Marquee Mascot Matchup - 2008 Chick-Fil-A Bowl

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-3)

VS.

LSU Tigers (7-5)

Tale of the Tape:

Yellow Jacket		Tiger
Southern Yellow Jacket Vespula squamosa	Species	Bengal Tiger Panthera tigris bengalensis
0'0.5" / 0.0002 lb	Height / Weight	9'0" / 400 lb
...southeastern United States	Lives in...	...south Asia
...smaller insects, nectar, and fruit juice	Eats...	...whatever it wants
...bigger insects, birds, members of the weasel family	Eaten by...	...eastern medicine practitioners with ED
Yellow & Black	Stripe Colors	Orange/Yellow & Black
...venomous stinger	Features sharp, pointy...	...teeth and claws
...neurotoxic venom	Kills prey via...	...suffocation and/or severing of the spinal cord
2.5 (estimated)	Pro Agility Shuttle	3.5 (estimated)
Honey Nut Cheerios	Favorite Breakfast Cereal	Frosted Flakes

Preview:

First off, I can't believe I'm writing a preview for a bowl game named after a chicken sandwich. Seriously. What was wrong with the Peach Bowl? Even the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl? It's Georgia for crying out loud - have we no respect for tradition? Dear Mr. Cathy: I promise to go buy a chicken sandwich if you'll rename the freakin' bowl game. Who's with me? Sponsorships aside, we've got a great mascot matchup headed for Atlanta in the "Battle of the Stripes." It's a faceoff between two radically different styles with the small, quick and agile Yellow Jackets against a big, fast, and strong group of Louisiana Tigers.

The first thing to recognize if you're Georgia Tech is that you're seriously overpowered. Not only do the Tigers boast a massive size advantage, but you don't even have your most notorious weapon - the stinger. See, like other members of the wasp family, only female Yellow Jackets have the capability to sting. Males have no power and pretty much spend their whole lives serving the queens. Hmm. Strangely familiar. Anyhow, unless some of the Lady Jackets want to suit up for the bowl game, Georgia Tech must scheme a game plan that takes advantage of their considerable advantages in quickness and the ability to fly. There is no hope for a ground game. Forget about it. The Yellow Jackets must go to the air and do it quickly before the QB gets trampled. Distraction and misdirection is key. Look for the Jackets to fly into the Tigers' eyes, into their ears, and keep them confused. All the crazy stuff is coming out of the playbook. Same thing defensively. The goal is to get the Tigers off their game. Tech can't stop the run, so they must gamble on blitzes and cover tight in the secondary.

Exact opposite if you're an LSU fan. Be prepared, keep it simple, and play to your strengths. How's a wasp gonna stop a Tiger running straight up the gut? It's not. LSU must avoid risking turnovers by going to the air, where the Yellow Jackets have a decisive advantage. The key is to be patient and take what the defense gives you - especially the ability to step on them. On defense look for the Tigers to play aggressively up front but conservatively elsewhere to control the aerial attack.

The Yellow Jackets have an impressive season record including victories over fighting chickens, devils, and storm systems. Fighting turkeys and Tarheels were a problem, but Tech went 3-0 against Bulldogs, and most importantly beat a group of Clemson Tigers. LSU was strong against both chickens and hillbillies, but went 1-1 against Bulldogs and suffered a perplexing, season-ending loss to a group of wild pigs. Weather won't be an issue in the climate-controlled Georgia Dome, but it does look an awful lot like a wasp nest. Advantage Georgia Tech.

Outlook:

MMM expects a controlled, methodical win from the Tigers, but watch out if the Jackets get stirred up...

Tigers 35-24.