last Week +1, Average 0)

Ben: Under, Over, Under, Over, Over. I’m feeling a little more optimistic.

Chris: Passing Yards: Under. Rushing Yards: Over. Penalty Yards: Under. Points: Over. Turnover Margin: Under.

Stephen: Passing Yards: Over. Rushing Yards: Under. Penalty Yards: Over. Points: Under. Turnover Margin: Under.

Carter: Under, under, under, under, over.

How do the O-line injuries this year compare to the O-line injuries during the (gulp) 2015 season?

Nishant: Strangely enough, as nightmarish as the injury situation was across the roster, the OL stayed healthy. The four returning starters from 2014 all started most of the games in 2015; they just took an inexplicably massive step back in playing ability. As for this year... yeah it’s bad. The main issue is that the team started the year with virtually no depth, and what little there was has already been exhausted.

Can we start a movement to clean up the negativity within our own fanbase by comparing all of the haters to Tennessee fans?

Ben: I think it’d be a whole lot cooler to have adult discussions, but it’s the Internet, so I know that won’t happen.

What is your favorite FB play or series of plays?

Ben: These two. But in reality, I’m a big fan of option plays, specifically watching them out of the Pistol. Whenever I play NCAA 14, that’s what I build my offense from.

Nishant: I’m gonna take “FB” to mean “fullback” and will submit Owen Schmitt, the runaway beer truck. Those amazing West Virginia offenses in the mid-2000’s helped to spark my interest in college football.

Stephen: Intent was to select the event that inspires the most joy in your heart. Be that failed flea flickers, double doinks, or a good shovel pass. For me, it’s the naked bootleg.

Carter: I love a good option death march. In the non-Georgia Tech category, it’s this.