ACC Sports Report takes a closer look at Georgia Tech football in 2007. As the Yellow Jackets from Atlanta prepare for 2007, they must re-visit what happened to an almost great season of 2006. Analyst Jay Holgate evaluates what the 2007 season could bring for the Yellow Jackets in the ACC....
by Jay Holgate
ATLANTA, GA--As the Yellow Jackets from Georgia Tech prepare for 2007, they must re-visit what happened to an almost great season of 2006. Georgia Tech reached a #13 national ranking in the polls and tied a school record with seven ACC wins. In addition, the Jackets have been to a bowl game for a school record ten straight years. But the Yellow Jackets had a roller coaster year with big highs and big lows.
In our first story for the ACC Sports Report, we look at the 2006 season and the big games that will dominate the spot light for Georgia Tech in ACC football for 2007.
2006 The Season That Almost was Great. The 2006 started off on a bad foot with a close loss to #2 Notre Dame (10-14), but it seemed to be a confidence builder for the Yellow Jackets who proceeded to win the next five games, including upsetting #21 Virginia Tech and beating Maryland in Atlanta.
Then came Clemson. Clemson was the only ACC team to beat Georgia Tech in the regular season. Nine of the past eleven games in this series have been decided by five points or less.
Not this match-up. Clemson dominated and won 31-7. It was the only game that Georgia Tech just didn't show up for. The rest of the games, Tech competed and could have won every one with a few more breaks.
Win, Win, Win, Loss. Tech then went on to beat Miami at home and then ripped through the state of North Carolina beating the Wolf Pack, Tar Heels and Blue Devils. The regular season ended with a trip to Athens. In a year in which the point spread was only three points, the Georgia Bulldog team clearly was struggling with recent losses to Kentucky and Vandy. The game was a fight until the end, but the Bulldogs once again came out on top with a 15-12 score. Tech fans felt like they had once again missed a golden opportunity to beat their in-state rival.
Coastal Champions. As Georgia Tech won the Coastal Division with seven wins, they had to play Wake Forest, the Cinderella team from the Atlantic division. For the ACC Championship, it was a defensive struggle, ending in a 6-9 loss for the Jackets. Once again, so close but not a win.
The 2006 season ended with a trip to the Gator bowl against West Virginia. Reggie Ball had managed to not qualify academically which meant he was watching the bowl game from the stands. Tech went up for a big lead 35-17 but couldn't hold on and lost 35-38 to a talented Mountaineer team.
Good but not Great. The season had so many bright spots but it just didn't feel like a championship season but it was near championship caliber.
If Notre Dame could have been beaten early and Georgia could have been beaten to end the season, it would have moved to the Great Season category. As it stands, it was pretty darn good, all things considered.
A Stronger 2007? Many of the experts believe Georgia Tech will be stronger in 2007 but so will everybody else. Virginia Tech is the pre-season favorite in the Coastal Division, and most believe Miami can't have two strange seasons back to back. Georgia Tech has fifteen returning starters and one of the best defenses in the league which will keep Tech competitive in every game. New quarterback Taylor Bennett has a lot of promise. As we look at the schedule, Notre Dame is winnable; all the regular season ACC games could be winners for the Jackets with new coaches for other teams and the transitions that follow.
The Virginia Tech game is at home and it's the ESPN Thursday game of the week which could be for the Coastal Division championship. Georgia is in a re-loading year but may have re-loaded by the end of the season; so it will be a tough game in Atlanta, once again.
Georgia Tech fans have a lot to look forward to in 2007. It should be a good year for the Jackets and with a victory in South Bend and one at home with the Bulldogs, this year could be great.
Jay Holgate is an analyst with ACC Sports Report. Just ACC Sports!
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