For the second time in three years, the Jackets have beaten the University of Georgia in football. With the 28-27 win over the Bulldogs, Tech finishes its regular season with an 8-4 record, having won five of their last six games.

Words cannot describe how big of a win this was for coach Paul Johnson and the Tech football program. After a disappointing 3-9 season last year, the team took a big step in the right direction this season.

The Jackets got off to a quick start as senior quarterback Justin Thomas found sophomore A-back Clinton Lynch on a pitch for a 41-yard touchdown run. Big plays have been the story for Tech’s season this year, and Lynch has been Tech’s biggest playmaker all season.

A-back Clinton Lynch scored the first touchdown, 7-0. // Photo courtesy of Tyler Meuter

However, the Bulldogs answered back and tied the game on a 10-yard run by sophomore running back Sony Michel.

After exchanging punts, the Tech offense struck quickly again. On the first play of the drive, Thomas found sophomore wide receiver Brad Stewart for a 64-yard gain. Tech scored two plays later on a run by sophomore B-back Marcus Marshall. It was Tech’s second scoring drive in under two minutes.

B-back Marcus Marshall brought it up to 14-7. // Photo courtesy of Tyler Meuter

For the second straight time at Sanford Stadium, Tech and Georgia entered halftime tied. And just like last time, Tech fumbled on their opening drive.

It was not the third quarter coach Johnson and his team had envisioned, as the Jackets gave up 13 points, entering the fourth quarter down 27-14.

Tech had overcome adversity many times this season, and that trend would continue. After being stopped on five straight possessions, the Jackets woke up. Thomas hit Lynch and sophomore A-back Qua Searcy on big pass plays. True freshman B-back Dedrick Mills capped off the drive with his 11th touchdown run of the year.

Tech had cut the Bulldog lead to six with 6:28 left in the game. Tech now had momentum on its side, and the Jackets’ run defense was steadily improving as the game wore on.

On a second-and-eight from the UGA 40-yard line, UGA freshman quarterback Jacob Eason threw an interception to junior cornerback Lance Austin. It was Austin’s second interception in the last two weeks, and the play set up Tech at the 46-yard line, down six with 3:20 remaining in the game.

Tech now had a chance to win the game with a touchdown. On third-and-six from the 6-yard line, coach Johnson called a trick play. The play was designed to be a pass by the A-back back to the quarterback. Upon catching the toss from Thomas, Searcy squared up to throw, but Thomas was not open.

When the play unraveled, A-back Qua Searcy had to improvise, 21-27 at the pictured moment. // Photo courtesy of Tyler Meuter

With little time left, Searcy cut back to the middle of the field and went airborne from the 3-yard line to score the game-winning touchdown. The play is now being referred to as the “Quantum Leap” and will surely be a play shown in Tech highlight reels.

Senior kicker Harrison Butker kicked the extra point to put Tech ahead, 28-27. The kick tied Butker with former kicker Luke Manget for first place on the all-time Tech scoring list with 322 points.

Kicker Harrison Butker made all these UGA fans cry, 28-27. // Photo courtesy of Tyler Meuter

Just like last week, the game ended with an interception by sophomore linebacker Brant Mitchell, and the Jackets stormed the field in celebration. Hedges were torn. Tears were shed. The Jackets proudly planted the GT flag in the middle of the field. With the win, coach Johnson became the first Tech coach since Bobby Dodd to win three games at Sanford Stadium. Johnson now has a 3-2 record in Athens and has once again silenced his critics. The Jackets finished the game with 390 yards of total offense, 160 of which came from Thomas’ arm.

Tech will have to wait until next Sunday to find out what bowl game they will participate in. The Jackets will carry a lot of pride and momentum into that game.

A new era of Tech basketball tips off this Friday at McCamish Pavilion. The Jackets will be led by new head coach, Josh Pastner. Pastner was named head coach on April 20 after the dismissal of Brian Gregory and he instantly got to work on the recruiting trail to secure Tech’s 2016 recruiting class.

Tech only returns four of their top 10 scholarship players from last season and lost their top four scorers. This season will be a major rebuilding year for Tech and the Jackets were picked to finish 14th out of 15th in the ACC by the media.

Not only will this team have a completely different makeup, but it will also play a completely different style of basketball.

Brian Gregory and Josh Pastner have very different offensive philosophies and it will be incredibly noticeable this year. This new style of basketball won’t come easy to the team, but it should make for more enjoyable game as the high tempo will lead to higher scoring games. Tech loses over 80 percent of their scoring from last year so this transition will be far from seamless.

The leader of this year’s team will be senior Quinton Stephens. Stephens stands at 6-foot-9 inches and can play both forward positions due to his long frame. Stephens averaged five points a game last season, but had some big performances in key games last year. Tech went 7-0 when Stephens scored ten points or more, which included a 16-point performance against the No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers. Furtermore, Stephens will be counted on as a 3-point shooter, attempting a significant 97 three pointers last year.

Pastner is going to want the team to move the ball like a ‘hot potato’ and that all starts at the point guard position where seniors Josh Heath and Corey Heyward will play.

However, Heath has been suspended for the first four games of the Tech season due to violating team rules. That is a big loss to the Jackets as Heath has started 25 games in his career and Tech doesn’t have much depth at the point guard position. Heath was not a star but averaged close to three assists a game last year, playing 17 minutes a game.

Heyward will likely replace Heath in the starting lineup in the opener as he did in Tech’s 91-85 overtime win in its exhibition against Shorter College. Heyward only saw action in eight games last season so he will look to make a bigger impact in his final season.

Based on his 27-point performance in Tech’s exhibition, junior guard Tadric Jackson could step up to be Tech’s top scorer. Jackson averaged 4.7 points a game last year and that number is expected to rise this season.

Tech’s top post option this year will be junior center Ben Lammers. Lammers took major strides in his second season and established himself as a very respectable rim protector in conference play. Over the offseason, Lammers added 20 pounds of muscle which should enable to compete better in the post with the top players in the conference.

This year’s team has three scholarship freshman to play on perimeter: Josh Okogie, Christian Matthews and Justin Moore. All three players can play multiple positions and that was evident in Tech’s scrimmage last weekend. Moore and Okogie started in last weekend’s scrimmage and had big impact in Tech’s win.

Moore is a big point guard with a long wingspan and has the measurements of the new generation guards you now see in the NBA. Okogie is a physical guard who already has great size as a freshman and will have an impact on the defensive end this season.

This season is expected to be a challenge for the team. The ACC is loaded this year and possibly the strongest it’s ever been. The wins may not pile up, but a championship is an unrealistic hope.

The Jackets open the season vs Tennessee Tech on Friday and will host 18 games this year including Georgia, UNC and Notre Dame.

Last Saturday’s 38-35 homecoming victory over Duke will always be a memorable afternoon for senior quarterback Justin Thomas and Tech football fans.

It was a day for the record books for the Prattville, Ala., native as Thomas totaled a career high 459 yards, including career highs 264 passing yards and 195 rushing yards. Like he has all his career, Thomas willed his team to victory breaking off big play after big play when his team needed him the most.

His performance was historic as he became the fourth FBS player since 2000 to throw for more than 250 yards, run for over 190 yards and account for two passing and two rushing touchdowns. No play was bigger than his 46-yard run on 3rd and 17 at the end of the game to seal Tech’s victory and cement his performance in Tech folklore.

Thomas piled up the accolades this past weekend. He was the recipient of the Walter Camp National Offense Player of the Week, ACC Offensive Back of the Week, Davey O’Brien “Great 8” member and one of the Manning Award Stars of the Week.

Thomas was very humble about receiving those recognitions being National Player of the Week.

“It feel good, but I don’t feel no different,” Thomas said. “I still got to go out there and do what I’m supposed to do. They remember you for your last performance. So I got to go out there and keep playing hard and … match the intensity and keep moving forward.”

All of these feats and recognitions occurred against a team that Thomas had not beaten as a starting quarterback. In last year’s matchup against Duke, Tech only totaled 316 yards as a team and only 173 rushing yards. Completing 10 of 14 passes for 264 yards, Thomas recorded a 99.7 QBR, which is the highest of all in the 2016 college football season.

Thomas credited his offensive line for their improvements in pass blocking this season to allow him the time to make the right throws, the end result being his gaudy totals through the air against the Blue Devils.

Thomas also became the 39th player in FBS history to throw for 4000 yards and run for 2000 yards over the course of his career.

“That’s huge for as many people that have played the game, … especially in this type of era with as many quarterbacks that have come through college football, period. I think that’s an great accomplishment, but it’s not all me though,” Thomas said. “Guys have to protect me, and today guys have to make plays for me to be in that situation. It’s a great honor. … Hopefully there’s more at the end of the season.”

Thomas believes the offense is continuing to improve.

“I think so. If you go from week one to now, we’re executing better, and we got to keep doing it and can’t relax. We just got to keep playing hard and playing physical,” Thomas said.

So far in his career, Thomas has beaten every ACC opponent he’s played as a starter except for UNC, whom he will face this weekend. Tech takes on the Tar Heels this weekend, and Thomas will look for redemption after Tech lost last year’s game following a 21-0 lead.

Thomas has already put last weekend behind him and is focusing on getting a win against UNC and trying to get back into the Coastal divisional race. Unlikely as it may be, there are still scenarios in which Tech faces the winner of the Atlantic division with the conference on the line.

“We know that we can still get in a fight for our division if we keep winning. We got to have the same approach as last week, one week at a time,” Thomas said. “[We’re] going to come into this game mentally prepared, cut out the mistakes and play as hard as we can.”

Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Patrick Gamble has been a leader on and off the field for the Tech football team the past two seasons. This year he was rewarded by being named one of Tech’s team captains, the only defensive player to earn that honor in 2016. Gamble wears No. 91 for the Jackets and has always been one of the more noticeable players on the field due to his 6-foot-5 frame.

The Carrollton, Ga., native became a significant contributor during the last half of the 2014 football season. With Tech’s run defense struggling and lack of depth at the defensive end position, Gamble was moved to the defensive end position to help fill the gaps in the trenches.

With that move, Tech’s defense became significantly better and he helped play major roles in stopping the run games of Georgia, Clemson and Mississippi State.

Gamble is most remembered for being the player who blocked the Roberto Aguayo 56-yard field goal, setting up the return by junior corner Lance Austin to give Tech a 22-16 victory in last year’s homecoming game against FSU.

The one-year anniversary for that play was this past Monday. Along with Austin, Gamble will go down in Tech football folklore, but he is hoping to add an impactful final statement to his Jackets legacy in his last year.

“I think Pat Gamble is a steady, reliable guy … we know what we’re going to get from Pat day in and day out, and [he is] a guy that has earned respect through his journey,” said defensive coordinator Ted Roof. “He’s had to earn everything he’s got, and as a result he has a very high level respect from not just his teammates, but his coaches.”

Coming off the bye week, Gamble only has five guaranteed games in his career, and his goals and the team’s goals have been made very clear: to win out.

“That’s the kind a game it is,” Gamble said. “There ain’t no other goal you want but to win out. … We got a chance to go 9-3. We’re right back in this thing if we get a win on Saturday [versus Duke]. There’s a lot out there to get, and we just got to go get it.”

Tech plays their annual homecoming game this Saturday at noon versus the Duke Blue Devils, a team that has knocked off the Jackets two seasons in the row.

“A win over Duke would give us a lot of momentum and a lot of confidence. They’re a good ACC team and they’re in our division so we got to go get the win,” Gamble said of the contest.

Tech’s defense is statistically better this season than in the past two years Gamble was a starter. The Jackets are 27th in total defense this season, compared to 42nd in 2015 and 81st in 2014. Tech is allowing 21.9 points per game which is good for 32nd nationally. That number is also much improved compared to 51st in 2015 and 53rd and 2014.

However, those numbers don’t tell the full story. In 2014, Tech’s defense forced turnovers in key spots, flipping field position and sometimes putting points in the board or turning sure points by the other team into key defensive stands. Whether because of a younger secondary or a relatively weak pass rush, the Jackets have not measured up to those standards in the 2016 campaign.

Gamble and the defense are hoping to reverse the trend as forcing turnovers are a very crucial part to winning football games.

“We got to create more turnovers and put the ball in the offense’s hands,” Gamble said. “The      time of possession has been unbelievable, … and we got to get the offense back on the field. With turnovers comes momentum, and when you get momentum, it’s hard to slow us down.”

Gamble credited other teams since “they’re on scholarship too,” but the lack of turnovers has been very frustrating for Gamble, the defensive unit and coach Roof.

Gamble hopes the team will display its best defensive performance of the year on Saturday. That may be the difference.

This year, several athletes represented Tech and the U.S. in Rio. One of the athletes was Cassie Mitchell, Ph.D., who participated in the 2016 Paralympic Games.

Currently, Mitchell works as a research professor at Tech’s Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. She is the principal investigator of the Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics. Mitchell earned her doctorate in biomedical engineering with a concentration in neuroengineering from Tech and Emory University seven years ago.

From a young age, Mitchell was very involved in athletics and international competitions. She grew up on a farm in Oklahoma and trained her horse in Western speed events, winning several world championships by the age of 16. She also was an accomplished gymnast and had aspirations of an Olympic career in gymnastics.

Mitchell then began to focus on track and field and earned a track scholarship as a sprinter. But at her high school graduation, Mitchell had an allergic reaction that caused a neurological condition called Devic’s disease (neuromyelitis optica) to occur. This led to Mitchell being paralyzed from the chest down with impairments to her arms along with permanent double vision.

Despite hesitance from her physician, Mitchell enrolled in Oklahoma State University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Mitchell continued to participate in sports in college, such as wheelchair basketball and quad rugby.

After working for ExxonMobil and Syntroleum, Mitchell’s passion for medicine and helping others led her to Atlanta and onto her current career path as a BME research professor.

“Predominantly, my biggest impact for research has been on ALS,” Mitchell said. “It was a disease where I felt like I could make a big difference … because there’s only one treatment that extends life by about a month.

“Because the disease population is smaller, it doesn’t get a lot of attention or funding from pharmaceutical companies and that drove me. … I’m not doing this for financial gain but rather to make an impact in
academic research.”

Mitchell’s love for sports and her competitive spirit pushed her to train for the Paralympics.

“Initially, I thought I would compete in the Olympics in gymnastics, and I would train 20 hours a week at age 6,” Mitchell said. “The Olympic dream has always been on my mind, and after I was paralyzed, once I realized the Paralympics existed, it didn’t take long to get back on that dream.”

In the 2011 World Championships, Mitchell became the first female quadriplegic world champion in paracycling.

Paralympic athletes are classified according to their disability so that athletes with similar impairments compete against each other. Mitchell’s classification is T51, a designation for athletes paralyzed from the chest down. She competed in London 2012 but did not win a medal. Mitchell trained heavily for Rio 2016 despite also having to manage time due to chemotherapy treatments for recently diagnosed leukemia.

“Paralympic athletes train just as many hours and with the same high intensity as Olympic athletes,” Mitchell said. “This can be challenging, as unlike an Olympic athlete who has financial sponsors, I instead hold a regular full-time job. Training alone can be 20 hours a week or even more. Given my recent leukemia diagnosis in April 2016 and corresponding chemotherapy, I did have to cut my training volume down and really focus on the quality and technique of my workouts.”

For the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Mitchell competed in track and field and swimming and was one of three USA athletes to qualify to the Olympics or Paralympics in two different sports. Discus, club throw and the backstroke were the three events she took part in.

“Every Paralympic cycle, the International Paralympic Committee chooses what events are offered for each classification,” Mitchell said. “As a quadriplegic, I am in the most physically impaired classification.

“In track and field at Rio 2016, there were no wheelchair racing events specifically for female T51 athletes. Although I hold world records in the T51 100m, 200m and 400m, those events weren’t offered in Rio. They did offer field events for my classification, so that is what I did in Track & Field in Rio.”

It was a successful Paralympics for Mitchell, winning a silver medal in the discus and a bronze medal in the club throw all while setting personal records during both events. The medal ceremony was a very proud moment.

“It was amazing to see the American flag raised and watch it stand so beautifully in the wind. It made me so proud to be an American and to honor God, my country, my family and all those fighting seemingly impossible physical odds,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell is hoping to compete in the next Paralympics.

“I’m happy with what I’ve been able to accomplish so far,” Mitchell said. “I haven’t crossed [the 2020] Tokyo [Games] off the list.”

The men’s tennis team is primed for a big season and have many key contributors from last year returning. The team is led by junior Christopher Eubanks and senior Carlos Benito.

Eubanks and Benito are Tech’s only top-100 nationally ranked singles players going into this season, but many other Jackets will be vying for spots this weekend.

Eubanks is currently ranked the No. 5 singles player, and Benito is No. 73. The two of them also pair up for doubles and are currently ranked the No. 14
doubles pair.

The Jackets will play this weekend in the Southern Intercollegiate Championships, hosted in Athens, Ga.

Head coach Kenny Thorne is hoping to find the right doubles pairings that will put the team in best position to succeed.  This tournament will give Tech’s unranked players an opportunity to crack the top 100 list.

“First tournament of the year, we always look at doubles teams. We have one team that will play together, but other teams will be new,” Thorne said. “We haven’t had a team practice yet. These guys have been playing on their own, so we’re just going to evaluate where they’re at now, and it will really help us set up practice.”

Seeding for lineups in dual meets is wide open right now, and every player will get a chance to earn a spot in the singles events next spring.

“We take outside results throughout the summer and throughout the fall to make our lineups starting in January,” Thorne said. “Everybody is on level ground right now. Each guy will have about four opportunities to make an impact.”

Eubanks went 21-2 in the No. 1 lineup slot last year and is expected to retain the top spot on Tech’s this season.

Many players on the team played in tournaments over the summer. Eubanks played singles and doubles in the ATP Atlanta Open and made it to the quarterfinals in the doubles event. In qualifying singles draw, Eubanks knocked off the No. 243 player and No. 99 player in the world.

Coach Thorne praised Eubanks’ work ethic and believes the success Eubanks had this summer will help him take his game to the next level.   

“I think it helped [Eubanks] a lot. Winning the matches over the summer shows the level he can play at. Doing it consistently is very important. [Eubanks] won a lot of close matches last year and did really well, but he’s the target now,” Thorne said.

Eubanks will contend for ACC Player of the Year this season and will be looking to break school records once again.

Junior Michael Kay and sophomore Andrew Li will also play a big role for the team this season. Both Kay and Li were regular participants in Tech’s singles lineups.

The two participated in tournaments this summer. They both believe the experience they gained this summer will help them greatly this season. Both players’ confidence are at an all-time high entering this weekend and expect their game to take the next step this year.

“I’m looking to keep up all the things I’ve been working on this summer,” Kay said. “Get some good matches in, get a feel for my game and get comfortable playing the way I need to play.”

Kay  finished 15-12 in singles last year and partnered with his older brother Casey in doubles. The duo was ranked the No. 42, but Casey Kay has graduated.

Despite entering this tournament with new doubles partners, neither Li nor Kay are worried about their pairings.

“I’ve put in so much hard work this summer, so I want to see where I am compared to the other players,” Li said. “This is the first time partnering with Phillip Gresk, and we’ll see how it goes, but I think it will be really fun.”

Last season, Tech’s most common singles lineup consisted of Eubanks, Benito, Li, senior Cole Fiegel, junior Daniel Yun and former tennis player Nathan Rakkitt.

Every returning Tech player saw action in ACC competition. Kay, sophomores Phillip Gresk and Elijah Melendez and freshman Chris Yun will be competing to be a part of the first singles lineup in January.

Chris Yun is Tech’s only freshman and is the younger brother of Daniel. Chris Yun was ranked the top high school player in Georgia and No. 13 in the nation according to TennisRecruiting.net.

The 6-foot-7 Gresk did not see action last year due to ineligibility but has a lot of experience playing in International Tennis Federation events. However, he is one of the best tennis players
from Poland, and is expected to make a big impact on the team this season.

Coach Thorne will learn a lot about his team from this week’s tournament, and it will help prepare the team to get ready for upcoming tournaments and meets this Fall.

“I feel like we need to have some guys step up in the middle-top part of our lineup,” Thorne said. “I think we have a lot of guys who can have success in the lower part of the lineup, but we need to have some guys throughout this fall decide it’s their time and that they can be the guy who’s one of the better college players.”

This fall, Tech will host the Georgia Tech Invitational on October 7–9 at the Ken Byers
Tennis Complex.

Tech is off to a 2-0 start, but the team has a lot to work on going into the Vanderbilt game and ACC play. The team has struggled in several categories: running between the tackles, first and third down defense and pressuring the quarterback.

Tech has been forced by opponents to try and beat them on the outside so far this season. Boston College did an excellent job defending Tech’s B-back dive play, and against Mercer, head coach Paul Johnson primarily ran plays to the outside.

Teams are loading the box up in order to stop Johnson’s favorite play call. Tech’s two top B-backs are freshman Dedrick Mills and sophomore Marcus Marshall. Mills and Marshall had a combined 28 carries for 99 yards versus Boston College. B-backs accounted for 61 percent of carries in that game.

Against Mercer, Mills was suspended, and B-backs only accounted for 13 carries for 59 yards. Tech ran the ball 52 times against Mercer, and only 25 percent were B-back carries. That kind of shift in carries versus an FCS team is an alarming trend.

Some of it may have to do with Mills being suspended, but Saturday showed that Coach Johnson felt the team would have more success running plays to the outside. Johnson had commented on the offensive line’s struggles after the Boston College game.

Position battles have opened back up, and new faces got to play versus Mercer. Only having 13 carries to the B-back shows that the holes weren’t open for them and that Tech could use their speed to gain yards on the outside. A-backs accounted for 159 yards on 17 carries, so Tech was much more successful in that aspect of the running game. Sophomore A-back Qua Searcy led the way with a career-high 91 yards.

Tech’s next two opponents have very good defensive lines. Last year, Vanderbilt was the best in the country at stopping the run on third and short and had the seventh best stuff rate, which is the percentage of carries by running backs that are stopped for zero or negative yards. Clemson, of course, went 8-0 in ACC play.

Boston College had the number one stuff rate last year and held Tech to one of their fewest rushing totals in the Paul Johnson era. The major question on offense against Vanderbilt will be whether or not Tech will be able to run their the ball with consistency.

The lack of production and number of carries between the tackles shows that Johnson may believe this is an issue.

In defense, Tech held Boston College and Mercer to 14 and 10 points, respectively.  Tech is 14th in scoring defense, but those numbers don’t tell the true story.

Yardage numbers and conversion rates show that Tech has been lucky to give up so few points this season.  On first downs, Tech’s defense is giving up 6.67 yards per play, which is an abysmal number.

The reason this number is so high is because Tech plays a very conservative, “bend-but-
don’t-break” defense. Their defense gives up a lot of yards, with the hope of eventually having a few good plays in a row and forcing a turnover or a punt.   

On first down, opponent completion percentage is 71.4 percent, and they are averaging 12 yards per completion. Mercer took advantage of Tech’s relaxed defense and had success on short passes to the outside and on screen plays.

Third-down defense has not been much better for the Jackets this season. Tech’s run defense has given up eight first downs on 14 third-down plays. Their passing defense has given up seven first downs on 18 plays. In total, Tech has allowed a third-down conversion rate of 50 percent, which ranks 110th of 128 in the FBS.

Opponents are having success moving the ball and sustaining drives because Tech is struggling to pressure the quarterback. Only junior defensive end Antonio Simmons has had success in that department, leading the team with two sacks. Tech needs more players to step up to the plate or, perhaps instead, the quarterback.

Overall, Tech’s defense ranks 76th in yards per play at 5.25 yards, which is better than last year’s 5.82. However, Tech hasn’t played teams known for their offense so far this season.

It’s quite the accomplishment that Tech is currently 14th in the country in scoring defense despite allowing so many yards per play. The “bend-but-don’t-break” scheme has worked for Tech so far due to forcing three turnovers, blocking two kicks and holding opponents to a red zone success rate of 40 percent this season.

Tech’s opponents this season have not taken advantage of their opportunities. Given that Tech held opponents to a red zone success rate of 83 percent last year and 79 percent in 2014, continuing at this pace is highly unlikely.

Tech will have to show a lot of improvement rushing the quarterback and limiting first down yardage to stop the highly potent offenses in the ACC.

Despite the cloudy and drizzling conditions, thousands of Irish citizens showed up to Aviva Stadium to witness the sixth college football game played on Irish soil. Joining them were a large contingent of Americans that travelled over the Atlantic to see the game and visit Ireland.

About 10,000 Tech fans made the trip and largely outnumbered their Boston College counterparts. The locals in Dublin took note of the event and lent a welcoming hand to visitors. There were welcome and gameday signs in almost every pub and shop. It would have been hard pressed to walk around downtown Dublin for two minutes and not see a Tech fan or hear “Go Jackets!”

Ireland has a population of 5 million, smaller than the Atlanta metro population. While small, it is steeped in a rich athletic tradition. From sports played worldwide like soccer to local favorites such as hurling and Gaelic football, the Irish consider such events integral to their culture.

Gaelic football and hurling are unique to Ireland, first played in 1670 CE and 1272 BCE, respectively. The hurling national championship actually took place the day after Tech’s game.

While American football has yet to reach stardom in the Emerald Isles, the National Football League has developed a considerable following over the last decade. Travelling to the stadium, hundreds of NFL jerseys could be seen, including Rob Gronkowski’s New England Patriots uniform to the New York Giants No. 13 that Odell Beckham, Jr., dons.

Attendance at the game was 40,562, and the locals who attended got to see a fantastic ending that captured what college football is all about. After a sluggish first half with very little scoring, the second half was full of drama. Although it was not always in support of the Jackets, the Irish local thoroughly enjoyed the excitement and sudden swings.

Down 14-10 with 2:45 left on the clock, the game looked all but over with Tech needing 19 yards on fourth down to keep their chances alive. In that moment, redshirt senior quarterback Justin Thomas recaptured some of his 2014 magic that propelled Tech to an 11-win season. He connected with sophomore A-back Qua Searcy on a 22-yard pass to keep the team’s chances alive.

Tech had not scored a touchdown since their opening drive, but after that pass, the momentum shifted.

Pure willpower by the Jackets led them to the game-winning touchdown. Against one of the top defensive sides in college football, true freshman B-back Dedrick Mills dove into the end zone with 35 seconds left to give the Jackets a 17-14 victory.

As Mills lowered his shoulder to gain leverage on a diving Boston College defender and scored the final points of the game, the crowd erupted.

The Irish didn’t know much about either team, but they could see the pure emotion and joy on display on the Tech sideline once Tech took the lead. Many Irish citizens probably left the stadium wondering why Tech didn’t pass the ball more.

On the opposite side, the heartbreak of Boston College was noticeable. Both teams combined had a single ACC win last year, so this was a monumental game for both sides. Boston College Head Coach Steve Addazio was quite shaken after the game ended. Boasting one of the best defenses in the country, he was still in shock from Tech’s fourth and 19 conversion at the end of
regulation.

Many came not only for the game but also to see the pageantry that happens during college football games. Both teams took their marching bands and cheerleaders and performed before kickoff and at halftime.

This is fairly typical to the American audience, but the culture is very different than that of Irish sporting events. To many locals, the game was akin to a theatrical performance.

“It was a whale of a time,” said John, a fan from county Tipperary in the province of Munster. “I’m in town for the hurling match but wanted to see the [American] football game. The cheerleaders and bands were great. I couldn’t believe how many people came. Georgia Tech fans were everywhere.”

Social media feeds and idle walks around Dublin yielded hundreds of excited fans, many of whom made up for their lack of football knowledge with infectious enthusiasm.

The atmosphere of the game was noticeably different. It felt similar to a bowl game, given that it was at a neutral site and a tourist destination. However, it was far more of a showcase.

The Tech fans that were there proudly represented their school. The fight song and Budweiser song were sung with more emotion, and some of that could be attributed to the thousands of pints of Guinness that were consumed at the game. Alcohol is not allowed in most college football stadiums, but many Tech fans later joked that Bobby Dodd Stadium should get Guinness on tap.

As for the trophy that Tech hoisted at the end of the game, it was additional proof that the game was more than a typical season or conference opener. It was an achievement for a team that had waited for ten months to taste victory, a team that had yet to notch a win since the Miracle on Techwood Drive against Florida State.

More than 80 Tech players had never left the country before this game. They understood that the game was different and because of last season understood the importance of getting a win and impressing some of the denizens of another continent. The team was very happy to leave with a win  and all of the players at the postgame press conference enjoyed
the trip.

“I think Ireland is a beautiful country,” said sophomore linebacker and Tennessee native Brant Mitchell. “We got to take a bus tour of Dublin. The people are awesome here and very welcoming, and I enjoyed my time here.”

Many dignitaries were present at the game. The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, and the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Brendan Carr, were in attendance.

Joining them from the United States were Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, Mayor of Atlanta Kasim Reed and Georgia Governor Nathan Deal. The Aer Lingus Classic was definitely not just another college football game.

The future of American football in Europe remains a murky one. While periodic ventures by the NFL and NCAA have yielded enthusiastic crowds, it is unclear whether these patrons will accept this sport as anything more than a novelty.

News broke out that Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in London is planning to build a new football stadium that they hope will attract a NFL team to come to London.

Given the number of fans who have attended college football games in Ireland over the last five years, America’s favorite sport has serious growth potential across the Atlantic Ocean.

Remember the Tech football program that was forced to make competent collegiate starters out of three-star recruits? The team that was lucky to snag one or two four-star players in a single cycle?

It might be time to do away with that notion.

The past two weeks have been historic for Tech football as the program has picked up three straight four-star football recruits headlined by the Swilling brothers. This week, Tre Swilling and Bruce Jordan-Swilling gave their pledge to Coach Paul Johnson. The two brothers hail from New Orleans, La.

Their surname holds a special place in school athletic history. Their father, Pat Swilling, is one of the greatest football players to play for Tech, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and a teammate of current Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof. The Swillings’ uncle Ken was an All-American for Tech in their memorable 1990 national championship winning campaign.

Tre was recruited as a defensive back and Bruce has been recruited as a possible BB/LB. According to 247Sports, Bruce is the second highest rated recruit in the Paul Johnson era.  Both brothers were pursued heavily by other major football schools, from Alabama to Michigan, but getting a chance to continue the family legacy at Tech pushed them to choose the Flats.

“With very careful consideration, I have decided to commit to Georgia Tech and continue the Swilling Legacy that my father and uncles started. There was no other place that could give me more motivation then playing in their shadows and working to standout as they did in their time,” Tre Swilling posted on his Twitter account after committing. “Being able to run out on the field and look up to my father’s name on the HOF banner will serve as a constant reminder of the hard work and effort it takes to be great on and off the field.”

Both Swillings have been very vocal for recruiting for Tech and getting other top level players to join them next season.

Legacies have been hard to come by for Tech recruiters as of late. Defensive end Carl Lawson, Jr., chose Auburn over his father’s alma mater three years ago, for example. The Swillings’ choice could serve as an example for other young players in a similar situation to play in The Flats.

The third four-star commit was safety Gentry Bonds from Murfreesboro, Tenn. Bonds chose Tech over Tennessee, Duke and UNC. Bonds’ junior season was remarkably productive; he made 49 tackles, break up 13 passes and snag four interceptions.

Tech now has 13 commits in this class and will look to get about 20 by next February.

Tech has an average star ranking of 3.15 which ranks 27th in the nation, courtesy of rivals.com. Tech usually signs smaller classes than most power five schools, so they are generally never that high in overall recruiting rankings.

The frenetic pace of the 2016–17 recruiting cycle evokes memories of the 2007–08 haul, the last of head coach Chan Gailey. That group included stars Jonathan Dwyer, Josh Nesbitt, Morgan Burnett, Roddy Jones and Derick Morgan. While it is much too early to assess the impact of the newest set of Tech players, history is on their side.

The influx of higher rated recruits has been a surprise given that Tech is coming off a season where they went 3-9. That is good news for the program that the down season has not seemed to affect recruiting. The class currently has seven defensive players, four offensive players, one punter and one kicker. Tech has no wide receivers or A-backs signed for this class, so the recruiting staff will address that before signing day.

Compared to previous classes, this class has a chance to be Tech’s best class under Coach Johnson. The last few classes haven’t had as many highly rated recruits, and the ones who did commit did not stay for long.

Coach Johnson always says that recruiting stars do not matter and that the staff trust their evaluations, but there is no denying that teams with top-rated classes win more games than others.

For years, Tech coaches have made more with less, fitting players uncoveted by other teams into a unique scheme to produce remarkable results. Despite a prolific running attack and a sometimes opportunistic defense, Tech’s unremarkable talent level is often exposed against the highest level of competition.

Perhaps this is the year that begins to change. Fans have seen what coach Johnson can do with typical talent. He may have the beginnings of more: a team that compete in earnest for national relevance year after year.

This past weekend, Josh Pastner was hired as the new head coach of the Tech men’s basketball team. Pastner comes to Tech after seven years as head coach at the University of Memphis. At Memphis, Pastner had 167 wins ­— winning 70 percent of his games — and made 4 NCAA tournaments in a row from 2011–2014.

At 38 years old, Pastner is now the youngest coach in the ACC and has a reputation as a relentless worker and recruiter. According to Tech athletic director Mike Bobinski, the primary qualities sought in the coaching search were integrity, a desire to be at Tech, a coach with intelligence and great energy and ability to evaluate and attract high level basketball players. Pastner met all of these criteria.

During the press conference, Pastner made clear his desire to coach in Atlanta and lead the Jackets against ACC foes. He also acknowledged the rebuilding challenge the Jackets will face in the next few years.

At Memphis, he was tasked with the challenge of sustaining the success of former Memphis and current Kentucky coach John Calipari. At Tech, he will have the chance to build a coaching legacy of his own.

“One of the things that attracted me here was the chance to build,” Pastner said. “It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to be a process. We’re going to have to take a step back to go two steps forward.

“We lost a lot. 80 some odd percent of the scoring. Most of the stats are gone, and we’re playing in the best league in the country.”

Pastner is looking to the future to build. Next year is already going to be a tough year for Tech, and with a limited number of scholarships, it would not be surprising to see him recruit conservatively early in his tenure.

There is also a significant philosophical difference between Pastner and Gregory. Pastner runs a high tempo offense that will be a selling point for recruits.

He has coached and recruited many NBA players throughout his time at Memphis and as an assistant at Arizona. Tech was not so long ago a breeding ground for a similar caliber of prospect, and fans hope it returns to form.

Pastner has learned from Hall of Fame coaches, Lute Olsen and Calipari. He will continue to take the knowledge and lessons he learned from them into building the Tech program.

“Eventually, I want to play in a style with great pace and great tempo. I want to have great ball movement and player movement. I think that’s really important. The more we share the ball, I call it hot potato, you catch it and move it,” Pastner said.

“That’s just my personal philosophy. That’s the coaches I’ve grown up to be around. I think that’s a really attractive style of play for prospects. Especially here in Atlanta and the surrounding areas, I think that kids will love playing in that type of style.”

Pastner did comment that he may have to change his philosophies to put next year’s team in position to succeed. For next season, Tech only has six scholarship players returning who saw action last year, and only four of those saw meaningful minutes. There are several question marks for next season, and from conference play the team loses 80 percent of its scoring, 68 percent of its rebounding and five of its seven most played players. Pastner will inherit a team that will be far less experienced than the team former head coach Brian Gregory inherited in his first year where he went a tepid 11-20.

Over the next couple of weeks, Pastner is tasked with building a staff, recruiting not only high school players, but the current players on the Tech team. It is not a given that every Tech player will return for next year. Tech has three recruits signed to letters of intent, which Pastner will look to secure.

It is likely that Pastner’s first few years at Tech will not outwardly signify improvement from the tenures of Paul Hewitt and Brian Gregory. Fundamentally, though, Pastner may have what it takes to distance Tech basketball from a recent legacy of mediocrity.