GA TECH OVER AUBURN

[wbatl1]

Wow, 17-3 at Bobby Dodd. Tech's D played extremely well, they just confused the daylights out of the Auburn line.

[Superman=#54]

Auburn's has no offense.

[JonInMiddleGA]

A nice win, certainly one I didn't expect.

Auburn on the other hand, looks like they're in serious need of a transfusion, 'cause the offense is beyond anemic.

[MrBug708]

They dont need a transition, they need a QB

[The_herd]

And an offensive coordinator.

[jcclark02]

A new coach..

[MrBug708]

And some WR's

[sony]

Is it just me or does Auburn need a new QB.

[RPI-Fan]

Woot!

[Joe Stallings]

I thought Auburn's QB was supposed to be a stud (?). In any case, he had no time to throw, and they stuck with the (unsucessful) running game for way to long. Can't blame it all on the QB.

Nice win for my Jackets. I missed the BYU game, and from the news and box score, looked like Reggie Ball played poorly. I was very impressed with him today. Didn't have great stats, but made very, very nice throws and didn't try to force things that weren't there. Plus, looks like Auburn's dbs were all over Tech receivers, esp in the first half.

[GrantDawg]

So, when does Tubby get his walking papers?

[FBPro]

Nice, way to go Jackets....

[Superman=#54]

The problem with Auburn is that they are to predictable on offense. Run up the middle pitch it and run wide are basically their only run plays.

They have no passing game so draws and QB scrambles don't work well when you have 8 guys on the line everytime.

The problems with the passing game is that Auburn has a scrambling QB that would probaly run the option better and they have no studs at WR or TE.

They have a decent defense, but any defense will get beat up when your offense goes three and out and cannot hold the ball for longer than a minute.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Joe -- I watched the BYU game from start to finish & Ball acquited himself quite nicely against the Cougars. He managed to avoid serious mistakes & actually did a good job of keeping himself under control (which can be a worry with a QB who enjoys running).

The biggest difference between Ball/Game 1 & Ball/Game2 was that the coaches gave him a much more aggressive game plan against Auburn.

He still doesn't have as much help as you nor I would like, but he's two-for-two in solid performances as a college QB.

[Celeval]

W00t! Helped take the goalposts out of the stadium, that was a great win.

17-3 was the final, but honestly - it could have been 24-0 just as easily. The Tech back in the fourth quarter (Eziemefe) tripped over his own feet with nothing but open field in front of him; and the drive that Auburn got their FG on was very nearly a stop a few times. The Tigers had some good runs, but never seemed a dangerous team offensively until the very end of the game - which ended with the only interception of the game, Campbell was hit as he threw.

Reggie Ball - he looked very, very good today. He did the same today as he did against BYU, just a little bit better - one thing I'm noticing he's very good at is placing the ball where only the receiver can get to it. Against BYU he was a little hyper, and overthrew many of the deep passes - today he reined it in just enough, and we made some of the catches. This kid is going to be a lot of fun to watch.

[GrantDawg]

Ball does look good. He'll should only get better. The question: Is the defense as good as it looked today, or is Auburn as bad as it has looked the last two weeks? If the defense is as good as it looks, then GT DC deserves an award. That team was decimated, and he has created a solid unit.

Next week will tell the tale....

[Celeval]

Watching both games - I think the defense is better than most people gave it credit for prior to the season. We'll have more trouble with Florida State - I think Auburn has a better possible running game than FSU (even with Greg Jones), but the Seminoles can pass the ball, and Jason Campbell missed a few passes that could have changed the tone of the game.

[SunDancer]

Aggressive gameplan in what way?

I like to watch the development of Ball and Leak (Florida)....see how they are being brought along. Will Ball become a star at GT? How is the freshman and sophmoore talent at GT?

[ISiddiqui]

I think Auburn has a better possible running game than FSU (even with Greg Jones)

I disagree. I think Auburn had a more HYPED running game than FSU, but FSU has the better running game, easily. Auburn has just been pathetic at running the ball this year.

[JonInMiddleGA]

SunDancer -- They actually let Ball throw deep today ;)

"More aggressive" is very relative term. Against BYU, it seemed that GT was stuck in "this is our game plan" mode while today I had more of a feeling that it was "we'll take what's there & try to make some things happen" mode.

[TroyF]

Originally posted by ISiddiqui
I disagree. I think Auburn had a more HYPED running game than FSU, but FSU has the better running game, easily. Auburn has just been pathetic at running the ball this year.

Tough to say at this point. I do like the FSU running game and did even before the season started.

I know from watching Colorado football the past few years, sometimes it takes awhile for the O-Line to gel. CU struggled to run the football until the fourth game last year. The third game it was at its absolute worst with a thrashing by the Trojans of USC.

The line got it together in the fourth game and was able to run the ball very effectively for the rest of the year, even with a crap QB controlling the offense.

I'm not sure if the same thing will happen for Auburn. I do know we have to give em a couple more games before saying they were overhyped. The O-Line may end up coming together and they may run over people in every other game this year.

Not likely. . . but CU's turnaround last year wasn't real likely either. :)

TroyF

[Radii]

I was really impressed today but I'm still not willing to let go of the idea that this is not a good Georgia Tech team. I'm excited about Ball though like everyone else.

I think really the only thing that came out of today for sure is that Auburn was even more amazingly overrated than initially thought.

[GrantDawg]

Originally posted by TroyF
Tough to say at this point. I do like the FSU running game and did even before the season started.

I know from watching Colorado football the past few years, sometimes it takes awhile for the O-Line to gel. CU struggled to run the football until the fourth game last year. The third game it was at its absolute worst with a thrashing by the Trojans of USC.

The line got it together in the fourth game and was able to run the ball very effectively for the rest of the year, even with a crap QB controlling the offense.

I'm not sure if the same thing will happen for Auburn. I do know we have to give em a couple more games before saying they were overhyped. The O-Line may end up coming together and they may run over people in every other game this year.

Not likely. . . but CU's turnaround last year wasn't real likely either. :)

TroyF

Were three of the five starters on the CU O-line last year starters from the previous year? Did all the players from that line have previous starts? AU line has and did. There is something to it more than the line hasn't jelled. They lost their OC over the summer, and have the OL coach as the OC and someone else calling the plays. I think there is something in there that is the problem.

[TroyF]

Originally posted by GrantDawg
Were three of the five starters on the CU O-line last year starters from the previous year? Did all the players from that line have previous starts? AU line has and did. There is something to it more than the line hasn't jelled. They lost their OC over the summer, and have the OL coach as the OC and someone else calling the plays. I think there is something in there that is the problem.

Actually, you nailed CU right down to a T. We lost 4 OL starters this past season. 3 of them were 2+ year starters. All of the line last year had experience from the previous year.

It's been a staple of the CU team to struggle with the running game the first two to three weeks and then turn it on as the season progresses.

Again, I'm not saying the same thing is happening with Auburn. I'm just saying I think they deserve another couple of games before we write off their running game for good. They certainly aren't going to win the national title, but if they get things fixed, they can win their division in the SEC. (yet another staple of CU the past couple of years. . . suck just about everywhere but in the Big12 north)

TroyF

[Capital]

No running game can succeed with 8 or 9 men in the box. It's impossible!!!

The problem I have is that there have been no imagination regarding getting those stud backs the football. If everyone is blitzing, a safe screen pass to the outside to Cadillac Williams is a way to get him the football and attempt to slow the rush. Also, every now and then you must throw the 3 step drop fade pattern along the sideline when you have single coverage. That also hasn't happened.

Apparently, Bobby Petrino, Auburn's former OC, took the offense to Louisville. Promoting internally was not the answer.

[scooper]

Can the Sporting News pick them or what? #1 Auburn, 0-2.

By the way, what's up with the goalpost thing. Along with rushing the field in general, that's gotten way out of hand. I can understand if a team like Duke beats FSU or something like that, but come on. You're F-in Georgia Tech. You've won a title more recently than Auburn. You are a usual bowl team from a BCS conference and you beat an Auburn team that had been emabarrased the week before. Great win, but stay the hell off the goal posts.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Believe me scooper, regardless of all the things you mentioned, that win over Auburn was a bigger shock in the area than any of the weekend's upsets or near upsets.

If there was ever a time to tear down a goalpost at Tech, this was probably it.

[Butter]

I thought Ball looked really good against BYU. I didn't get to see this one, but with Auburn losing so badly against USC, I wasn't as surprised as others were with the GT win. Maybe GT and Wake can be this year's NC State and Maryland.

[Celeval]

Originally posted by scooper
Great win, but stay the hell off the goal posts.

scooper -

Some notes on the goalposts, and why I think it was justified:

- Our offseason has been horrendous. We got blown out twice to end last season, we lost ten players to academic troubles including a few starters.

- The local and national media have been telling us for months that not only did we not have a shot at this game, but that we don't have a shot at this season - CBS Sportsline had us ranked #92, and prominent (although idiotic) members of the local radio media (on our flagship station, no less) called for us to go winless on the season. Including losses to Vanderbilt and Duke.

- Hell, our own school newspaper predicted a 42-10 loss. That was bulletin board material, I have a feeling the sports editor is being pretty well flogged right now.

- GT - Auburn, although we haven't played lately (since mid-late-80s) was a huge rivalry for a long period of time. First meeting was in the 1890s, Tech's third game ever and Auburn's fourth. There's a lot of history here, and GT had been on a nine-game (20 year, with the time since) losing streak. One of the best stories about the rivalry was the Auburn school body coming out in the middle of the night before the first meeting and greasing the railroad tracks... Tech's train couldn't stop until five miles past the stop, and the GT team had to walk it back to the station. We then got whalloped.

- We're also opening a newly renovated stadium. I think this is one of the reasons that there wasn't much resistance... what better way to open a stadium (even an old one) than a huge upset and the students charging the field?

Kevin

[Celeval]

Originally posted by Butter_of_69
I thought Ball looked really good against BYU.

The big thing I've loved out of Ball is where he puts his passes - he's not been high-percentage, but every pass he's thrown has been where only a receiver can get it. The two biggest catches of Saturday's game were both perfectly placed into double-coverage. He threw one interception against BYU (none against Auburn), and that was a miscommunication between QB/WR where he threw one way and the WR went another.

Kevin