Georgia Tech Football: Three quick hits from Jackets 49-28 victory over Virginia Tech

It seems as if every time we get down on this team, they go and do something special. Thursday night was certainly a special one as the Jackets caught Virginia Tech with one of the best-executed games that Georgia Tech fans have seen in a while.

Oliver Delivers The Spark:

Tobias Olver got the start Thursday night over Taquon Mashall in what I can only guess was an attempt by Paul Johnson to spark some life into the team. He got that and a lot more. Oliver was brilliant for most of the game with a few miscues along the way that should be expected from him in the form of a bad pass where it looked like his foot slipped, and a bad pitch that nearly caused a turnover. Beyond that, however, Oliver was solid and electric as a runner throughout the game. The biggest moment he had was in the first quarter when he avoided pressure and scrambled for a first down as the pocket collapsed around him. He rushed for a total of 215 yards and 3 touchdowns on 40 carries.

The Margin of Error:

If you have listened to any of CPJ’s press conferences one phrase is consistently brought up, and that is “Margin of Error”. What he is talking about obviously is the margin to which Georgia Tech can have either mistakes or bad luck affect whether or not they win a game. Fumbles on snaps or bad pitches, or interceptions, or missed assignments on defense or whatever happens that is bad Georgia Tech cannot make those mistakes and expect to win. They played an almost flawless game against a good Virginia Tech Team in hostile territory. The entire team protected the football and played in a way that made Virginia Tech beat them instead of Georgia Tech beating themselves with mistakes.

Second Half Defense:

It has been more than difficult the last few seasons watching teams run through our defense like there were no adjustments at all made in the half. That was not the case with Nate Woody’s unit Thursday night in Blacksburg. The defense was scorched in the first several possessions of the night, giving up several explosive plays and leaving a knot in my stomach as to what could happen if nothing was done to fix it. My fears were quickly put aside however as the team that gave up 21 first quarter points would only give up one more score on the night as Georgia Tech routs Virginia Tech 49-28.

What’s Next: Georgia Tech will be on the road again next Saturday at North Carolina with their postseason hopes still very much intact.