yea, I generally like Mike Patrick, but he is beating a dead horse tonight.. just focus on the game already.
So if Tech wins this - and in doing so shows that their offense won't drop off after losing Leach - does the dynamic change at all? And how about if it's done with Tech fans' newest whipping boy Riley calling the plays? And moreover: Why are Tech fans so enraged over losing a guy who has spent a good amount of very public time and effort over the past couple of years trying to leave them for figuratively and literally greener pastures?
I don't think a win necessarily proves their offense is not suffering. Granted, they have a ton of yards but what have they really shown? They rack up yards against teams like Texas, OU and others but don't always win. They have scored in the range of the 20s with lots of yards but don't win. The indicator to me that they are clicking is when they have that ungodly amount of yards and put up more then 40 points. Sometimes they put up more and you wonder if they will hit 100. This Michigan St. team, missing a ton of players, is hanging with them. If Tech was on a Tech-like roll they would be up by 21 or more at this stage of the game. I am not convinced. Would the Pirate on the sidelines equated to anything different from the current status? I dunno. Also, if Leach gets a job this off season, what if his assistants bail on Tech and go with him? What does that mean to Ruffin if he gets hired? Will he ask the assistants if they will stay if he gets the job as an assurance to Tech? What if he gets the gig and the assistants bail to go with Leach? Ooops.
The difference between this game and the Cotton Bowl is night and day. And not just because this is at night and that was during the day.
Why did they play like Leach was there and go for it on 4th and 5 deep in their own territory with a 6 pt. lead?
I find myself subconsciously pulling for Tech - mostly for the Big XII - but when I think about it, I could really care less who wins.
l00p, I think we're in agreement, but just in case, I'll try to be clear: I don't see much difference in tonight's Tech team than in any other game they've ever played since Leach took over. That is, they are capable of racking up absurd yardage in quick bursts, and are just as capable of doing a fast three-and-out. And their defense looks like a scrappy unit undone by generally mediocre personnel and iffy scheme. They're especially weird in bowls. They can blow teams out (see Cal in the Holiday Bowl), they can get blown out (see Ole Miss in the Cotton), and can do both in the same game (see Minnesota in ... was it the Insight Bowl?). Maybe it's just me, but with so much propagation of the spread over the past few years, Tech shouldn't really have a problem with getting someone to run that particular kind of offense quite competently enough. The only thing they really lose with Leach is, IMO, personality. Or at least a particular kind of personality - a guy who likes to poke and prod and wheedle, especially "higher ups". And given how Tech fans feel about A&M - and even more so, Texas - I suppose I can see exactly how they achieved such a bond with the guy. If he could have actually beaten Texas at something more than the normal Tech rate, they'd have been in heaven. In deference to Bogie: They'll always have Paris (i.e., 2008).
I guess it will all have to shake out in the future, or not. I personally hope it does not and wish Tech a farewell in the rear view mirror. I am a Spartan fan tonight!
What is this strange feeling? It's either gas or I'm actually kind of happy for Tech fan tonight. I guess it could be both.
"Will be good for Adam James, too" Even if he was mistreated, he still comes off as a lazy, whiny guy, so who cares??
