You really couldn’t ask for a better start to the season than the one that’s been afforded to Georgia Tech. Coach Johnson’s Yellow Jackets are riding a (3-0) record into Thursday’s clash with the Clemson Tigers.
So far, Georgia Tech has beat a team from three different conferences: ACC (Boston College), Southern Conference (Mercer), and the SEC (Vanderbilt).
What’s so exciting about this start is that every game has had different elements in it to make it exciting. For example, the Boston College game was the kickoff to their season. It was played in Ireland, they had to come back to win by a narrow margin, and fans even had fun with improper signage from the locals.
With the Mercer Bears they got an early wakeup call when the Bears got on the board early in the game. Mercer QB John Russ threw a 32 yd pass to Avery Ward for a touchdown a little less than halfway through the first quarter. What was thought to be a complete rout, turned out to be a test of will for the Jackets as a lack of offense and turnovers affected them. If it wasn’t for the 14 unanswered points scored in the second quarter, the final would’ve been 21-10. Thankfully, the second quarter did indeed happen and they beat the Bears 35-10.
Then there was Saturday’s match against Vanderbilt. A stunning 38-7 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores brings confidence and much-needed momentum rolling into Thursday. If they can produce another 289 yd rushing/222 yd passing performance against Clemson like they did against Vanderbilt, Tech will should prove to the pollsters and the country that they belong with the big boys.
The Clemson Tigers roll into town with a similar (3-0) record with victories against Auburn, Troy, and South Carolina State. The ACC has looked strong as a conference this month with big wins from Clemson, Louisville, and Florida State. But then Louisville obliterated Florida State on Saturday, making conference championship hopes even tougher.
The Yellow Jackets have a chance to make a huge statement this Thursday with a win against Clemson. This would be huge for the Buzz to defeat Clemson at home, before they head back to South Carolina to prepare for Louisville, who will no doubt still be on high from the mauling of Florida State.
Georgia Tech will face Clemson at Bobby Dodd Stadium Thursday, September 22 at 7:30pm Eastern on ESPN. The sting from the Buzz should force the Tigers to kneel in defeat…
-Jon J.
Photo: Hakim Wright