Sunday, November 08, 2009
Sports

Opposite directions

The Buzz: What's moving and shaking in the world of sports

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

With apologizes to the Hawks, who are off to a nice start, and the Thrashers, who despite captain Ilya Kovalchuk’s foot injury are hanging tough, football is still very much the debated topic of choice among local sports fans these days. Specifically, the opposite directions the Georgia and Georgia Tech football programs appear to be heading in. As the Dawgs have struggled and the Yellow Jackets have thrived this fall, the online bitterness between supporters of both programs has intensified. Some perspective here: Paul Johnson has yet to win anything of consequence at Tech, and Mark Richt’s overall body of work at Georgia is solid. But while Tech might never be equal to Georgia talent-wise, Johnson’s passionate, disciplined approach, along with a unique offense, gives Tech a chance to win every game. Richt, meanwhile, faces a series of offseason coaching changes and philosophical adjustments. If he refuses to make those tweaks, he risks being viewed as the Bobby Cox of NCAA football—with a nicer tan, of course.

 TV star quarterback

There’s still time for the Falcons to become more than just a pretty good NFL team this season. But for prep players, the time is now, as the five-game march to a state championship begins next weekend. Hutson Mason is one of the thousands of Georgia players who began summer workouts dreaming of a title, but he’s the only one currently featured on the reality television series “The Ride,” 10:30 p.m. Mondays on CSS (www.csssports.com). The senior quarterback is one of eight under-the-radar prep passers nationwide competing for a roster spot for the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and most likely a major college football scholarship. “American Idol” makes it to the high school gridiron—guess it was only a matter of time.