Top 5 Tech games you have seen of all time

5277hike

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
208
So it is July and the Summer drags on. We anxiously await the new jerseys, fall camp, and kick off. Soooo I would like to put it out there, what are your Top 5 Tech games of all time ranked 1-5 and briefly a why beside each.

A couple that stick in my memory from my time at Tech.

1976 defeat of Notre Dame without attempting a pass. The wishbone was awesome to watch that day.

I think 1974 but not sure. We beat NC 29-28 when Jimmy Robinson caught a 2 point conversion in the corner of the south end zone.
 

CuseJacket

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
18,958
1) 2014 Orange Bowl
2) 2009 ACC CG
3) 2014 @ Georgia... I think this is the best game start to finish that I've ever seen
4) 2008 @ Georgia
5) Toss up between 2009 vs. VT or 2009 @ FSU

Also in person at '16 Georgia, '08 FSU, '15 FSU, and '11 Clemson. My list and thought process weighed the whole game moreso than great endings. The first three had great endings but I didn't feel as strongly about the rest of the game.

'11 Clemson... One thing I think gets lost in the shuffle... I believe we were only 4 pt dogs despite being unranked vs. #5. So, that strengthened my expectations going in. Also, I left a wedding before cake cutting to make kickoff. That decision was not taken well. Then, I forgot a full change of clothes, so it was my first game in suit pants + GT jersey.

No games from when I was in school made my list, though there were some good ones.
 

Eastman

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,289
Location
Columbia, SC
1) 2014 Orange Bowl
2) 2009 ACC CG
3) 2014 @ Georgia... I think this is the best game start to finish that I've ever seen
4) 2008 @ Georgia
5) Toss up between 2009 vs. VT or 2009 @ FSU

Also in person at '16 Georgia, '08 FSU, '15 FSU, and '11 Clemson. My list and thought process weighed the whole game moreso than great endings. The first three had great endings but I didn't feel as strongly about the rest of the game.

'11 Clemson... One thing I think gets lost in the shuffle... I believe we were only 4 pt dogs despite being unranked vs. #5. So, that strengthened my expectations going in. Also, I left a wedding before cake cutting to make kickoff. That decision was not taken well. Then, I forgot a full change of clothes, so it was my first game in suit pants + GT jersey.

No games from when I was in school made my list, though there were some good ones.
I’ll bet that you remember the game more than you would have remembered the cake cutting had you attended. However I hope it wasn’t your child’s wedding!
 

Josh H

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
390
For the ones I actually attended (this will be my tenth year with season tickets). Sadly, I have never witnessed a GT win over UGA in person:

Miracle on North Avenue (FSU 2008): The swings of this game. From being up handily to watching helplessly as FSU is about to drive in for the go-ahead score, the elation of the fumble, the worry when we didn't initially fall on it, to euphoria. Big time game in a season that turned out a lot better than most people thought it would.

Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech (2009): Last game I attended with my older brother, and he picked a good one. Was a slugfest that we came away with.

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech (2011): One of the few fine defensive games from Groh. One of the last times we got to utter the phrase "Clemson'ing" and one of the reasons why we seem to get Clemson's full, undivided attention every time we play.

Miracle on Techwood Drive: Simply put, this is the reason why you go to every game, and why they play the games on the field.

Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech: 2017. I wish the result was different, but it was still awesome to watch Tech play in the new Benz stadium.
 

CuseJacket

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
18,958
Re: games @ Georgia... it is annoying for a variety of reasons to get to Athens, deal with Athens, get home from Athens, etc. For me personally, I understand why some would never want to return, my wife being one example who was borderline physically assaulted (i.e., legit contact for no reason). We've had glass bottles thrown at us and been spit on by supposed adults barking and doing it in close proximity. It can be like a 3rd world country or dealing with undomesticated animals, and for that reason, I respect the decision of those who have chosen not to go anymore.

All that being said, I think there are easy ways to do the game safely and consistently, albeit more restrictive and potentially most $$$. The euphoria of winning there is unmatched. The wins I've witnessed there were outstanding - '08, '14, '16. We were double-digit dogs in the first two and I think 7-8 point dogs in '16. But I imagine winning soundly or as a favorite would be just as fun, so much so that the losses are worth putting up with. The last two have helped ease the pain of '09 for me just a bit... probably the worst loss I've felt emotionally, which is probably good for another thread. Ultimately, the comradery with other GT fans doesn't get much better than at that game.

Related, a lot of folks opine that they wish our stadium was full. Well the same goes for support at away games. It means something emotionally to the players for sure, and it's a great way to represent the school and brand. And it'll only increase your odds of replacing some of your top 5 Tech games you've ever seen.
 
Messages
13,443
Location
Augusta, GA
1) 2014 Orange Bowl
2) 2009 ACC CG
3) 2014 @ Georgia... I think this is the best game start to finish that I've ever seen
4) 2008 @ Georgia
5) Toss up between 2009 vs. VT or 2009 @ FSU

Also in person at '16 Georgia, '08 FSU, '15 FSU, and '11 Clemson. My list and thought process weighed the whole game moreso than great endings. The first three had great endings but I didn't feel as strongly about the rest of the game.

'11 Clemson... One thing I think gets lost in the shuffle... I believe we were only 4 pt dogs despite being unranked vs. #5. So, that strengthened my expectations going in. Also, I left a wedding before cake cutting to make kickoff. That decision was not taken well. Then, I forgot a full change of clothes, so it was my first game in suit pants + GT jersey.

No games from when I was in school made my list, though there were some good ones.
I trust it was not your own wedding. LOL
 

CuseJacket

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
18,958
I’ll bet that you remember the game more than you would have remembered the cake cutting had you attended. However I hope it wasn’t your child’s wedding!
I trust it was not your own wedding. LOL
It was a friend's. Definitely have felt increasing guilt over the years. Yet I might still make the same decision, I don't know. Part of me was agitated that the wedding date was scheduled AFTER the football schedule was released. Not only was it Clemson at home, but it was Homecoming if I recall correctly.

My kid(s) will be smarter than to schedule a wedding on a fall Saturday without first understanding if we have a bye. I regretfully got married out of town the weekend of the '08 Peach Bowl, though hindsight 20/20 says I was a genius.
 

GTL

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
255
  1. 1970 Fla State - 23-13. Perhaps not the most memorial of games, but it was my very first GT game in person as a freshman.
  2. 1989 Maryland - 28-24. Ross was 0-for-ACC until that game...and you could just see that the team finally "got it". The light came on and the corner was turned.
  3. 1998 Virgina - 41-39 part 2. UVA was high as a kite for that game...some players even ran down and jumped on the Wreck and talked trash to the fans in the stands. Until mid-third quarter when the momentum clearly shifted our way.
  4. 2003 Auburn - 17-3. Sweet win over a ranked SEC team.
  5. 1990 Clemson - 21-19. Most intense defense I've ever seen by a GT team in person; set the stage to fulfill Swilling's prophesy.
Note: actually in reverse order - message board's auto number only goes one way.
 

alagold

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,521
Location
Huntsville,Al
This game is most always overlooked when anyone compiles a list of the most improbable all-time college football upsets, but IMO it ranks right up there.

1-9-1 in 1980, and after knocking off #2 Alabama in Birmingham somehow went on to go winless for the rest of '81.
And I believe Bama did not lose another game--AMAZING
 

MikeJackets1967

Helluva Engineer
Messages
14,844
Location
Lovely Ducktown,Tennessee
Hey Mike, I was there for that one too ... I believe USCe was ranked fairly high and had a hotshot QB, I can't remember his name but somebody on here will.
GT knocked the wheels off of the #8 ranked(before the GT game) 1988 South Carolina football team and South Carolina lost 59-0 to Florida State,29-10 to Clemson and 34-10 to Indiana in the Liberty Bowl.
 
Top