Technical Tidbits 10/8: What a week

What a wonderful week it has been for Atlanta sports fans. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ stunning upset victory over 24th-ranked Pitt was the perfect way to end an otherwise turbulent week. When it looked like they might clutch defeat from the jaws of victory, the Yellow Jackets secured the win against the Panthers and in the process sent a clear FU to Narduzzi. As it turned out, he didn’t earn a handshake, still, Tech interim head coach Brent Key was generous enough to offer Narduzzi the customary post-game exchange. On top of this, the Atlanta Falcons also narrowly defeated the Cleveland Browns, another clear FU, this time to a Cleveland team that deserves a smack in the mouth. And to top it all off, the Atlanta Braves pulled the rug from under the New York Mets once again, clinching the NL East in fashionable Braves style. Yup, It couldn’t have been a better week. Today’s Tibit’s (unusually, on a Saturday) will be short and sweet and focus on the football team now that it has confirmed it indeed has a pulse.

Okay, I first saw a post in my Twitter feed yesterday about this, and then after seeing this article when writing up today’s Tidbits, I figured I’d start off with this reference to a classic Tech win from ages ago. The 220-0 victory over Cumberland College (present-day Cumberland University) took place on October 7, 1916. There are a lot of mind-blowing statistics and interesting tidbits in the article. The fact that the Yellow Jackets had scored 63 points in the first quarter is jaw-dropping, but what I really thought was interesting was the six touchdowns scored off of either kick or punt returns. This actually explains the lower-than-expected “501 total yards on just 29 offensive plays”. Regardless, that’s an average of more than 17 yards per play. It’s as if they literally marched down the field on each possession they had.

Tech’s upset win over Pitt last week really shook up the ACC Coastal standings. The above article has all the details regarding the current status. At 1-1 in the ACC, Tech is currently third place behind UNC (1-0) and first-place Duke, whom the Yellow Jackets will face today. As the article mentions, kick-off is set for Saturday at 4:00 p.m at Bobby Dodd Stadium. This SI article has some predictions for the ACC and sees UNC winning against Miami. It might be a stretch, but if UNC loses and Tech wins, then how would a first-place Tech team in the ACC Coastal sit with you? Honestly, after the Ole Miss and UCF games, I wouldn’t see it coming in a million years. We’ll know a little later today. #GoJackets