Tech's success rides on the arm of Ball

Reggie Ball has been Tech's starting quarterback since he first set foot onto the Flats, and that is not an accomplishment to be taken lightly. Stu Rogers was the last true freshman to start at quarterback for the Jackets in 1980. Shawn Jones started as a redshirt freshman and later led Tech to the 1990 National Championship.

Joe Hamilton started in 1996 as a redshirt freshman and wound up setting several school records on the way to becoming the runner-up to Ron Dayne for the Heisman trophy in 1999.

Despite critics pointing at Ball's career completion percentage and consistency, he remains focused on his goal of putting his team into position to win games.

"As a competitor, you put enough pressure on yourself that you don't pay attention to all of the outside stuff," Ball said.

Ball's first year on campus started out with a bang as he helped lead Tech to a 17-3 victory against No. 17 ranked Auburn at home in 2003. The win broke Tech's nine game losing streak against the Tigers that dated back to 1978.

He finished the season as the ACC Freshman of the Year leading many Tech fans to compare him to the aforementioned Joe Hamilton. Along the way, Ball has also helped the Jackets to many upset victories including wins over Miami and Auburn on the road last season. Both teams were ranked in the top 10 in the final AP poll.

"You just have to take it in stride," Ball said, when asked about how he handled outside attention after wins. "You never really can get too high because you have to go back out the next week. It was kind of hard my freshman year coming back week to week so fast, and having to prepare so quickly."

Although the Jackets have had several big victories under Ball, there have been many contests that have not gone as well over the past four years.

The Jackets have lost disappointing games to North Carolina and Duke on the road, N.C. State at home and have not won against Georgia in his first three seasons. In talking about Georgia, Ball puts the rivalry game into perspective.

"Georgia is a big rival and everyone knows that we want to win that game. I can't do anything more than take it one game at a time. After the Duke game you can ask me about it, but right now I am preparing for [Virginia Tech]," Ball said.

While this year is clearly Ball's last as a student-athlete, the feeling of conclusion hadn't really occurred to him until a few weeks ago.

"It didn't really set upon me that this was my last year until the bus ride over to the stadium and Yellow Jacket Alley for the Notre Dame game. It was my last first game, and it kind of set in and things got a little emotional for me. I felt like I played a good game, but unfortunately we came out on the short end of it. [My collegiate career] is almost over," Ball said.

Off of the football field, Ball has learned many lessons about how to handle criticism and other outside pressure.

"With the tough institute that [Tech] is and the high expectations of the program, you can get a lot of things out of it. The most important thing that I learned is that you just got to keep on pushing. You can be high one day, or low one day, but you have to stay level-headed," Ball said.

After Ball is done at Tech, he wants to take a shot at the NFL. While the odds of any college player taking the next step in football are low, Ball is optimistic about his chances at getting an opportunity.

"The goal is to play on Sunday. I don't care where, or with whom, and I don't care how I get there. I am hoping that I get a chance, and knowing myself I can make the best of that situation," Ball said.