It was a very good year at Georgia Tech
Some random thoughts before I get on the plane to West Coast, where it is warm and sunny:
1. It’s been a very good year at Georgia Tech. While last night’s loss to Iowa in the Orange Bowl was a disappointment to Georgia Tech and its fans, at some point today it will be time to put it into perspective with the rest of the season. Georgia Tech ran into a big, athletic defense that had had over 40 days to prepare. When quarterback Ricky Stanzi was healthy, Iowa was the best team in the Big Ten and would have likely gone undefeated if he had been available for the Northwestern and Ohio State games.
In just two seasons Paul Johnson has made Georgia Tech a player again on the national stage with an ACC championship, a BCS bowl, and a win over Georgia. While it can’t be a great year unless you beat the state rival, this was a very good year at Georgia Tech.
2. Time to give the Big Ten its props. The Big Ten has gotten beat up during bowl season lately, going 1-6 last year. Iowa was the only Big Ten team to win a bowl last season when it beat South Carolina. But this season the Big Ten has posted four pretty impressive wins: Ohio State over Oregon to snap the Big Ten’s six-game losing streak in the Rose; Penn State over LSU in the Capital One; Wisconsin over what was supposed to be a faster, more athletic Miami in the Champs Sports; and finally Iowa over the ACC champs in the Orange. Northwestern had several chances to beat Auburn in the Outback before losing in overtime.
3. Kudos to Rich Brooks. The former Falcons assistant coach has decided to step down at Kentucky after seven seasons. One of his goals when he took the job was to leave the program in better shape than he found it. On that point he was a huge success. The program was devastated by NCAA probation when he got there and after struggling (9-25) in his first three seasons there were a lot of people who wanted to get rid of him. But athletics director Mitch Barnhart and President Lee Todd stuck with Brooks, who then took the Wildcats to four straight bowl games, something never done in the football history of the school. I will never forget Kentucky’s upset of No. 1 LSU in Lexington in 2007. In fact, that season I went to Lexington three times to watch Kentucky play and saw three great games, including a four-overtime loss to Tennessee which put the Vols into the SEC championship game over Georgia. Brooks turns the reins over to offensive coordinator Joker Phillips.
4. Bama looking for first win over Texas. There is a lot of history that says No. 2 Texas can beat No. 1 Alabama in tomorrow night’s BCS championship game. The two storied programs have met eight times in history with Texas holding a 7-0-1 mark:
Year———————Winner
1902———————Texas, 10-0 (Regular season)
1915———————Texas, 20-0 (Regular season)
1922——————–Texas, 19-10 (Regular season)
1947——————–Texas, 27-7 (Sugar Bowl)
1960——————–3-3 Tie (Bluebonnet Bowl)
1964——————–Texas, 21-17 (Orange Bowl)
1972——————–Texas, 17-13 (Cotton Bowl)
1981——————–Texas, 14-12 (Cotton Bowl)
I’ll be in Los Angeles on Thursday where I will give you my five burning questions about the BCS Championship game.
5. Urban Meyer wasting no time. For a guy who was supposed to be taking a leave of absence, Florida’s Urban Meyer has been a busy boy this week. He has lost four assistant coaches since the end of the regular season—Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong along with assistants Kenny Carter and Vance Bedford are all headed to Louisville. Offensive assistant Billy Gonzalez left before the bowl game to go to LSU. He has been replaced by Zach Azzani of Central Michigan. Meyer and interim coach Steve Addazio have hired former Gator assistant Stan Drayton, who left for Tennessee with some hard feelings in 2007 saying that he wanted to coach in a more conventional offense. Drayton is a good recruiter and Florida needs that to hold this class together. D.J. Durkin, who coached the past three seasons at Stanford, has been hired to coach the linebackers, which was Strong’s position. We’re still waiting to hear on the defensive coordinator’s job although published reports say that current assistant Chuck Heater has a shot.
Please follow me on Twitter:
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
588 comments Add your comment
bob
January 6th, 2010
12:55 pm
Yes it will define their season, just like the butt kicking that LSU gave them last year defined their season, games like this expose the gimmick offense for the sham it really is
WOW!
January 6th, 2010
12:56 pm
Paul’s Johnson – well said and I agree 100% it will be tough for you guys to come close to competing in the future with the offense that you guys run.
Joe
January 6th, 2010
12:56 pm
UGA fans are talking alot more trash for one reason…you are worried about Tech becoming a bigger problem for you guys!
Right!
January 6th, 2010
12:59 pm
Joe- That’s it we are worried about you guys. Watching last night’s game would scare the hell out of any team. LMAO!!!!!!!!!!
fuplup
January 6th, 2010
12:59 pm
It’s been interesting to watch, and participate a bit, in this discussion. Actually, I don’t get the TECH-Dawg venom. To use the instate battle in Iowa as an example, whenever Iowa plays Iowa State, I’m a Hawkeye to the end. But when Iowa State plays anyone else, I’m rooting for the Cyclones. I think that this is rather typical in Iowa. Then there’s the smack between Dawgs and Jackets. You’d think the civil war was fought between a couple cities in Georgia! So, are there people in GA who may favor one school, but support the other? Or is this the GA lifestyle?
BTW, I live in far southern Missouri, very near Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. I know that such malice toward other conference or instate schools is not limited to Georgia. The SEC Conference seems to be built on such malace. I don’t see why it’s necessary. Why not try to beat the other guy in the conference or state, accept the outcome, and cheer for him when he’s in a bowl game against another conference.
Finally, I had trouble watching the Who-Could-Ever-Care Bowl between IA State and Minnesota. I wanted my state rival to win, but I also wanted my conference to win. I’d have enjoyed a tie. Anyone else think like that.
Before you rock me too hard, I’m not a pig farmer or corn farmer. Worse, I’m a college prof.
UKAT
January 6th, 2010
1:00 pm
Dawg Nation, it appears that the high point of your season is celebrating the loss of your in-state rival in a bowl of a class your team could not come close to earning, How pathetic is that?
Paul's Johnson
January 6th, 2010
1:02 pm
Mutts are most definitely worried. They’ve lost 8 regular season games over the last two years with WAY more talent than the average program. The “U” in UGA has come to stand for “under-achieve”. And to the reading-challenged Mutt from above—-I’m just stating the facts about where the refs came from. But they didn’t decide the game. Heck, there is STILL sniffling from the muttskys about the LSU game. Go back to sleep, Mutt fans. We’ll wake you up when its time for Spring practice.
how the "mighty" have fallen!!!
January 6th, 2010
1:05 pm
Harsh reality check, tools!!! But you suck at everything, obviously, LOL!!!
Sorry Guy
January 6th, 2010
1:07 pm
fuplup- sorry my friend you just don’t understand and never will. Things are a bit more diehard down in the south. That is why we have some of the biggest rivalries in college football down here.
keep crying Paul's Johnson
January 6th, 2010
1:07 pm
Your excuses are most amusing, and pathetic. And fyi, if you think the most penalized team in the SEC is going to defend the refs you are crazy. They have cost us plenty of games over the past couple of years, especially against the tools last year in Athens.
ACC = massive failure
January 6th, 2010
1:09 pm
So much for the trolls bragging about their BCS invite. UGA still has just as many BCS wins as the entire ACC combined, hahahahaha!!!!!
June
January 6th, 2010
1:11 pm
UKAT,
Actually, unlike Yech fans, UGA actually beat them and are entitled to talking as much smack they want. Unlike pathetic Yech fans who are accustomed to being owned by the Dawgs, yet they hide behind UF every season. Now that’s pathetic
Paul's Johnson
January 6th, 2010
1:11 pm
Do you guys find it weird that I am on here talking all this trash when my team is irrelevant when it comes to almost all sports and that UGA has owned us in football yet because we beat you guys by 3 points once in the last 9 years I fell justified to come on here and talk smack? Thought so!
T. Graham Brown
January 6th, 2010
1:11 pm
We all like Paul Johnson. He seems to be tough with good character, which is what all of the Tech fans have been wanting. Let’s face it though, this season was a disappointment. The only two games where this team faced remotely competitive programs from outside the conference, they were beaten. Talent is still an issue, but so is *gasp* questionable play-calling. Tech’s only real “accomplishment” was an ACC championshiop which was greatly tarnished when their opponent for the title was blown-out by South Carolina the weekend before. There will be no ACC teams in the Top 10 at the end of the year for good reason. An ACC Championship this year meant about as much as a WAC Championship. If the ACC did not have a built-in bid for a BCS bowl game, then there was a good chance Tech would not have been playing in The Orange Bowl at all. Tech was embarassed and exposed last night on a national stage and the future doesn’t look any better. Tech’s three best players will likely leave for the NFL and Josh Nesbitt is going to continue to be the most one-dimensional QB in college football (he will never be benched however because Shaw, the backup, is an abomination at QB).
Can anyone name one “quality win” by Tech this year? Anyone?
I can appreciate your efforts to try to frame this season as successful Tony, but lets face it; it was a letdown.
Youbetcha
January 6th, 2010
1:14 pm
Paul’s Johnson.. great post and yes we find it weird.
Don Gill
January 6th, 2010
1:14 pm
I meant Jon Stinchcomb. Sorry
Joe
January 6th, 2010
1:15 pm
Its exactly what it is. Its the same way you all have to drive jacked up trucks because you lack in other areas. The whole Napolean complex theory you know. We got beat last night no excuses. Iowa is a better team than I thought they were and now see why they received an at large BCS bid. Regardless of who we lost to last night the season as a whole was a good one and nothing you guys post can take that away. Accept that fact and accept the fact that you are an afterthought now in your own conference. simply put if UGA thinks they can do better in another conference then leave the SEC and join a different one. You really should be ashamed that year after year your team underachieves and all you do is make excuses is to why. Not even going to try to say that Tech & Florida are on the same level but remember when Meyer came to coach there and they said is system wouldnt work there cause of the brutal SEC? Turns out it does. Tech will never be on that level but if they can get a dominant defense there it only makes the option that much better. Now we could suck in 2 years when all of the team will be Coach Johnsons recruits but until then its plain and simple UGA fans see that they are stuck in the middle of the pack in the SEC and will have more trouble with Tech than they want
Joe
January 6th, 2010
1:17 pm
Beating Va Tech was an quality win and they will probably be in the top 10 this year and def a preseason top 10
LOL
January 6th, 2010
1:17 pm
You know a lot about irrelevance Alabama Jack. Your team has been mired in it for years and years and years.
LOSER!
1eyedJack
January 6th, 2010
1:18 pm
Nerds:
Well, as soon as ya’ll get yourselves cleaned up and get a little smellum in your hair, why, you’re gonna feel 100% better about yourselves and about life in general.
fuplup
January 6th, 2010
1:20 pm
Sorry Guy,
You may be right. But I don’t equate diehard with malice. I’m a diehard Hawkeye, but I just don’t see the need for such malice toward the rival. Indeed, I have empathy for TECH. I (as well as any other sports fan) know how it feels to lose the big one.
And, I do have another SEC connection. I have a son and daughter-in-law in Baton Rouge, of all the godforsaken places. Diehard and malice certainly are equivalent there. Maybe that’s why the last play in Nick Sabin’s coaching career at LSU (a 50 yard pass by Iowa to beat LSU, still warms my heart). How could a coach, who allows his team to let an opponent catch a pass on the 20 yard line and run into the end zone to win the game as time expires, end up with the Dolphins (dismal failure) and Alabama?
Joe
January 6th, 2010
1:23 pm
Is it obvious that I am jealous of UGA by my post? No other Tech fans are on her posting because they realize we suck and UGA owns us but it is hard for me to admit!
GoJackets
January 6th, 2010
1:28 pm
I can understand UGA ragging Tech after Tech lost to UGA. Thats supposed to happen and expected. But what do they really gain by ragging Tech after losing a BCS game to a good team? You desperately want to convince everyone that Tech and the ACC are terrible. Why? What would that say about your win over Tech? That is was meaningless? It also doesnt help that Tennessee and Kentucky couldnt beat Va Tech and Clemson, two teams that couldnt beat Ga Tech. If you guys are right and the ACC is terrible then UGA got beat by two terrible SEC teams, and beat one terrible ACC team. Is that really what you guys think? I would think you would want to represent yourselves better then that.
Sorry Guy
January 6th, 2010
1:28 pm
fuplup – Diehard, Malice, call it what you will it is just what we all have grown to know. I guess you could blame it on our great-great-great-grandparents!
Joe
January 6th, 2010
1:28 pm
Actually I am more ashamed that I typed a post that was more than 20 words! Just a quick question though would you rather be 8-5 and beat tech every year or 11-3 and lose to them?
Paul's Johnson
January 6th, 2010
1:29 pm
Only somebody with the mind of a Mutt would consider an 11-3 season replete with a conference championship as a “letdown”.
But then, you Mutts want to FIRE EVERYBODY after a loss. Well everybody except Suntan. After screaming loudly for years, permatan cow-towed to his fan base and fired the people they wanted fired. Apparently the tail is almost literally wagging the Mutt.
fuplup
January 6th, 2010
1:33 pm
Sorry Guy,
I’m laughing with you. I’m also a NASCAR fan and attend races. Those southern NASCAR people (except at Talladega) can walk up to tailgating fans wearing another driver’s colors, have good conversation and share their beer and food. Hello, they can even wear different colors within a family and get along at the race. I enjoy that atmosphere very much. Something is very diffferent between NASCAR and football for people in the south, I guess.
Truth hurts!
January 6th, 2010
1:33 pm
GoJackets – “Is that really what you guys think?” It is what it is. We too were a terrible team this year we just want you guys to get off your high horse and realize that you guys aren’t very good either. And the fact that we had our worse season in quite some time and you guys had your best yet we still beat you guys just drives home the fact that you guys and the ACC are not very good!
Boat Drinks
January 6th, 2010
1:35 pm
Eric, Clemson beat SEC kentucky which beat Auburn AND Georgia? Well? So?
fuplup
January 6th, 2010
1:36 pm
And TCU beat Clemson!
Truth hurts!
January 6th, 2010
1:36 pm
Joe – This year 8-5 and beating tech is just fine. Now in the past we have been able to win 10 plus games a year and still beat you. So I would prefer the 10+ wins and the victory over you guys.
jfowl
January 6th, 2010
1:37 pm
fuplup-
Most dawg fans root for the other SEC teams when they are playing outside the conference. Personally I hope tech is undefeated every year till the last game of the regular season. The banter you are witnessing is generated from a few tech fans that literally wore out the blogs after their 08 fluke win (a win so big for tech they bought their players rings with the score etched in the ring). Our rivalry exceeds football it is a way of life, very similar to Bama-Auburn rivalry. Many households throughout the SEC are divided in allegiance. Doesn’t mean we hate each other with “malice” as you insinuate, just with “good clean hate”. We actually love to hate techies. You need to check the blogs leading up to the orange bowl to see the smack being talked about Iowa, UGA and the independence bowl to gain some perspective.
Paul's Johnson
January 6th, 2010
1:38 pm
Is my anger and jealously about the Dawgs obvious or what?
AlanW
January 6th, 2010
1:38 pm
The headline is correct. The Orange Bowl loss to Iowa didn’t define Tech’s season. The LOSS TO GEORGIA in Atlanta on November 28th is what defined Tech’s season. Tech fans have an identity crisis. They can’t exist without UGA. Tech fans suffer from some serious football-envy. In 2008, Georgia’s better racord and higher ranking didn’t matter to them because they beat Georgia. In 2009, losing to Georgia didn’t matter because the finished with a better record and a higher ranking. With double standards like that, I’m guessing that Tech fans are also Democrats! Five consecutive bowl losses? That has to be some sort of a record, at least for teams in the State of Georgia.
Paul's Johnson
January 6th, 2010
1:40 pm
fuplup – I think it is because Nascar isn’t reeally a sport!
Tron Carter
January 6th, 2010
1:41 pm
The tech dorks talked smack about the basketball game (as if it would make up for 30-24) and still got their stingers handed to them ……again.
Grass, hardwood, it doesn’t matter. We run this state.
And for the icing on the cake, they further proved that the triple joke doesn’t work.
Last night’s performance, in the worst orange bowl in history, was a disgrace.
Soon even Duke will shut your joke offense down.
Nice Conference
Next year, even the free hotdog and coke meal, paired with a $5.00 ticket, will not be enough to get people to your games (in the stadium located in the downtown area of the largest city in the state and only holds 55,000 people).
New coach in less than 3 years.
Tron Carter
January 6th, 2010
1:42 pm
The tech dorks talked smack about the basketball game (as if it would make up for 30-24) and still got their stingers handed to them ……again.
Grass, hardwood, it doesn’t matter. We run this state.
And for the icing on the cake, they further proved that the triple joke doesn’t work.
Last night’s performance, in the worst orange bowl in history, was a disgrace.
Soon even Duke will shut your joke offense down.
Nice Joke Conference
Next year, even the free hotdog and coke meal, paired with a $5.00 ticket, will not be enough to get people to your games (in the stadium located in the downtown area of the largest city in the state and only holds 55,000 people).
New coach in less than 3 years.
acc
January 6th, 2010
1:44 pm
im offended that GT would be ranked above iowa. The hardest team GT plays all year is miami and they got there asses handed to them in that game. The acc conference is a joke.
fuplup
January 6th, 2010
1:44 pm
jfowl,
I’m glad to hear that.
I was on an Iowa blog last night. A few TECHies showed up, and tried the smack. They were treated pretty well by most Hawkeyes. Yep, questions were asked like “Do you have television in Iowa?” There were no responses like, “Great conversation, Goobersmacker or Cracker.” Ineed, the opponent’s perspective was typically sought.
Otto
January 6th, 2010
1:47 pm
Paul’s Johnson, There is something to be said for expectations when you accept a coach that drops 7 consecutive to the rival you define yourself by and does not even get you a conf. championship.
GoJackets
January 6th, 2010
1:52 pm
AlanW,
Tech cant exists without UGA? There are over 400 posts here by UGA fans trying to rag on Tech after losing BCS game that had nothing to do with UGA. Evey Tech blog has about the same amount as well. UGA fans are completely obsessed with Tech this year. You guys cant stand that we had a good season and you are scrambling as much as you can to try and downplay it.
joke by Coke
January 6th, 2010
1:52 pm
Just another disappointing season for more overrated Yech athletics. What else is new?!?!?!
Joe
January 6th, 2010
1:53 pm
Strangely losing to UGA didnt bother me too much this yr. The yr went about as I thought it would to be honest. I wanted to see Tech win the ACC and go to a BCS bowl and thats what they did. I dont expect to beat UGA, win the ACC, or go to a BCS next yr but in 2 yrs from now that could be different. Its called reasonable expectations UGA people. You should try this instead of your typical sense of entitlement. AS long as you have to deal with Saban, Meyer, and yes even Tech while Johnson is here you will not win anything significant. So what if we play in the ACC. If the other teams arent any good thats not techs fault. Personally I hope every other ACC team loses every gsme they play. I will never try to ride another teams coattails when they win something cause we cant. I am a Tech fan not an ACC fan people who chant for their conference are a joke. Thats simply fans of teams that suck. (and yes I think the same for any ACC fan that does that crap too) I even heard earlier this yr when UGA womens softball team was in the World Series Pac-10 people chanting for the conference instead of the team. thats the real joke. What next….will people start going to NFL games and chant NFC South for Tampa?
correction
January 6th, 2010
1:56 pm
GoJackets,
No one is “trying” to rag on your failure of a school, we ARE ragging!! LOL!!!
kevin
January 6th, 2010
1:59 pm
Joe,
You are a fool if you want every team in the ACC to have a losing record. In a sport based on perception you need for your most common opponents to succeed. It’s only practical.
Gt4ever
January 6th, 2010
2:00 pm
T Brown, Our ONE win this year came against VT. I would agree with most posts, in that, we were terribly over rated. I have said ALL year that this team is just not that good. It is surely not a top 10 team, as proven when we played UGA, MIAMI, and Iowa. We have NO defense, and for the life of me, I will never understand how CPJ can defend the players or the coach. Someone has to be held accountable. If we are going to get better, compete with the elite programs, we should expect accountability from our coaches. I can’t remember how long it has been since GT has had a defense this bad. I have been watching this team for a long time, we have been through some tough times and have had some very bad teams, but I don’t think I have EVER seen such a SORRY defense! Last nights game was eye opening in a lot of ways. The defense actually played one of their better games, although the same weakness was evident, with Iowa’s ability to run and pass. Our defense actually scored as many points as our OFFENSE…. I sat there in disbelief at the less than inspired football being played, only to remember the LSU debacle. This was very similar to our uninspired play last year…. How could a coach who had just been given a generous raise allow this to happen, AGAIN! Truly this season seems like a success on the outside. I would submit that it is a step backwards and look forward to CPJ admitting as much, and D-RAD needs to make sure it doesn’t happen again!
it's official
January 6th, 2010
2:01 pm
The ACC now owns sole ownership of the worst BCS conference in all the land!!!! Congrats on your failures!!!
jacob
January 6th, 2010
2:03 pm
GT4ever,
The sooner you realize CPJ is a scumbag the better off you’ll be. Nothing is his fault, HELLO!?!?!?! His ego is bigger than his man breasts for crying out loud!!
Natty Lite
January 6th, 2010
2:04 pm
Never fear tools, you’ll definitely beat the Dawgs in hoops at least. Ooops, nevermind, just saw the score from last night. My bad!!!
Really?
January 6th, 2010
2:04 pm
GoJackets – you call losing to a 6-5 UGA team a good year? Embarrassing!