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2B ♦ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2006 Georgia Tech spills offensive secrets Scheme changes show potential hut points so far yet to come By Adam Van Brimmer Morris News Service ATLANTA - Patrick Nix’s secrets are out. The Georgia Tech offen sive coordinator spent seven months tinkering with the offense. Few outside the team saw many of the changes and even those who attended the spring and preseason practices got only a sampling. The play ers, meanwhile, were for bidden to talk about them. Nix de-classfied his offen sive information Saturday night in the Jackets’ 14- 10 loss to Notre Dame, though. All of it. “We didn’t hold anything back,” Nix said. “We played this one to win it; we didn’t play it to set people up for the rest of the season.” Nix’s offense is a dras tic bordering on radical change from the scheme head coach Chan Gailey uti lized in recent years. The new features included: * No-huddle: The Yellow Jackets went without a huddle on several drives. The move prevented the Irish from substituting and helped Georgia Tech build rhythm. * Wide receiver motion: Star wide out Calvin Johnson lined up every where but in the backfield and often went in motion before the snap. The move ment allowed Johnson to get off the line of scrim mage freely and confused the Irish defensive backs. Johnson caught seven passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. * Variety in the block ing schemes: Nix utilized Tech builds confidence despite loss ATLANTA - Georgia Tech is too veteran a team and has beaten too many ranked opponents to con- sider its narrow loss to No. 2 Notre Dame a moral vic tory. Y e t Saturday’s 14-10 defeat NOTEBOOK By ADAM VAN BRIMMER Morris News Service helped the Yellow Jackets’ confidence. “We showed we can play with anybody in the nation,” linebacker Philip Wheeler said. The Yellow Jackets domi nated the Irish for much of the first half. The defense rattled quar terback Brady Quinn, a Heisman candidate, and the offense totaled 188 yards. But the Irish swung the momentum with a scoring drive just before the half. They made several adjust ments at halftime to coun ter Georgia Tech’s schemes and held on for victory. CLEATS Ploy Better Golf with JACK NICKLAUS wwy shots to ' the right rnd you-ll iwaarNßlHl INSTINCTIVELY UUHNT TO START RIMING YOUR aooy li D IF YOU SU6MIT TO THE URGE, ALL. YOU'LL INCRLfIs£ HflHw Patrick Nix a moving pocket on some pass plays and showed a diverse run-blocking approach. The offensive line mixed zone blocking, which allows the ballcarrier to choose a running lane, with the stunting and pull ing plays they mastered a year ago. Disregarding the two sacks of Ball - one due to a bad snap from center - the Jackets averaged 5.1 yards a carry. For all the positives, though, Nix failed in his main charge from Gailey: Make the offense more pro lific. Georgia Tech scored just 10 points and failed to threaten in the second half. Notre Dame dominat ed the Yellow Jackets in time of possession - 35:25 to 24:35 and ran 26 more plays than the Jackets as a result. Nix admitted he got impatient in the second half when Notre Dame flooded the field with defensive backs to contain Johnson and counter the no-huddle. “They were smarter than Cornerback Kenny Scott said the Jackets put the loss in perspective quickly. “We lost to a pretty good Notre Dame team, ranked No. 2 in the nation,” he said. “Hopefully, we come back the next 11 and we’re able to run the table.” NO RECOURSE FOR CONTROVERSIAL PENALTY: Any other Monday, Georgia Tech’s Gailey would have shipped video clips of con troversial penalty calls to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s director of officials. But an ACC crew was not responsibility for flagging the Yellow Jackets’ Wheeler for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Notre Dame’s Quinn in Saturday’s game. Big 10 officials were. And Gailey decided not to waste his time prepping and ship ping the tape. “You know what happens when they get it? It goes in the garbage can,” he said. The penalty nullified the Jackets’ stop of the Notre Dame offense on a third down play and extended the drive. V / — ~ s/1 FOOUP THE RECIPE) f come TO THAT WOOIP *7 I OH A TAIIGATIHG I / THIHK OF IT, IT \( BE THE POUHP I KIPPIHG. I w£ g c, |TE J I pip AvE A eu y II op JAl aP£HO£. (c) 2006 Bill Hinds. Dist by Universal Press Syndicate me and knew I wouldn’t be patient enough to keep run ning it,” Nix said. “They knew I would be bull-head ed and throw a few passes here and there when there was no sense in doing it. You live and learn.” Still, Gailey praised the offensive approach in his Sunday conference call. “I’m pleased with where we can be,” he said. “We didn’t execute at time and we made some mistakes. I expect us to get better, but I’m pleased with where it’s headed.” Nix and the offense get a few weeks to straighten the kinks before the Yellow Jackets open Atlantic Coast Conference play. Georgia Tech plays Samford, a Division I-AA team, this week and Troy, a mid-major that beat just one Division I-A team in 2005, in two weeks. The ACC opener is Sept. 21 against Virginia, which managed just 211 yards in a 38-13 loss to Pittsburgh in its season opener. Georgia Tech’s next real test is Sept. 30 at Virginia Tech. Tailback Tashard Choice predicts more surprises - - and points - from the offense in the weeks to come. Nix “has a lot more things on the table,” he said. “We’re going to mix it up, you saw that. We went no huddle for a while there. We got the ball to people who can make plays on the field. And we didn’t turn it over. We moved the ball.” Reach reporter Adam Van Brimmer at adam. vanbrimmer@morris.com or 404-589-8424. The Irish scored the even tual game-winning touch down three plays later. NO NEW INJURIES: The Yellow Jackets escaped the season opener with no inju ries. Defensive end Michael Johnson, tight end Colin Peek and offensive lineman Cord Howard missed the Notre Dame game because of injury. Johnson and Peek remain doubtful for Saturday’s game against Samford while Howard is out indefi nitely. SAMFORO STARTS SEASON WITH WIN: Georgia Tech’s next opponent, Samford, visits Atlanta at 3:30 .p.m. Saturday with a 1-0 record. The Bulldogs, who com pete at the Division l- AA level, defeated Miles College 37-7 last Thursday in Birmingham, Ala. Saturday’s meeting is the second in three years between Georgia Tech and Samford. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Bulldogs 28-7 in the 2004 season opener. SPORTS %jpf Jk»- * v IHr:. 4. HSyfl JflpP tSM fi g, ~ jL' mkt v jU m UK (IB ] wt\ ffHT jlHpr WJ if H Wj f Flu \ Wmtj \Wj j \ j Wt \ fifjfa] Wlß\ I Silt V Submitted Pictured is the Westfield Lady Hornets varsity softball team. Team members are, front, Sydney Smith, Daryl Ann Thompson, Jenni Grier, Kelsey Gilliam, Mason Moreland and Audrey Clearman. Back, Head Coach Rodney Culverhouse, Jennifer Wrye, Jamie Marshall, Kaitlin Chasteen, Shae Horsting, Caroline Pfohl, Hanna Jones and Coach Jeff Eubanks. .jplH mm pm*~juiiw SSZ&L iZLZmut - .... J Pictured is the Westfield Lady Hornets junior varsity softball team. Team members are, front, Kellyn Wright, Haley Way, Christine Campbell, Ellen Grier, Erin Waller and Casio Goodman. Back, Culverhouse, Ashley Moreland, Cariy Albritton, Emily Taylor, Kaci Whiddon, Sheldon Hiley and Eubanks. Mallard won’t give up football Maybe this is the week Josh Mallard looks for a new line of work. Don’t count on it. Cut from an NFL team for Adam Van Brimmer Morris News Service Every coach loves Mallard, the former University of Georgia star and Savannah Native. Including the man who cut him Saturday because of the NFL’s 53-man roster limit, the Falcons’ Jim Mora. Mora loved Mallard’s ener gy. Loved his passion. Loved how every time he turned around on the Atlanta sideline during a preseason game, Mallard was close by “frothing at the mouth” to get in the game. Mora loves Mallard because Mallard loves football. And Mallard, like a stub born and hopeless romantic, won’t give up what he loves. Life on the NFL’s fringe is better than life without foot ball, in Mallard’s opinion. Sure, it’s frustrating. He thought he made an impres sion as a rookie in 2002, recording 11 tackles, a sack and two pass deflections off the Indianapolis Colts’ bench. Yet the Colts’ cut him prior to the next season. He won a job - at full back nonetheless - with the Browns a few months later. He didn’t last a day. The team cut him the next day for the roster spot. The Dolphins signed him a few months later. He spent the summer working out behind Jason Taylor at defensive end during the day and enjoying the South Beach scene by night. Then on the first day of training camp, the coach moved him to fullback. Yet Mallard stuck it out. He consulted his old position coach in Indianapolis, John Teerlinck, about his options. Teerlinck told Mallard the Colts would sign him I ©2006 by King Features Syndicate Inc World nghu reserved J Lady Hornets if we would spend a season in NFL. Europe. This time, Mallard agreed. He helped the Amsterdam Admirals win the league champion ship, making two tackles in the 2005 World Bowl. The Colts cut him last fall anyway. His name and con nections led to interest from the Eagles and the Falcons. He signed with Atlanta. Only to get cut. Again. “I’ll catch on some where else,” he said. Evidently, once you’ve seen Indy... Mallard laughs when asked Why? And you can’t help but chuckle along with him. He is, after all, a 26-year-old who has known only two jobs in his life, and both of them glamorous: NFL player and TV actor. Mallard went to Hollywood the day after the Colts first cut in 2003. He used some Savannah connections to catch on with an agency for the fifth time in four years Saturday, Mallard will keep his cell phone close. Waiting for a call from team No. 6. r •Air Conditioning Repair •Engine Repair •Tune Ups, Belts & Hoses WBJ.MMEWBa.JML MtwßssHWtAi mm mmamm® jNtattklMn (47»)W»-tWt SUGARLOAF A Lovely Sidewalk Community In Perry These Homes are quality built all brick homes We have 3 & 4 bedroom homes starting at 131,900 Homes have features such as custom cabinets, fireplace, sod, sprinkler system Builder is giving a $5,000 bonus If you contract on one of our last 2 completed homes and close within 30 days We have a new loan program available to use that Is a 100% loan with no PMI Information Center open daily Mon. Thur, Fri 12-6 weekdays, Sat 11-5 Sun 1-5. Stop by and visit with Karen or give her a call at 954-HOME (4663) Located on the Perry Parkway nght across from the new Court House. Coming Soon Another (478) 971-2115 331 Margie Drive. Warner Robins, GA. 31088 Disclaimer: Bonuses based on certain completed homes only Loan program based upon credit and may not apply tc a» purchasers THE HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL ASE MASTER MECHANIC CARTLK-WII.KLS S/D CONSTRUCTION, INC. [Fairclothßealtv i,., TV extras. He appeared in episodes of Cold Case, The Guardian and Law & Order. Then came his big break. He showed up for a casting call for The Guardian. The director needed someone to play the part of a bouncer in a club. In the scene, the bouncer walked down some stairs, greeted the show’s main character at the club’s door and let him in. The day after he shot the scene, Mallard decided to hire a talent agent. While waiting in the agency’s office for his appointment, his cell phone rang. His foot ball agent was calling. TJie Browns. Fullback job. “I had to make a decision,” he said. “I went back to foot ball. “And no, I have no regrets.” He. won’t bother with the classifieds this week either. After all, he’ll catch on some where. REMINGTON CHASE Submitted 00037383 00037813