On the weekend of Feb. 21, the Tech baseball team hosted a four-game series against the Marshall Thundering Herd, ending with two wins apiece, with the Jackets’ performance at the plate and on the mound ultimately deciding the contests. The series marks Tech’s first losses of the season. 

The first game of the series had the Jackets open up dominantly. The Jackets quickly took a strong lead, with a two-run home run from sophomore center fielder Drew Burress opening up the first inning. Sophomore pitcher Tate McKee led the Jackets on the mound for the first five innings, commanding the game with six strikeouts. The Jackets continued to dominate at the plate with a grand slam for sophomore infielder Alex Hernandez (his first career home run), extending the score to 8-0 at the end of the second inning. The Jackets ended the first game by scoring another four runs across the fourth through sixth innings. This led to a Marshall forfeit by run rule after the top of the seventh with a final score of 12-1 from 13 hits. 

Game two saw the Jackets slow down offensively. Despite the eight hits the Jackets accumulated, they failed to convert those opportunities into runs. Marshall took over at the plate in the top of the seventh, accruing three earned runs that gave them the lead. Neither team allowed any errors, making this purely a battle at the plate. Tech had tying runs on base in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings but failed to capitalize during crucial moments. Off of only five hits, the Thundering Herd outlasted the Jackets 4-2.

The following day, during game three of the series, Tech found life again. The Jackets started off the game strong, led by a two-run home run from Hernandez, the Jackets ended the third inning up by four runs. Marshall soon got back in the fight with a 3-run home run in the top of the fourth. Graduate pitcher Mason Patel then came onto the mound for the Jackets, having 3 innings of no hits to slow things down for Marshall. After Patel’s dominant pitching, Burress hit a double to score sophomore infielder Carson Kerce, and the following inning, freshman Drew Rogers had his first career home run, a three-run blast. The torrential downpour on offense continued in the late innings. Sophomore catcher Vahn Lackey batted in two more runs. Along with sac-flys from junior outfield Parker Brosius and sophomore infielder Tyler Neises put the Jackets at 11 runs. In the top of the ninth, however, Marshall managed to scrape together three runs before freshman pitcher Ryan Johnson came in. He managed to close out the game with two strikeouts in his first ever collegiate appearance. 

The final game of the series on Monday was another letdown. After six innings, the Jackets were up 7-3. The lead came from three RBIs from Burress and an error, allowing sophomore infielder Kent Schmidt to score. Marshall, in the last three innings of the contest, scored 9 runs off of a combination of different Tech pitchers. The Tech response ultimately fell short 8-12 with one final run being scored in the bottom of the ninth. After the disappointing loss, the series between the Jackets and Thundering Herd ended 2-2. 

This series highlighted what could be the main weakness for the Jackets in their pitching. Tech allowed for 16 hits and 12 earned runs in game four alone. Although some pitchers, such as Patel and Mckee, had exceptional performances, much of the bullpen disappointed. Other key aspects of the team, though, like the defense on the field and performance at the plate, excelled. Tech’s defense only allowed two errors across the entire series, and the offense delivered a flurry of hits (Tech is 3rd in the nation in doubles as of Feb 25).  If the Jackets’ bullpen can improve their performance or their depth, the team can become truly competitive. 

Tech begins conference play against the Virginia Tech Hokies on March 7 away at Blacksburg, Va.

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On Saturday, Feb. 1 the Jackets’ Men’s Basketball team pulled off an underdog victory hosting the No. 21-ranked Louisville Cardinals. Tech’s win ended the Cardinals’ 10-game winning streak, which propelled Louisville to second in the ACC. Senior guard Lance Terry led the team in scoring with 23 points on 20 shots. Sophomore forward Baye Ndongo had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. 

The first half of the game favored the Cardinals. Louisville guards fifth-year Terrence Edwards Jr. and senior Chucky Hepburn made scoring on the Tech defense seem effortless in the beginning.  The duo combined for 6-10 from 3-point range in the first half. With the arena tinted with red, cheers of Louisville fans seemed to stomp out any atmosphere of a Tech defense. The Jackets offense, on the other hand, barely scraped by. In the game’s opening minutes, there were multiple instances of baskets barely beating the shot clock.  Furthermore, many of the team’s attempts to score did not connect. In the first half, the Jackets shot a disappointing 12-31 or 38.7% from the field. This gave Louisville a steady lead for most of the half, ending the period 38-27.

However, the tides turned in the second half, with the Jackets finding their flow on both ends of the floor.  Redshirt junior Duncan Powell had a breakaway steal leading to a layup and a free throw from a foul, bringing the Jackets back to life. Terry had four 3-pointers and a defiant slam dunk to control the lead. Sophomore guard Naithan George also contributed with 10 points in the half, many of them coming in key moments. Defensively, the Jackets forced 8 turnovers in the second half that led to 16 points.  Louisville ended the game with 14 total turnovers compared to their 12 assists. The Cardinals also struggled shooting from both beyond the arc and at the line. Louisville shot only 1-9 from 3 in the second half along with a subpar eight missed free throws. With 3 minutes left in the game Tech led by 9 as Ndongo slammed home a dunk that caused McCamish to erupt. In a final charge, the Cardinals blundered on a 3-point attempt, leading to a turnover and giving Tech free throws as time expired.  

After the game, Louisville Head Coach Pat Kelsey credited Tech’s ambition and defensive scheme for their win.  

“They were the better team tonight. …  They played like a desperate team, and they deserved to win,” Kelsey said. 

Kelsey then mentioned how the Cardinals’ missed free throws and turnovers did not help their efforts.

Another noteworthy point of Tech’s performance was that Tech used a short rotation, with only six players. With much of the roster injured, all but one of those six tallied less than 30 minutes. 

“I think it’s sustainable,” Terry said when asked about the style of play.  

“We can’t use it as an excuse,”George said about the team’s injuries. 

George followed his comments by saying that the Jackets showed resilience in the contest.

“Facing adversity and overcoming that hump, really showed tonight,” he said.

The Jackets next play at Clemson on Tuesday Feb. 4 as they continue conference play.

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Ever since the Atlanta Falcons collapsed in Super Bowl LI eight years ago, they have yet to pick up the pieces and become a competitive team again. In the final two weeks of the 2024 regular season, the Falcons lost two critical games against the Washington Commanders and the Carolina Panthers. These shortcomings cost them a spot in the playoffs and ended their season with an underwhelming 8-9 record. The disappointment of a season came after many expected the Falcons to compete with the best in 2024. 

The front office’s offseason moves led many Falcons fans to be excited. The moves included adding established veterans to bolster leadership in the locker room, such as acquiring Pro Bowler quarterback Kirk Cousins, edge rusher Matthew Judon and safety Justin Simmons.  In addition to seasoned professionals, the team drafted Heisman finalist quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to join Cousins in the QB room with their 8th overall draft pick.  

The Falcons added a new leader in hopes of pushing the team to the next level, Raheem Morris, who had won a Super Bowl as the Los Angeles Rams Defensive coordinator in 2022, was hired in hopes of navigating the Falcons into the future. During the preseason, ESPN predicted that the Falcons would have a 67.4% chance of making the playoffs and a 56.8% chance to win the NFC South with an estimated 9.6-win season.

At Week 9, a little over halfway into the season, the Falcons had a 6-3 record and ranked 1st in their division. The team proceeded to lose their next 4 games. Lackluster defense and irreparable performances from Cousins at quarterback combined for the Falcons being outscored 117-57 during the four-game span. After throwing 4 interceptions against the Chargers in Dec., Cousins failed to live up to his $45 million yearly contract. Cousins’ poor play eventually resulted in him being benched, Penix Jr. led the offense for the final three games of the season.  Despite starting 14 games this season, Cousins led the league with 16 interceptions, tied with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.  

The benching of Cousins becomes an even greater shortcoming when his contract is taken into account. The Falcons signed the veteran to a 4 year $180 million deal, with $100 million being guaranteed. Furthermore, Cousins ended his 2023 season with a torn Achilles tendon and was 35 at the time of signing the contract, an age considered old for most NFL players. With Penix Jr. completing the year and potentially starting for the 2025 season, Cousins’s spot on the team is uncertain going into the next year.

The course of the season has led many to question the signing of Cousins in the first place. The decision to draft Penix Jr. paid off with Cousins being benched, but his contract will continue to haunt the Falcons in the near future and may lead to a change of philosophy going forward.

With an already well-put-together offense on paper, those resources could have gone to bolster a disappointing defense.  Despite acquiring Judon in the offseason, the Falcons finished 2nd to last in the league in sacks this year, a continued problem over the past few seasons. Furthermore, the Falcons allowed 24.9 points per game this season, the 10th most in the league. Due to the lackluster defensive performance, the Falcons fired defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, who was only with the team for a single season.  

The Falcons’ offense was one of the strongest in the NFL, the unit ranked seventh in yards per game. Despite the strong offense, tight end Kyle Pitts continued to perform lacklusterly. The former 4th overall pick of the 2021 draft has had his 3rd straight season of having less than 700 receiving yards. With receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson both having exceptional seasons, the tight end position is the only true area of improvement the Falcons have on offense. 

Going into this offseason, the Falcons need to prioritize defense in the draft. Drafting a defensive lineman, particularly an edge rusher, will hopefully be one of the final pieces of putting everything together and improving the pressure they put on opposing quarterbacks.  As for Cousins, cutting him from the team is financially the right decision. The Falcons do not need to fall into the sunk cost fallacy and should reallocate the money that would go towards his contract into retaining essential players.  As his replacement, Penix Jr. becomes more involved with the team, and hopefully, he will step up and deliver. With this in mind though, it would be smart to sign a veteran backup quarterback to mentor Penix Jr.

The Falcons are closer to succeeding than they’ve been since their infamous Super Bowl run.  Although the past several seasons have not been ideal for them, the team is in a position to become competitive once again. 

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Avant South showcased local entrepreneurs and experts to highlight the growing potential of future technology on Monday, Sept. 7. Hosted on Tech’s campus in the Exhibition Hall, the event brought together creatives and leaders from sports, media, entertainment and entrepreneurship. The day consisted of giving guests the chance to interact with leaders from the field and concluded with a keynote address from Maria Taylor, host of Football Night in America on NBC.

The morning sessions of the event included three breakout periods, where attendees could join panels diving into more in depth discussions with industry experts. Discussions ranged from the impact of Georgia’s involvement with the film industry to the growing market for Esports. The panelists for each of the breakouts included executives from companies like Netflix and Xbox and faculty from colleges such as Georgia State University and u[sic]GA.

Outside of the panels, guests were encouraged to interact with companies and startups at permanent stations in the main hall. Many universities from the Atlanta area used this to showcase some of the startups their students had been working diligently on.  

The Atlanta University Center (AUC) Data Science Initiative is a joint effort between Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse University and Morehouse School of Medicine. Jamal Ware, AUC Program Coordinator for Student Development, said that the initiative is a first step for students to break into data science as a career.

“We’re preparing students to work in data science,” Ware said. “We’re here to connect our students with industry and for our students to see the other projects happening.” 

Other Atlanta universities in attendance included Georgia State University (GSU) and Emory University. GSU, through their Creative Media Institute, offered a dazzling full body Virtual Reality display. Emory highlighted their student entrepreneurship through “The Hatchery,” which supports student founded innovation and startups.

Tech also featured a station of their own, showcasing some products of the CREATE-X program, its own startup organization for students. Arpan Bhavsar, MS EE ‘20 and a CREATE-X alumni, presented his startup, Kinemo, which allows for those who have lost mobility in their hands to use technology. Kinemo offers these individuals the chance to operate devices such as touch screens and wheelchairs through remote control. The controls themselves resemble ear pieces worn by newscasters and security guards, attaching to a part of the body that would still be mobile and are wired to an emitter.  

“Imagining if someone has lost the ability to use their hands, we thought that they could utilize their neck, head or shoulders, to operate devices.” Bhavsar says. With a control attached to his ear, he showed off by turning his head how he could move a mouse across an iPhone screen. The controls utilize bluetooth and read off the movement of the user. Bhavsar currently does research with the Institute to further advance this technology.  

At the event’s conclusion, Tech President Angel Cabrera took the stage. He said the Institute’s recent growth, particularly the record number of undergraduate applicants, is an indicator for the growing demand for innovation in Atlanta. He also praised the other universities in attendance for the event. “Something is happening in higher education,” he said, adding that it is a “big deal for the school — a big deal for the city.”

Cabrera then spoke about what it would take for Atlanta to be considered a leading innovator in the United States. “We went to the Boston Consulting Group to see if Atlanta could be one of the leading innovative cities.”   

According to Cabrera, Atlanta’s universities are the driving factor to reach this goal.  He went on to say that colleges are what create entrepreneurs, pointing to Tech’s programs like Create-X.  In order to become the fifth most innovative city, Atlanta has some work to do. “We need 2,000 [more] start ups to break the charts,” he said.

Cabrera then introduced the keynote speaker, Maria Taylor. Taylor, a prominent sports journalist, believes that being an Atlanta native and an athlete played a part in her career journey and led to her success.  

“[In sports], you have to continue to change,” she said, noting how being dynamic is not only important on the field of play but in the industry as well.  “You have to believe before anyone else.” She also compared running a startup to her experience in journalism. “There’s no practice,” she said.

Taylor called her transition from sideline reporting to being a host, an “innovation moment.”

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Earlier this month, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) released results of a months-long study analyzing the online harassment of college athletes. The investigation was a pilot study based on online comments made about athletes competing in Division I national title competitions and tournaments across seven sports: baseball, softball, FBS football, FCS football, basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball. This included contests such as the College Football National Championship, March Madness and the College World Series. The findings of the study showed that the both male and female athletes, coaches, officials, and team accounts observed had experienced 16 different types of harassment, ranging from accusations of doping to racism and homophobia. 

From 2023 to 2024, 72,000 comments were flagged. Out of that sample, 5,000 (about 6.9%) were confirmed to be harassment across sites such as Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Tik Tok. The NCAA found such remarks by partnering with Signify Group, a Dutch multinational corporation, and its artificial intelligence (AI) Threat Matrix service.

The most prevalent form of abuse was sexual, accounting for 18 percent of all harassment comments. According to the report, 80 percent of the observations recorded were directed towards athletes participating in March Madness, the NCAA postseason tournament for Division I basketball. Furthermore, female athletes participating in the tournament received three times more comments than their male counterparts. Considering the meteoric rise of media attention surrounding the women’s tournament — particularly around players such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink — it’s no surprise that their spotlight attracted some negative actors.

Ella Rowan, third year ARCH, says that the online abuse of female athletes stands out as being particularly cruel. “They were heavily criticized for being ‘emotional’ when male athletes do the same thing. I feel that some players were more targeted than others as well” Rowan said. 

Abuse related to sports-betting accounted for 12 percent of the online harassment. Again, these comments spiked in incidence around March Madness. 73 percent of those sports-betting comments were made during the tournament, which is easily one of the biggest gambling events of the entire sports calendar. The study also operationalized the meaning of “angry sports bettors” into the following definition: “‘Angry Sports Bettors’ are defined as individuals who engage in problematic and intrusive communication due to match events and results contradicting bettors’ predictions and thus fuelling abusive messages towards student-athletes, coaches and officials.”

A shortcoming of the study is that Threat Matrix was not able to monitor direct messaging (DMs) of social media of the parties observed. This would have required each individual to separately agree to be monitored, making a less than desired tool to survey.  Despite this, the NCAA acknowledges that much of the abuse the athletes receive is delivered through DMs. The NCAA concluded the study by acknowledging the toll this abuse can take on athletes, officials and coaches’ experience with such comments. Furthermore, they appear to be taking an active role in making things better. In many instances, they have reached out to those affected and that the guilty parties are being flagged and sometimes even investigated by the proper authorities.

Matan Avissar, first-year INTA, believes that individuals making abusive remarks don’t represent the greater fan base of sports. “Those people need to get a life, go outside and touch grass. As someone who played football in highschool, it’s not fair to the athletes when they receive crappy feedback from fans,” Avissar said. 

Max Britton, third-year EIA, echoes Avissars comments but acknowledges why people do it. “I think some people are too emotionally interested in certain teams, games, etc. But you have to understand that they’re real people at the end of the day, not someone to bet on.” he said.

This study brought light to a serious issue that needs to be addressed.  Not only should the NCAA continue to curb abusive comments, but other sports administrative bodies should follow suit as well.

The post “Angry bettors” perpetuate harassment in NCAA appeared first on Technique.

While playing away on Sept. 7, the Jackets fell to the Syracuse Orange in a 28-31 loss, their first of the season. Tech struggled on both sides of the ball until the fourth quarter, but their attempt to overcome a Syracuse lead at the end of the game fell short. As a result, Tech has fallen out of the Associated Press’s Top 25, losing their No. 23 ranking.

Going into the meeting, the Jackets were predicted to be favorites against the Orange by ESPN. Both ACC teams entered the week undefeated, and the winner could claim the number one spot in the conference rankings. With the coinciding postseason implications of this, the game was a critical win for each school.

Syracuse made their presence known early by marching down the field and scoring on the first drive. Tech’s passing offense got off to a rough start, but the Jackets answered with a touchdown. Throughout the matchup, Syracuse picked apart Tech’s secondary, creating big passing plays and continuously adding to the score. Despite another touchdown late in the second quarter, Tech failed to find a solution to the Orange’s offense. After a few more Syracuse scores, the score was 13-31, an 18-point deficit for Tech with less than a quarter left to play.  However, Tech rolled back into the game with a touchdown drive, a timely two-point conversion and a recovered onside kick that set them up for a second scoring drive. With just over 150 seconds on the clock, the difference between the two teams was only a field goal. However, in the final minutes, Tech could not stop Syracuse from running out the clock, ending play.  

Most of Syracuse’s success came from their newly acquired transfer quarterback, senior Kyle McCord. McCord threw for a career-high 381 yards to go along with four passing touchdowns and no turnovers. Syracuse’s offense and McCord were so effective that only one out of their nine drives ended in a punt. For Tech, redshirt junior quarterback Haynes King excelled in the run game.  During the first half, King had two running touchdowns for over 20 yards each. These came at opportune moments when he found holes in the Orange’s defensive line and evaded the remaining defenders. Overall, he led the Jackets in rushing with six attempts for 67 yards and kept Tech competitive for the first half of play. 

On his passes, King had a few overthrows to wide receivers that resulted in punts on drives where the Jackets needed to score. One was in the second quarter for sophomore receiver Eric Singleton Jr. and another was in the third quarter for redshirt junior running back Jamal Haynes. Despite this, King’s arm allowed Tech to stay competitive. Just about every scoring drive was possible because of a crucial pass. King threw for 266 yards on 29 of 39 attempts with a 92.7 quarterback rating. Other than King, the rest of Tech’s offense struggled to produce. Shockingly, the Jackets did not have a single red zone possession until the fourth quarter.

 The run game in particular looked sluggish throughout the contest. Haynes had 11 carries, but managed to only garner 35 yards. However, his longest rush of 15 yards resulted in a rallying touchdown in the fourth quarter. The most disappointing run this past Saturday was in the fourth quarter on a failed fourth down conversion that went sideways due to a missed block. This resulted in a turnover on downs that ultimately led to a Syracuse touchdown, creating an even deeper hole for Tech to climb out of. 

In total, Tech ran for 112 yards off of 24 rushing attempts. In comparison, Ohio University, a smaller program that played Syracuse a week before, collected 255 yards from 35 attempts. It was definitely concerning to see Tech’s run game struggle against an opponent without demonstrated success against runs.  

The Jackets’ secondary did them no favors, either. They had no answer for McCord or his receivers. The redshirt junior trio of tight end Oronde Gadsden II, receiver Trebor Pena and receiver Umari Hatcher all accrued more than 60 receiving yards. Much of this can be attributed to the Jackets’ struggles with tackling, an issue that has persisted throughout the season. Furthermore, many of the Orange’s big moments were either the result of crafty play design or poor defensive management on Tech’s end. For example, the first of Syracuse’s receiving touchdowns was the result of one receiver setting up a block with their route in order for another receiver to get open.  For their second touchdown, the same scheme was successful because Tech did not properly adjust.  

One highlight of Tech’s performance at Syracuse was the special teams.  The Jackets’ special teams unit blocked a punt and field goal while recovering an onside kick. Despite this, a missed Tech field goal loomed large as the difference between victory and defeat.  

According to Sports Illustrated, Tech has the strongest strength of schedule or difficulty of opponents in the ACC and fourth strongest out of all Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) programs. They need to take care of the easier games, and they failed to accomplish that against Syracuse. With this loss, the rest of the year becomes increasingly uncertain. In the coming weeks, the Jackets will face nationally ranked opponents such as Notre Dame, Miami, Louisville and u[sic]GA. How do they overcome these more adverse challenges in the coming weeks? The Jackets will provide an answer upon their return to The Flats on Sept. 14 to face the Virginia Military Institute Keydets.

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