(Editor's note: Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season. For more on the ACC, visit the conference's official site at theacc.com.)

Sept. 16, 1999

We played well in our loss to Florida State. We made a lot of mistakes here and there that cost us the ball game. But for the most part, our effort was good and our intentions were good. In a game like that, you have to make the big plays when they present themselves. You've got to win those games like that.

	Hamilton passed for 2,166 yards in 1998, leading Tech to a 10-2 record.

We went down there to win the game. We weren't going to Florida State for moral victories. We were expecting to move the ball and score some touchdowns and do some positive things. Unfortunately, we fell a little bit short. I think we surprised a lot of people. But I don't think we surprised ourselves.

It gave us a lot of confidence, but again, we have to realize that we lost the game. I think a lot of the confidence comes from how we did last year, because of a good preseason and off-season and the (season-opening) win against Navy. There are definitely some things we can take from the Florida State game, but we don't want to dwell on the loss.

(In the ACC) it's Florida State and then the rest of the conference. I think the gap's starting to close a little bit. Teams are starting to recruit more speed and are getting more depth. The gap will close. Who's going to do it? You never know, it could happen this year, even though they have a lot of depth out there. You just have to believe you can do it and go out there and win. It's not going to happen by you just showing up and hoping and praying you can win. You have to beat them on the field.

We played them late the last few years and we lost. We played them early this year and we lost. I guess you want to play them in the first game next year. Hopefully you play them early, forget about it and go on a long winning streak and then get them again in the BCS at the end of the year. It's a long season and you have to take it one game at a time. At this point, though, the Florida State game is out of our heads.

Leaving Tallahassee behind
I'm definitely not aware of getting on streaks during games, but on the bus George (Godsey, Tech's backup QB) told me that I completed 15 passes in a row and I was like, "Wow!"

We had to be completing the passes and we had to be making the plays. It was surprising, but we were prepared and we had to score. I think I made some pretty good throws. When you really look at it, I might could have gone 25 for 25. That's how I look at it.

The only thing I remember about the second half being different is that I was saying in my mind that we can't slow down, we just can't slow down. We must score points. We must take advantage of opportunities. My man is open and I must hit him.

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Being considered among the early leaders for the Heisman isn't the most important thing to me. What means a lot to me is that Florida State has a lot of respect for us now. That was the monkey on my back. We didn't win the game and I don't like that, but I felt like they didn't have any respect for me. I had never finished a game Florida State, and I had never scored there, either. I can't relax, I have to stay in the film room and keep getting better. You just want to go out there and work and help your team win.

If interviews and some fame weren't happening it would mean I'm not doing as well. All I really want to do is improve and this comes along with the whole thing. Sometimes it gets tiring, but I feel like I'm giving back.

It's nice to see the emergence of wide receiver Kelly Campbell as a complement to (split end) Dez White. Everybody knows that Dez is going to be there and Dez is going to make his plays. Teams know he's over there and they are going to send two guys over there or roll the coverage over his way.

And when that happens, Kelly Campbell, (flanker) Kerry Watkins and (flanker) Jon Muyres are going to have to step up their games and make some plays. Dez is going to make his share of catches, but I don't think we will have to go to Dez as much as we did last year. I think Kelly has really stepped up and Kerry has really stepped up. And Jon made his plays, too. I'm interested to see how the defense is going to start playing us.

I trust offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen's coaching. I know that whatever he tells me is for the benefit of me and for the team. It's to help us win. He's a tough guy that won't let you let up and that's what you want in a coach. Off the field he cares a lot about what you do.

(Running back) Joe Burns being out for the season with a broken ankle was a real big loss for several reasons. For one, we lose his intensity and his love for the game. You don't find that in many football players. He puts those pads on and finds somebody to hit.

Having him on the sidelines also is going to be tough on our formations. He's back in the backfield and he catches passes. He enables us to line up in different formations. That's why they recruit players that can fill in. Injuries like that happen and I feel sorry for Joe. You hate to see injuries like that happen. I talked to him on Sunday and Monday, he's down but I think he will be all right.