ACC Roundtable Wrap-Up

The guys over at BC Interruption have posted the ACC Roundtable Wrap-Up. The first round was pretty successful so be on the lookout for more discussions in the future! Click here to read the ACC Roundtable Wrap-up.

Clemson Preview

Well it's Clemson Week, let's watch something that makes us all smile



Ahh yeah that's better, much better.

Date: October 18, 2008
Time: 12 Noon (bleh)
TV: ESPN
Will The Legacy crew be there?: Hellz yeah! Dane and I roll in Friday afternoon!


So we all know about the turmoil that's gone on in Clemson: Tommy Bowden is fired, interim coach fires the OC, and Cullen Harper says things he shouldn't be saying in public. What chaos! What a disaster for tiger fans! At the beginning of the year, I said that we were going to lose to Clemson and probably lose to Clemson big. Now, I am not as worried. More confident of a win honestly. On to the what-if's!

Clemson wins if: The 3-point stance makes that much of a difference, Dabo Swinney pulls wild cards out of his ass, and the team bands together to try to salvage the 2nd half of the season. Clemson may still hold the athletic advantage over the Jackets but do they hold the team advantage? The answer is uncertain. What about Willy Korn? The running combo of him and James Davis (AKA Thunder) will have to be enough. In regards to passing, if there is a passing game, Block-C is praying for Aaron Kelly to come through.

Georgia Tech wins if: They take advantage of the Clemson turmoil. No way Monday was a productive practice day. That gives them only 4 days to practice and prepare for Georgia Tech. Josh Nesbitt is back. Jonathon Dwyer is chompin' at the bit to prove that he is for real and that Gardner-Webb was a fluke. Tech wins if the D-Line stops James Davis (no C.J. Spiller!) from the running game. Willy Korn flakes ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuut. I have very little doubt that we come out unprepared for this game. Lord knows how much Paul Johnson beat our team into the ground this weak, mentally and physically.

Sidenotes: George O'Leary was in Dabo Swinney's shoes back in 1994. O'Leary took over the Jackets in mid-season 1994 after B*** L**** was fired. His first game he coached was against Clemson. The Jackets lost 20-10.

My ridiculous amount of optimism continues and the Jackets take advantage of the mess and our defense carries the team...again. After Korn and Davis are stopped, no one knows what to do. Georgia Tech 24 Clemson 10.

Clemson Sing-A-Long!

Scene: A quiet setting just outside of Clemson, South Carolina. Children have gathered and are excited for the arrival of their favorite mascot Buzz to sing a long a play games. Unfortunately there was a mix-up and Ghetto Buzz has shown up instead iwith his loyal followers, the Goldfellas. The paint on his face is wearing away and his sunglasses are cracked. His wings are wilted and molting. On the outside he is an ugly creature who is greatly unappreciated. But on the inside, he has a passionate hatred for the enemies of the Flats but has difficulty showing these feelings and it drives him to drink. the result makes him a crusty and cranky old man who turns people away. What will entail?















GhettoBuzz: Alright you little brats, you pulled me away from my grand day of drinking and such so this concert had bettern be good! Vodka is calling my name and I don't like to be late when my lady beckons.










Children: Buzz! Where is Buzz!? We want to sing magestically with Buzz!

(Ghetto Buzz takes a long sip of his drink, ever so calm but one can see that he is getting annoyed because he hates Clemson, especially drunk and he also knows that he is not as loved as much as the authentic jolly Yellow Jacket.)














Ghetto Buzz: You can't have Buzz! I am the one who showed up! So we sing or we dance, or yougo home! (More and more hair and feathers fall off Ghetto as he quickly becomes less caring for the children) We will sing and we will sing loud and proud for we are YELLOW JACKETS!

Goldfellas join Ghetto Buzz and in unison the group begins:

"Clemson is a REDNECK SCHOOL!"

Children: Doo Dah! Doo Dah!












Goldfellas and Ghetto Buzz: Clemson is a REDNECK SCHOOL!!!










Children: OH DAH DOO DAH DAY!












Ghetto Buzz: EVERYBODY SINGS....hmmm vodka! (wanders off to go find more vodka)












Everybody: Gonna Moo all Niiigh! Gonna Moo all Daaay! Clemson is a REDNECK SCHOOL! Oh Dah Doo Dah Day!

Clemson is a Redneck School!

Doo Dah! Doo Dah!

Clemson is a Rednceck School!

Oh Dah Doo Dah Day!

Gonna Moo all night! Gonna Moo all day!

Clemson is a Redneck School,

Oh Dah doo dah day!

Guest Blogger: Clemson Edition

So this week's Guest Blogger is Block-C. We both gave each other questions and our responses are on our respective sites. Be sure to go check out them and our answers out. Click here to go to Block-C.

1. Sounds like Cullen Harper kind of hated Tommy Bowden. Then again, Harper hasn't exactly been awesome. What is your take on comparing Korn and Harper, and how do you think Bowden handled the whole QB situation?

We don't think Harper really hated Tommy Bowden, we think it was more a reactionary statement to having just been thrown under the proverbial bus by Bowden. He's since backed off his statements, for what it's worth. Harper is a pocket passer with limited mobility. His accuracy is tough to gauge. It's high chiefly because of the number of short yardage passes we call. He's had a tougher time this season because he is more of a known quantity and because of poor offensive line play. Korn is a better all-around QB in our opinion, who has demonstrated great mobility in limited playing opportunities. If there is to be a great deal of pressure on the QB due to missed blocking assignments, Korn has the edge over Harper due to his running threat.

2. Dabo Swinney is the interim coach at Clemson. What, if anything special, does he bring to the table? What are his opinions toward Willy Korn vs. Cullen Harper?

Dabo brings several things to the table; some good, some bad. The bad, obviously, is a lack of head coaching experience. Another negative is that he's not had a great deal of time to settle into the interim coaching spot and to craft an overall gameplan for Georgia Tech. There are a great deal of positives here. Notably he was always one of the more popular coaches with players and recruits. His moves in his short time as interim head coach have been overwhelmingly positive: he fired woeful offensive coordinator Rob Spence, he kept Korn as starting QB, and he let line coach Brad Scott have his guys on the o-line go into a three point stance. (the last point is small but was a major point of contention with fans and some players) No idea on his thoughts or attitudes towards either player, but Korn is the starter. We expect Harper to get some PT as well.

3. Everyone at Georgia Tech is pretty high on our defensive line, and they have gotten alot of praise from past opponents. Can Clemson's offensive line handle what is probably the strongest unit the Yellow Jackets have?

This is the matchup that could stop Clemson's offense cold. Alabama's defensive line was extremely physical and shut down Clemson's offense. Certainly the line has learned since then, but this is really the worst (or best, depending on the perspective) place for an opponent to be sharp against us.

4. If you think Georgia Tech has any specific weaknesses that Clemson will try to exploit, what are they? Any specific players that we should worry about? Do you know where they will be sleeping Friday night?

We haven't scouted GT enough to know specific weaknesses. Sorry. I would say James Davis at RB for Clemson would be a player to key on, but the GT d-line may well neutralize him. Senior WR Aaron Kelly is due for a breakout game, but we've said that before about other players and it hasn't come into fruition. On the defensive side of the ball, safety Michael Hamlin has performed well and has 3 picks on the season. Freshman DE DaQuan Bowers should be fairly disruptive.

5. Pretend it is Saturday night, and as time ticks down, Clemson has more points than Georgia Tech. What did Clemson do in order to put itself in that position?

While it would have to be an epic game to wind down Saturday night seeing as how it's a noon kickoff (Editor's Note: Saturday night in Death Valley sounds more exciting), the prospect of a multiple overtime game can surely not be dismissed. If Clemson were to win it would likely be due to limiting the damage of the option attack while using a more inspired brand of playcalling than was provided by Rob Spence to actually not throw three yards behind the first down marker each third down, not run directly into piles of defenders over and over, and to make some halftime adjustments for the first time all season. Or we lose. Either one.

Clemson Memories

It's Clemson week so let's remember some great times.....



Tashard bein' the leader



"The Catch" before The Catch



And my personal favorite...Calvin Johnson bursts onto the scene!




What are your favorite Clemson memories and moments? Post them in the comments section. If you find another (or better) video you want posted, post it and we'll upload it.

A History Lesson in Tradition: Buzz and the Yellowjackets

Today, we bring back one of our more popular posts in the history of Buzz and the Yellowjackets.

Today at Georgia Tech when a person hears the term "Yellowjackets" they are more than likely to immediately think of the mascot Buzz. But if you go far back enough you will see that the "Yellowjackets" nickname was created many years before our lovable bee jumped into the scene.

Yellowjackets

The facts are a little hazy regarding the where the exact term "Yellowjackets" came to be in reference to our beloved Institute. In 1905, the Atlanta Constitution first referred to the nickname "Yellowjackets" (all one word) after legendary John Heisman officially declared that "Yellowjackets" was to be the only reference to Georgia Tech that he wanted to see. His reasoning probably came from watching Georgia Tech fans and faculty dress up in yellow coats and jackets in support of their team whoever was playing the University [sic] of Georgia.

In 1906, the first illustrated image of the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets was printed in the Atlanta Journal. The cartoon referenced an upcoming Georgia loss to Georgia Tech:

The First Buzz

There have been two creations of the real life mascot as we know him today.

The first creation was in 1972 by a woman named Judi McNair who made the first costume by hand and performed at home football games. She made her grand entrance into the stadium on top of the Ramblin' Wreck as she was given permission by Tech officials to perform. As far as I could find Ms. McNair was the YellowJacket mascot for only that 1 football season of 1972.

Modern Day Buzz

Seven years later, the more modern day Buzz came to be. In 1979, a student by the name of Richie Bland spent $1,400 on a costume that looked like a Yellow jacket. After the costume was made, Bland decided that he would use it at a football game. The specific game at which this new Buzz was unveiled could not be found, but Bland did not get permission from Tech officials to perform at the game. Rather, he decided to run across the field at a random time. The fans, having no idea that these antics were not an official Tech action, roared in applause and cheers. In 1980, the costumed YellowJacket had been given the name "Buzz Bee" and was given title as an "official mascot of Georgia Tech". Buzz had been born.

Early Buzz.
Courtesy of Georgia Tech Alumni Association

Buzz Today

Today, Buzz is a mischievous character who always seems like he has pure sugar for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and is an official member of the Georgia Tech cheerleading squad. Because of the demand of time and energy put in to being Buzz, there is more than one student who dons the costume, though there is never two Buzz's at a time. The students who are Buzz keep their identities secret until graduation.

Buzz performs at football and basketball games and makes appearances to various other events as well. He also has the ability to show up to private parties!

BMFY!

Monday In-Class Update 10/13/08

Ok, I'm not really in class. In fact, I'm on 'vacation' back in wonderful Warner Robins, Georgia. However, I did get to watch some football this weekend, and it was fantastic.

EXCEPT FOR OUR GAME. What the fuck was that shit? We played offense like old people fuck. It is more than clear that we will be recruiting at least two quarterbacks every year, because we are going to need at least four people on the level of Shaw (or hopefully, as athletic as Nesbitt) to safeguard ourselves from eating shit after two injuries.

However, I will say that I don't hold it against any of our players (well, except maybe our O-Line, they really have to start playing like they want to win a championship). We came out and won the game, so screw it, I will say nothing more about it.

Dane's Top Five, in order. Alabama, Texas, Penn State, Florida, USC. Quite simply, the Tier 0 of college football.

Thank you Florida, for showing why I love you. I never lost faith. Everyone else did, UF, but I knew you would be back. The Gators played an excellent game against LSU this weekend, and I think they might have shown why they don't need Tebow to, you know, carry the entire team, and actually look like they might have the best overall offense in the nation. It will be nice to see Tebow not have his ass kicked all year leading up to the game against the georgia Bulldogs, where he will lead the team to a 24 point margin victory.

Mizzwho? No, just kidding. The Tigers' passing game is still absolutely outstanding, and if they can manage to get to the Big 12 Championship, are not out of the picture. While it was a big win for the Cowboys, it will be interesting to see if Oklahoma State will stick around. If they do, honestly, the Big 12 will no doubt be the best conference in the nation for the next few seasons.

I am so pissed that I didn't get to see the whole Red River Shootout. So, I don't have much to write about it. However, between the first quarter that I did see, and the extra 30 minutes of highlights I watched, I think that may be the best football played this season.

Bowden is out, and the dregs are following. In the same fashion as one big violent bowel movement, Clemson's future looks alot less poopy. A program that should be fielding a top ten team every year may actually start doing that. Anyone who says that Clemson couldn't be competing in the SEC is already wrong, but hopefuly soon enough, the Tigers will be a dominant team in football, one that loses to Georgia Tech every year.

ACC Roundtable: Midseason Checkup

And what a sudden and surprising first half it has been! Some of us ACC blogs have joined together for some discussion regarding the state of ACC football. More discussions will follow and will continue beyond football season. The first discussion is headed by the guys over at BC Interruption. Click here for the original post and responses from around the conference.
Enjoy!


1. We are about halfway through the season with the heart of the ACC football schedule upon us. Let's take a temperature check. Who ya got in the ACC Championship game? Has this changed at all from the teams you penciled in at the beginning of the season as part of your preseason predictions?

As far as Georgia Tech's fortunes, we had the Jackets slated for an 8-4 season two months ago with our losses coming from VT, Clemson, a Florida school, and Georgia. It should surprise no one that our expectations have been raised a good bit. We spoke to one of our starting defensive tackles, and he said that other than playing that school from Athens, playing UNC at Chapel Hill is probably going to be our toughest game left on our schedule, which could very possibly determine the ACC Coastal Champion (provided that Virginia Tech shoots themselves in the foot sometime soon).

Dr. Saturday does a pretty good job in chronicling the ACC pole position, and we tend to agree with him. Even though we would love to see the Hokies drop a few of their last games (which all happen to be conference matches), we are going to have to go with the most indecisive comment you'll probably ever hear from us - while everyone they play will be gunning to take down VPI (and are definitely capable of doing it), there is no reason not to favor the birds in every one of their last six games. It's frustrating, as one could make the argument that the Hokies are really not "that good"; however, they hit the strongest teams of the ACC at the right time and are now reaping that reward.

Since we sissied out on the Coastal prediction, we're going to get ballsy and say that BC gets to the Championship with a recipe that's heavy on lights out defense, skin-of-your-teeth finishes, and a healthy dose of bullshit - and it starts Saturday night against Virginia Tech.

Recap - The Hokies because we're a little bit country, and the Eagles because we're a little bit rock and roll. While these are the separate picks for each division, it is plausible prediction (if Dane's 2 a.m. standings math holds) - we could see a repeat of last year, with VPI suffering a heartbreaking season loss to BC only to meet them again in the ACCCG. Predicted attendance for such a matchup - 17. No, not 17k, just 17 people.2.

2. We've only played a few ACC games yet we've already seen some upsets of possible Championship game participants - notably Maryland over Clemson, Georgia Tech over Boston College, and Virginia over Maryland. Looking at the remaining ACC schedule, pick one league game for each of your ACC Championship game participants where they could be upset.

VPI needs to watch out for Miami, as no team in the league has more to prove than the 'Canes. They are desperately trying to take that first step in their return to glory, and so far only just falling short. If BC actually does manage to come out and decide they want the Atlantic title, it's a no-brainer - the Terps are their biggest enemy. Like one of those PCP fueled antagonists on COPS who can crash through a brick wall but then get manhandled by a 115 pound lady cop, the Terps are insanely unpredictable, and as the last game on the Eagles' schedule, we would be all nerves going into it with only one ACC loss.


3. Last one, the first BCS standings come out on October 19. While it is unlikely that an ACC team will play its way back into the National Title game conversation and a second at-large berth seems equally unlikely, at least we have the Orange Bowl! Is this the year the league puts an end to their 1-9 BCS skid? Why or why not?

Since the Orange Bowl gets the last pick for its at-large bid, the ACC Champion will end up playing a Big East champ, which means that this is the year the BCS embarrassments come to an end. Out of all of the teams that we have mentioned as possible ACC Champs (VPI, BC, Wake, GT, and UNC), all are more than capable of bringing the ACC at least a little bit of glory in the post-season.

However, we'd really like to address an assumption in the question that we think isn't necessarily correct. We believe the second at-large berth isn't a ridiculous hope - from the Coastal Division, Georgia Tech and UNC both could wind up 11-1 (only one of them could, though). Heck, even a 10-2 team from the Atlantic could wind up going - remember, last year we had a 10-2 team go to the National Title. This is college football, were craziness is the norm.

Bye-bye Bowden, guess we'll always care

Sir, the feeling is mutual.

After years of taking some of the nation's greatest talent, dropping it in the crapper, taking a wicked deuce, and flushing it all away, Tommy Bowden of the Clemson Tigers is, well, not of the Clemson Tigers anymore.

After a ridiculously ugly game Thursday night at Winston-Salem, everyone was on the lookout to see if the guillotine was being rolled out and greased up. Well, Bowden's proverbial head has now hit the basket, and we look to absolutely destroy the Tigers come the 18th.

Since deep down inside I actually love Clemson, I will keep this coaching change under a very watchful eye. Two of the biggest candidates for the switch are Will Muschamp, who I introduced you to last Friday, and Bobby Johnson of Vanderbilt.

God I hope it's Muschamp.

Gardner-Webb Post Game Thoughts

I really don't know what to say honestly. Am I embarrassed? No. Am I shocked? Yes. I think we can all say we know a little of what Michigan felt last year.

It was a strange day. Almost as if you think that this game just should not have happened. First, a WREK radio student sports host calls to blatantly skip the game. Then it was Fall Break, and a "boring" match-up with the Bulldogs with 3rd string Calvin Booker starting. The scary ironic addition of the day was Sedric Griffin. The Telegraph publishes this article about his medical condition (empyema) and then he has seizures on the field. Thank God for our defense.

I'm not going to dwell on the game. Gardner-Webb outplayed us and was not afraid to come to Atlanta. Time to move on. A win is a win is a win and 3 weeks from now, it will just have been another game. Clemson is 6 days away. Look to the future.

We got a lot of things scheduled for the blog this week so be on the lookout.