Tuesday October 24, 2006

Final Georgia Tech Notes

Final Georgia Tech Notes
*First a giant thanks to all of the hard work and determination showcased by Roman Fry. He is a true Tiger and will be missed. Thanks Roman for everything you have done for this program. Your continued leadership will be a vital part of the season. You will always be remembered as a warrior.

*As I mentioned in yesterday?s blog, Saturday night was textbook blocking and running. How often did Tech jam the box only to give up big play after big play? I noticed some awesome blocks by Marion Dukes, Dustin Fry, Nathan Bennett, Chris McDuffie, Alex Pearson and Tyler Grisham.

*Speaking of McDuffie, he came in for Fry after the injury and immediately began to assert himself. His effort was incredible. I think he has a great future for the rest of this season and all of next year.

*Clemson needs more efforts like the ones Alex Pearson keeps coming up with. He played extremely hard again Saturday night.

*What else can be said about James Davis and C.J. Spiller? Davis might be the best back in school history unless Spiller passes him before he is through. Davis has a sense of presence. He has so much awareness. The Atlanta native sees holes and reads blocks as well as any back Clemson has ever had. Spiller is as quick and has as much top end speed as any back I can remember. How impressive was his cut on his 50-yard run? The only ones I saw better all night were the two he put on Hall and Scott in the flats on the 50-yard reception.

*It is so refreshing to see two guys that thankful of their offensive line. Their humility is inspiring. They way they greet each other and congratulate each other is awesome. Their post-game interviews were great publicity for the school.

*How many programs could lose the number of starters Clemson has as still go on a roll like this? Imagine how good this team would be if they had Waters, Billie, Taylor, Fry, Hamlin, Stuckey and Merriweather healthy all year.

*The statistics are the most impressive in school history. Never has Clemson been so highly ranked in so many national categories. The Tigers are ranked in the top seven in seven of the eight major offensive and defensive categories.

*Calvin Johnson is as talented a wide receiver as I have seen in person in the college game. The thought of shutting down a player of his caliber is unthinkable. Koenning and the Tigers took him out of the game for the second straight year.

*I loved seeing the Tigers dominate the ACC players of the week awards. Davis and Spiller were obvious choices but here goes a tip of the cap to Nathan Bennett?s performance. He graded a team best 90 percent and had 10 knockdown blocks and was a major contributor in Clemson rushing for 321 yards. He had a key block on three of Clemson?s four touchdowns on the evening. Also great to see Antonio Clay dominate again this week. According to the ACC site, ?Clemson inside linebacker Antonio Clay had a team-high 13 tackles in 52 plays as the Tigers downed Georgia Tech 31-7. The sophomore from Jeffersonville, Ga., had 11 first hits, the most in a single game by a Clemson player this year. He also registered career-high three tackles for loss, including a quarterback sack. Clay played a key role in limiting the Yellow Jackets to just 205 yards of total offense and just seven points, all season low numbers for Georgia Tech.?

*I can?t figure out if I am more excited about the Tigers for the rest of this season or the even brighter future. Each week I look at the depth chart projections for 2007 and 2008 and get even more excited. The positive publicity generated on Saturday only accelerated the process of bringing the Tigers back to national prominence.

*Markish Jones gave the Tigers a commitment over the weekend. He makes the 17th verbal of the class of 2007. Scholarships are running low, as the Tigers may be able to only take four or five more commitments for this class. Rob Gronkowski, Chris Little and Chris Culliver are the leading candidates to get three of the final four or five scholarships.

*Speaking of recruiting, I have been asked many times, ?Why are we taking so many prospects in this class at this position? I thought we had four other guys there on scholarship?? The depth is the most impressive aspect of the Tigers this season. I don?t think they will continue to suffer the major injuries in the future but you have to have quality depth. Just ask FSU what it feels like to lack depth in certain areas and then have injuries there.

*I was skeptical of all of the ESPN Game Day hype. I went by there Saturday and must admit that it was nice to see all of the kids get that fired up about Clemson. The school spirit was awesome. It really showcased Clemson. I think Kirk Herbstreit now understands that Clemson can be as special as any atmosphere in America. However, I think I was right about it taking away from the game atmosphere. I did not think the Valley was all that loud Saturday night. I expected louder. It was not as loud as the Miami or FSU games of the past. How can you stay up all night Friday camping out for Game Day, scream your lungs out from 10-12 and be ready for a game that lasted until almost 11:00 PM?

*I turned out to be right about my on air statements last week. I told listeners that Reggie Ball couldn?t come into Death Valley in that kind of atmosphere and beat Clemson. I did not know Clemson could shut down the Tech offense they way it did but I knew Ball could not beat the Tigers in Clemson Saturday.

*I heard positive reviews of the basketball and baseball scrimmages from this past weekend.

*We all something we have never seen before Saturday night. No not the all purple uniforms. Some still remember the all purple uniform from the 1940s. For the first time in school history we saw a 200-yard rusher and a 100-yard rusher for the Tigers in the same game.

*Great tackling effort by the Tigers. I thought Gaines Adams and Phillip Merling did a fantastic job of keeping Ball pressured but keeping him in the pocket.

*I am scared to death of Thursday night. I told people Friday and Saturday that the Clemson-Georgia Tech game would not be close and the Virginia Tech game would be a war. It is hard enough to travel to Blacksburg on a Thursday night but to do it after an emotional victory just five days earlier is almost too much to ask. I am prepared for a fourth quarter war.

Mickey's Blog also brought to you by:

864-834-6060

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency