ACC basketball: Josh Pastner out after 7 years at Georgia Tech

Make that three coaching changes in the ACC this off-season.

Seven seasons and only one NCAA Tournament appearance was enough for Georgia Tech to decide to move on from head basketball coach Josh Pastner.  It’s a move that CBS Sports reports was expected for weeks and one that is hardly surprising.

In seven seasons at Georgia Tech, Pastner and the Yellow Jackets went just 109-113.  Five of those seven seasons saw them finish 10th or worse in the ACC.

Since appearing in the 2004 national championship game, Georgia Tech has made the NCAA Tournament just four times, winning just two total tournament games in that time and never getting past the second round.

Georgia Tech becomes the third ACC team to have a coaching change this off-season, joining Notre Dame and Syracuse.

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What the experts are predicting: Notre Dame at North Carolina

The experts appear to be split this week.

Notre Dame will attempt to get to .500 for the first time this season Saturday when it visits North Carolina. It’s all part of the quest to still make a respectable bowl game. We’ll see how far they’ve come in a week and whether that particular bowl goal remains a possibility.

Let’s look at what some college football experts, including fellow College Wire sites, are predicting for this game:

Notre Dame depth chart for Georgia Tech game

Is there reason for concern with Georgia Tech coming to town?

Notre Dame enters the final few furlongs of the 2021 regular season with the College Football Playoff still a realistic possibility.  The 9-1 Fighting Irish conclude the home portion of their schedule Saturday as they play host to Georgia Tech who is making their first trek to South Bend since 2015.

Related:  Where will Notre Dame be in new College Football Playoff Rankings?

Here is how the Irish are set to line up as they take on the Ramblin’ Wreck for the second consecutive season.

Notre Dame beats Georgia Tech: Game balls for Irish

In yet another dominating game by Notre Dame’s defense, one player shined brighter than all others as the Irish moved to 6-0.

No. 4 Notre Dame coasted their way to a 31-13 victory at Georgia Tech on Saturday to improve to 6-0 on the season and to set up an unbeaten showdown next Saturday when the Irish host No.1 Clemson.

Maybe it wasn’t as dominating as some would have liked but the issue was never in doubt and had it not been for a freakish play that felt like a 14 point swing, this thing would have been a complete blowout by halftime.

Either way, it’s a 31-13 win and it’s 6-0.  With that, here are the Fighting Irish Wire staff game ball awards for the Notre Dame victory.

First up:  Geoffrey Clark…

Tweet, tweet! The best Notre Dame second half tweets vs Georgia Tech

The best Notre Dame tweets of the second half in their road victory against Georgia Tech.

The second half has seen the Irish break open the lead with great defense and an opportunistic offense. It’s not likely how we all saw it going down in our minds, but a win is a win. Here are the best second half Notre Dame tweets in the 31-13 win on the road over Georgia Tech.

5 Stars: The best and worst of Notre Dame’s win over Georgia Tech

The best (Daelin Hayes) and worst (defensive penalties) performances from Notre Dame’s road win over Georgia Tech.

In the first half, Notre Dame kept Georgia Tech in the game when Kyren Williams fumbled and Zamari Walton scooped and scored for the Yellow Jackets.

Yeah, the score was 17-7 at the half, but the game was being controlled by the Irish.

They continued their dominance in the second half, owning the line of scrimmage and ultimately wearing out Tech. Here are the best, 5-star, and worst, 1-star, performances in Notre Dame’s 31-13 win over Georgia Tech.

Tweet, tweet! The best Notre Dame tweet through halftime vs. Georgia Tech

Take a look at the best Notre Dame tweets from the first half of the game against Georgia Tech.

As most of us watched Clemson struggle to beat Boston College at home without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, you might have missed some Notre Dame tweets. The good news is we at Fighting Irish Wire have you covered. Here are the best Irish-themed tweet from pregame through the end of the first half.

Watch: Williams TD gives Notre Dame lead back over Georgia Tech

Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams scores a short touchdown to give Notre Dame the lead back over Georgia Tech.

We’ve seen this before, Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams fumbles, gets mad at himself, shakes it off and finds the endzone to redeem himself. It happened against Florida State and it happened once again today vs. Georgia Tech.

Williams fumble was costly in this game, as Georgia Tech scooped and scored to even the game at 7. The sophomore made up for it on the ensuing drive to give Notre Dame the lead back, 14-7 early in the second quarter.

Georgia Tech Coach from the “Rudy Game” Dies at 88

Pepper Rodgers helped quarterback Georgia Tech to a national title before returning two decades later as their head football coach.

Pepper Rodgers helped guide Georgia Tech to a share of the 1952 national championship with the Yellow Jackets going 12-0 that season, capping it with a 24-7 win over No. 7 Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl.  A year later he’d cap his college career with three touchdown passes and a Sugar Bowl MVP performance in a win over West Virginia.

Rodgers would go on to be drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the the 1954 NFL Draft but Rodgers instead chose to serve five years in the United States Air Force.  While at the Air Force he got into coaching, ultimately working his way to the head spot at Kansas in 1967, a spot he’d hold for four seasons, winning the Big 8 Coach of the Year Award twice and leading the Jayhawks to a 1968 Orange Bowl appearance.

He’d spend three seasons at UCLA, winning two Pac 8 Coach of the Year Awards before returning to Georgia Tech.

Rodgers would spend six seasons as the head coach of the Yellow Jackets, going 34-31-2 and earning a Peach Bowl bid in 1978 as Georgia Tech finished 7-5.

For Notre Dame fans curious about the connection, Rodgers coached against the Fighting Irish six times at Georgia Tech, including the “Rudy Game” in 1975, a 24-3 Irish victory.  In his six games against Notre Dame, Rodgers and the Ramblin’ Wreck went just 1-5.

Rodgers would also spend time as a head coach for the USFL’s Memphis Showboats and the CFL’s Memphis Mad Dogs before serving as the Vice President of the Washington Redskins from 2001-2004.

Rodgers died Thursday at 88 years old.

Watch: Condensed Game of Notre Dame’s Win over Georgia Tech

Thanks to the ACC Digital Network you can watch a condensed version of Saturday’s Fighting Irish victory.

Mike Brey’s Notre Dame squad got a much-needed win over Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon, beating the Yellow Jackets 80-72 and sweeping the season series against their ACC rival.

If you missed the game or just want to watch it again, you’ve come to the right place.  Thanks to the ACC Digital Network you can watch a condensed version of Saturday’s Fighting Irish victory.