PAul Johnson
Georgia Tech To Sting Georgia?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is almost over. We’re going into the final week of the season, which features rivalry games. One of my favorites is Clean, Old Fashioned Hate from my home state.
This will be the 113th meeting between Georgia Tech and UGA. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 66-41-5. The longest win streak in the series is eight games by Georgia Tech from 1949-1956.
Since 1991 UGA has won 21 of the 27 games. To say they have been dominating recently would be an understatement. Tech did win the last meeting in Athens back in 2016, 28-27. Last season Georgia obliterated the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, 38-7.
No. 5 Georgia (10-1) has won the SEC East for the second consecutive year and guaranteed a spot in the SEC Championship.
“I try to have a 24-hour rule, too, but this one is different because you don’t have enough time to prepare for them,” Smart said, explaining why he would change things up to begin early preparations for rival Georgia Tech.
The Bulldogs have superior size, speed and talent. They are a 17-point favorite over Tech. On paper, they should win easily but that’s why they play the game.
Georgia Tech (7-4) got off to a slow start but they won four consecutive games. They have won the last two games in Athens so they should have some confidence. The Yellow Jackets lead the nation with 353.7 yards per game rushing.
The Dawgs run defense looked shaky against UMass in their 66-27 win. Georgia surrendered 125 yards rushing in the first half rushing before the Minutemen shifted into catch-up mode for the second half.
“Zero. None,” Smart said when asked after Georgia’s win over UMass if there was anything he could take from this week and apply to Georgia Tech. “No offense we faced all year. Zero. It has zero carry over. I think you see across the country if you watch teams play the triple option, it’s extremely different and so extreme that I don’t think you guys can understand. There’s not one call in our defense. The only common theme is you’ve got to tackle the man with the ball. That’s the only common theme. Outside of that, there’s nothing like it.”
One good thing for the rivalry is Paul Johnson playing the villain. He’s very outspoken about everything even it may come back to haunt him. He’s only 3-7 against Georgia but he still takes time to troll the SEC.
“Week in and week out, I promise you there isn’t any difference in lining up and playing those guys than there is playing North Carolina, Clemson and Virginia Tech,” Johnson said.
“What happened in my opinion is you had really good teams at the top of their league and they got credit. It was almost like the ACC in basketball this year. They all get ranked in the top 15 and then when they beat each other they don’t ever drop. Then you get to the tournament and you don’t do so well and you start thinking maybe they were overhyped.”
The Dawgs could make this game close if they are not focused. They may be looking ahead to their showdown with Alabama the following week. If they sleepwalk this can be a close game. No matter the scenario UGA will notch another W in the series.
The Wrong Kind Of Buzz
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I applauded Georgia Tech a few months ago when they decided to extend Paul Johnson’s contract.
In a profession where the people making these decisions tend to suffer from long term memory loss, it was refreshing to see a program reward their coach for his overall body of work and not just the past twelve months.
I admit it’s easy for me to say that based on the fact I’m not a Georgia Tech fan. If I were a fan, I’m sure my feelings would be quite different.
After the Yellow Jackets slow start to the season it would be easy, if not a bit premature, to write about whether or not Johnson needs to keep his job.
So, I’m going to do my best not to get too deep down that rabbit hole; besides, those articles have already started.
To me the more interesting question isn’t whether or not Johnson should be fired if this season continues on its current downward slope, but what direction will athletic director Todd Stansbury go, if it does.
When Johnson’s contract was extended after two losing seasons within the last three years, it gave off the impression there was a confidence that he would be able to turn things around.
Or at the very least, Johnson would be given time to turn things around, since his extension goes through 2022. You don’t give a coach who still has three years left on his contract an additional two years if you’re contemplating firing him after one season.
If you look at Tech’s first few games this season, along with how their future opponents have fared up to this point, you can see a scenario play out where they win only 4-5 games this season.
Georgia Tech isn’t exactly considered a powerhouse in college football but I also don’t see their fans and alumni being ok with three losing seasons sandwiched around one 9-4 year.
I imagine if that scenario were to come to fruition there would be a loud majority calling for Johnson’s job.
Would the outside pressure cause Stansbury to make a change or would he stand his ground and continue to have Johnson’s back?
One thing that has the potential to be a big factor revolves around Johnson’s buyout. If I’m not mistaken, it would “only” cost Georgia Tech about $4 million if they were to fire Johnson.
I know that amount of money isn’t chump change but in relation to what it costs most Power 5 schools to fire their head coach, $4 million certainly isn’t a deterrent.
As I stated earlier I’m not here to debate whether or not Johnson should lose his job if the remainder of the season mirrors what has taken place so far.
There are a lot of things that would need to be taken into consideration; actual win/loss record, how did the team play, were they competitive in most games.
It’s intriguing though to see how all this could possibly play out. Johnson has been one of the winningest coaches in Georgia Tech history and seems to have a substantial amount of support within the program.
Could another bad season negate all that good will and confidence or will he be able to maneuver through it for yet another year?
Of course, the Yellow Jackets could reel off a bunch of wins and finish the season 9-4, completely rendering this entire situation a moot point.
Outside of Paul Johnson there may not be a single person hoping that takes place more than Todd Stansbury.
Coastal Buzz
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
No matter the level of sports you play and no matter what conference or division you play in, you’re going to always have one group that is more dominant than the other; beside the whole “sports camaraderie” thing it’s kind of the purpose of playing, right?
When it comes to ACC Football, the more dominant division, historically, has been the Atlantic. The Coastal Division, which Georgia Tech won in four of the first seven seasons after Paul Johnson was brought in, has played the role of the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Basically, the Coastal has been the little brother that keeps swinging at the older brother (Atlantic) but is always kept at arm’s length, just far enough to never really land blows.
This bodes well for Johnson and the Yellow Jackets, who after a seventh, fifth, and third place finish in the Coastal over the past three years and a new extension for the aforementioned head coach, need to see continued improvement as they try to regain that early success.
At first glance, Georgia Tech’s schedule seems fairly daunting, however I think it’s more than manageable. Like most college football teams, the difference between a successful season for the Jackets and one that ends in everyone eating away their pain at the Varsity, will come down to handful of games.
I know it’s dangerous to assume, but let’s roll the dice and assume they defeat Alcorn St., USF, Pittsburgh, Bowling Green, and Virginia. And that they lose to Clemson and Georgia. This leaves them with a 5-2 record, with 5 games up in the air; all five of which happen to be in row.
The first of the five is against Louisville, at Louisville. With Lamar Jackson in the NFL and the Cardinals matador style defense, I like Tech’s chances. This is one I would not be surprised to see them leave with a win.
The next opponent is Duke, at home. Now, before David Cutcliffe arrived this would be more of a guaranteed win than the Alcorn St. game, but Duke has played Tech well over the last few years, winning in Atlanta two years ago.
After the Blue Devils come to town and a bye week, there are back to back road games against Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Truth be told, the season could come down to these two games.
As tough as the Hokies are at home, the Yellow Jackets have always played them tough since Johnson’s arrival and have won three of the last four. A win won’t be easy but it won’t be stunning either.
There’s absolutely no telling which Carolina team will show up this season but the games always seem to be close, a common thread with Georgia Tech and I would expect nothing different when they meet in November.
This stretch of five games concludes back in Atlanta, against Miami. The Hurricanes have looked good since Richt’s return and I know the expectations are high in Coral Gables. I almost included this game in the loss column but with it being at home and the potential for a first-place division title on the line, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I don’t think they will win, I’m just not convinced a Georgia Tech loss is a sure thing.
So, there you have it; a Coastal Division title, right in their grasp.
Of course, now that I’ve said all this, you realize Alcorn State is going to win that first game, don’t you?
2018 Sting
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Tech is coming off another subpar season after 2017. They finished the year under .500 and missed a bowl game for the second time in three years.
For whatever reason Tech gave Paul Johnson a two-year contract extension in January. Maybe the program has accepted mediocrity or they may really feel CPJ is a genius.
Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury noted that, despite the strength of Tech’s schedule – Tech played two of the four teams in the College Football Playoff (Clemson and Georgia) as well as 10-win Miami and nine-win Virginia Tech – “you could look at it and say we’re three plays away from playing for another ACC championship,” he said.
Stansbury referenced Tech’s last-minute losses to Tennessee, Miami and Virginia. Had the outcomes against Miami and Virginia been reversed, the Jackets would have played Clemson for the ACC title. Instead, along with the heartbreaking loss to Tennessee, the Jackets finished 5-6.
One of the lone bright spots for the Yellow Jackets in 2017 was quarterback TaQuan Marshall. He led the team in rushing with 1,218 yards and 18 touchdowns. He passed for 936 yards, 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He only completed 37.6% of his passes. He needs to work on his accuracy but Paul Johnson also needs to develop an intermediate passing game.
Tech ranked 33rd in total defense, allowing 354.3 yards per game. That ranking is misleading because they had one game cancelled. If they played a full 12 game schedule, they would have been ranked lower.
Ted Roof was finally let go as defensive coordinator and replaced by Nate Woody. Woody is a 27-year coaching veteran and he turned Appalachian State into one of the best units in college football.
After installing an attacking 3-4 scheme, Woody oversaw the transformation of an App State defense that ranked eighth in the nine-team NCAA Division I FCS Southern Conference in total defense the season prior to his arrival (2012) into a unit that led the Sun Belt Conference in total defense three times and ranked among the top 30 in NCAA Division I FBS each of the past four campaigns (2014-17).
Hopefully the defense will drastically improve in 2018. They have been the weak link of the team for most of Johnson’s tenure.
The schedule for the upcoming season seems favorable. The first game is September 1st against FCS Alcorn State. That will be an easy win.
The next game is at USF. The Bulls were 10-2 last year so I expect them to still be pretty good in 2018. I’m going to give the edge to Georgia Tech but this should be a tough game.
Week 3 is on the road at Pitt. The Yellow Jackets beat the Panthers 35-17 last season. I expect the same results this season.
The schedule gets significantly harder when Clemson comes to town. The Tigers will win by 20-plus points.
GT plays at home against Bowling Green the following week. This will be the last tune up game before the schedule gets more difficult.
They travel to Louisville for a Friday night game. Since Lamar Jackson departed, the Cardinals will have a new starting QB. For that reason, I give the edge to Tech.
The next three games are Duke, at Virginia Tech and at UNC. The only win should be against Carolina.
They close out the season against Miami, Virginia and at Georgia. The Hurricanes and Bulldogs will beat Georgia Tech. The UVA game should be a win for the Yellow Jackets.
They should be able to rebound and win 6-7 games and appear in a bowl.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch April 7
Georgia Tech Preview
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Before anyone loses their mind, yes, we know Tech won’t be representing the East this year in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
They will however have a chance to improve their record against the east to 4-0 when they face Tennessee to kick off the season in that very same stadium on September 4th.
