The head coach was a serious man last night. And that was reflected on the field – no bells, no whistles to speak of.
Just a brilliantly executed game plan. Very tough play. And some fortuitous timing. For once, it was the other team that paid the price for turning the ball over and dropping a key pass.
Tons of kudos to pass out. The defensive line played well. Reshad Jones played the best game of his career. Jon Fabris let Blair Walsh tee it up, at least most of the time. Ealey and King ran as hard as they had all season.
But most of all, there was ferocious blocking. By the receivers. By the tight ends. By Shaun Chapas. But most of all, by the offensive line, who played like a group possessed.
The players played. The coaches coached. And it all ended with a win over the seventh-ranked team in the country. A most satisfying win.
I started this blog three years ago to the day (happy anniversary, GTP!), inspired by the 2006 win over Tech. There are some similarities between the two wins, but, if anything, this one pleases more. Pardon the expression, this one stings more.
At the time of the kick, I wished that Walsh had made that career-long attempt, but in the end, the results couldn’t have been sweeter. The game was left in the hands of the genius and the best receiver in the ACC and they didn’t get ‘er done. Somewhere in this great land of ours, Reggie Ball was smiling.
The post game scene on the field was all you could want. The fans celebrated with a bunch of kids who finally proved to everyone, including themselves, that they could play a complete game against a worthy opponent. And at least for a little while, we could all forget about the disappointments and the coaches’ futures and everything else that made 2009 a letdown season. For that, all I can say is thanks.
Now I have to go taste the salty tears of disappointment on the Tech message boards. I didn’t get enough from the jerks outside of BDS after the game last night…
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