There’s a reason why games are played on the field and not on paper, and we saw exactly why that’s the case when Georgia Tech shocked No. 10 Florida State across the pond in Ireland Saturday.
Florida State made it look so easy on its opening drive with a rushing touchdown after a four-minute march down the field, but Georgia Tech hung in there and responded less than four minutes later with a scoring drive of its own. It was a preview of what was to come in the game, as the Yellow Jackets weren’t going to just roll over and let the favored Seminoles steamroll them.
Georgia Tech exposed the weaknesses of Florida State quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei by forcing him to throw downfield, which he was unable to effectively accomplish. Not only that, but the Yellow Jackets, who were going against what ESPN’s Pete Thamel called the best defensive line in the country, held their own and then some at the line of scrimmage, including leading a six-and-a-half minute drive in the fourth quarter to win the game on a field goal as time expired.
The key to victory? Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key put it best: “Run the dang ball.”
The Yellow Jackets did, and they sit atop the ACC, for now, with Florida State on the bottom.
Let’s use Florida State as an example on why the preseason AP poll shouldn’t hold much sway in the opinions of fans and pundits surrounding the sport. Most of us believed the Seminoles would be a good team, and they still may be, but we still have no clue what they are just one game into the season. The same can be said for the other 133 FBS teams, barring Georgia who will likely run the gauntlet again despite playing a brutal schedule.
Are teams like Alabama, Penn State, Ole Miss and Notre Dame worthy of being considered a Top 10 team? I think so, but that’s the key word. Think.
I think those teams will be well in the conversation come November, but there’s no way of knowing this early on. I understand that having a ranking next to a team will draw eyeballs to the game in terms of television ratings, but there probably shouldn’t be any official rankings until at least the start of October. That won’t be, but it’ll be how I view these teams.
For now, congratulations to Georgia Tech, but Florida State ain’t dead yet. With the new 12-team playoff format, all the Seminoles have to do is come back to win the ACC – like they did last year – and they’ll be dancing at the end of December.
The Pickoff
While we’ve been blessed these last two weeks with having football back in the form of the Columbia Academy Cougars, the time has come for the public schools to get back in action. In addition to the Cougars playing host to South Choctaw Academy Thursday, we get to see the annual East-West showdown Thursday followed by Columbia hosting D’Iberville on Friday.
All games will be in Marion County, and all eyes will be on those squads under the lights this week. We’ve all been waiting for it, and now our Fridays will be occupied until the first week of December at the latest. Who could possibly complain?
Play of the Week
Though CA wasn’t able to overcome PCS Friday night, the Cougars still had a few exciting plays that put them in position to make a run. The second half was highlighted by Logan Buckley in particular, who brought in a tipped pass before turning on the jets for a pick-six to put the Cougars within a touchdown. It was exactly what CA needed at the time, and it made for a great defensive play against the Bobcats.
