Georgia, Kansas State, and Tennessee Tech. Think you can’t group those teams together? Think again. The 2009 football season looks to be very exciting as the Golden Eagles will face two Bowl Championship Series teams.
Tech, 3-8 last season, will look to its upcoming seniors to lead the team into Manhattan, Kan. on Sept. 26 to take on Kansas State.
The Wildcats, 5-7 in 2008, will have to replace eight starters from last season including star quarterback Josh Freeman.
Tech, on the other hand, loses only five starters.
Though kickoff time at Bill Snyder Family Stadium has not yet been determined, the Golden Eagles are already eager to get on the field.
“Those D-1 competitions are always a little more exciting,” said junior quarterback Lee Sweeney, “It’s another time to shine.”
The other BCS team on the slate for the Golden Eagles is Georgia.
The Bulldogs, 10-3 last year, will be coming off of road trips against Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and the National Champion Florida Gators when they host Tech on Nov. 7.
Georgia will be working all summer trying to rebuild its offense after losing quarterback Matt Stafford, tailback Knowshon Moreno, and receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who led the team in statistics at their positions.
Moreno also led the team in scoring in just his sophomore year.
ESPN.com’s Chris Low reports: “With home games against Arizona State and Tennessee Tech and. at Georgia Tech [and] Oklahoma State, is this UGA’s toughest non-conference slate ever?”
Sophomore defensive back Alden Olverson likes the schedule, saying, “They’re big schools and everybody wants to be in that atmosphere, that real football atmosphere.”
He also says he looks forward to playing two tough teams.
“I love the role of the underdog because you go to a place far away and you just go where everybody’s against you,” Olverson said. “If you win, it’s just the best feeling in the world.”
After playing Louisville last year and Auburn in 2007, Sweeney is getting used to playing in these high profile games.
“We have one more extra chance than we had last year,” he said. “It’s a chance to show that we can compete on that level.”
This is not the first time that Tech has played either opponent.
The Golden Eagles have had one game each against KSU and Georgia.
Tech first faced Georgia in 1943, losing in Athens by a score of 67-0.
Georgia finished that season with a 6-4 record.
Kansas State defeated Tech when the two teams met in 1984. The Wildcats won by a 28-12 count in Manhattan, one of only three wins for KSU that season.
“Our players love playing these types of games against high-profile opponents in large venues,” Director of Athletics Mark Wilson said. “And it will also be a great experience for our fans.
