UPDATED: Tech humbled by MTSU, 49-28
Georgia Tech did not need overtime to falter Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets, uninspired and perhaps still groggy from its second crushing overtime loss of the season a week ago, required only the regulation 60 minutes to capitulate. Tech was force-fed the worst loss of coach Paul Johnson’s five-year tenure, a 49-28 defeat to Middle Tennessee State at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
MTSU, an FBS school out of the Sun Belt Conference that has produced wins this season over Arkansas (by Louisiana-Monroe) and Kentucky (Western Kentucky), pounded the listless Jackets with 510 yards of offense, forced four turnovers and neutralized Tech with force and energy. On this day, at least, little doubt existed over the identity of the superior team.
“I told (MTSU) Coach (Rick) Stockstill after the game (that) they got after us, whipped our butt, and give them some credit, because they played hard,” Johnson said. “After saying that, it was embarrassing. I don’t think there’s any other way to describe it.”
Plenty of conditions for an upset congregated Saturday at Bobby Dodd – a tough loss the previous week, a noon start, key players sidelined with injuries (outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu and cornerback Louis Young), a half-filled stadium and a confident opponent eager for payback and arriving with two weeks’ rest.
Tech did the rest in falling to 2-3.
On the road, with fewer resources and fielding a roster full of players deemed unworthy of a scholarship to Tech, the Blue Raiders (3-1) steamrolled the Jackets. It was the sort of result that Johnson produced regularly at Navy, leading to his hire at Tech following the 2007 season. Johnson said it was probably the worst loss of his career.
“We didn’t throw the ball much,” MTSU guard Josh Walker, who overpowered Tech defensive linemen all afternoon, told the Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro, Tenn. “We didn’t have to. We were so physical, and we ran the football right at them. We were more physical than them, faster than them and in better shape than them.”
The Jackets’ start offered little hint of the waterfall that they were heading towards. Inside linebacker Jabari Hunt-Days intercepted MTSU quarterback Logan Kilgore on the game’s first possession, a turnover that Tech turned into the first of quarterback Tevin Washington’s four rushing touchdowns. Washington’s four ground scores tied a school single-game record and perhaps set a new standard for least cherished record.
Tech’s fabric disintegrated quickly after that. The Blue Raiders countered with a 75-yard touchdown drive, the first of three such drives in the half. None of them measured less than 75 yards and included a 60-yard score by MTSU running back Benny Cunningham in which he shot through a gap in the line and scored untouched.
Tied at 21 at halftime, the Jackets found themselves in a shootout with a team they had defeated by a combined 56 points in the past two seasons and were favored to beat by almost 30 points.
“We went down and scored after the defense gave us the ball,” Washington said. “After that, there wasn’t much life on the sideline or out there on the field. We just came out too flat [Saturday]. When you give another team energy and momentum, it’s hard to stop them once they get going.”
The Tech defense was again flattened, done in by its opponents’ play-calling and offensive line and its own slippery tackling attempts. Prior to the game, Johnson said he thought that last week’s play against Miami – 609 yards, 30 first downs, missed tackles galore – was an aberration. Nothing much looked different Saturday, save the colors of the opponents’ jerseys and the chants from the visiting fans that drowned out the home crowd.
“That’s probably as bad a tackling game as I have seen,” Johnson said.
There was no tackling on the Blue Raiders’ two longest scores of the game. No Jacket laid a hand on Cunningham on his 60-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter or wide receiver Marcus Henry’s 75-yard scoring reception, also down the center of the field, in the third quarter.
MTSU’s ransacking ought to make McNeese State, Florida Atlantic and Memphis feel better. The Cowboys, Owls and Tigers all managed to keep the Blue Raiders under 500 yards in MTSU’s first three games. McNeese State, an FCS team, actually beat MTSU in the opener, 27-21.
The Jackets had a final opportunity in the fourth quarter trailing 35-28. After forcing a punt, Tech started a drive on its 17-yard line with 8:20 left in the game. Despite having been outplayed, a chance for a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback like the one that the Jackets had permitted last Saturday against Miami flickered in the afternoon light.
On a play-action pass on the first play from scrimmage, Washington heaved a pass downfield to wide receiver Jeff Greene around the MTSU 40-yard line. Greene couldn’t hang onto the slightly underthrown pass, which was intercepted by cornerback Kenneth Gilstrap and returned to the Tech 15-yard line. The Blue Raiders got into the end zone in four plays for a 42-28 advantage.
That was the end of the flickering.
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931 comments Add your comment
The Grinch
September 29th, 2012
4:38 pm
George Stein
September 29th, 2012
4:37 pm
How many years left? Does his contract automatically rollover?
Georgia Tee
September 29th, 2012
4:38 pm
After following Tech football for 68 years, I must say that I give up on them. I have offically resigned as a Tech fan. Stick a fork in them, they’re done!!!!!
Andy
September 29th, 2012
4:39 pm
Bye-Bye Paul
swmahan
September 29th, 2012
4:39 pm
Well Tech nation how much lower do we want to sink. PJ has gone through Gailey’ s recruits in his first two years and it has been down hill ever since. How many bowl games have we lost in a row, too many (6 or 7). It was not that long ago that we had the best bowl record in Division I. We need an overhaul. Groh has to go, he has 3 or 4 years with the defense. This defense has quit. PJ needs to go. We need a program that recruits athletes that can win and a coaching staff that can motiviate. We are in the Bill Lewis era again.
GT in SC
September 29th, 2012
4:40 pm
Great! MTS is on Yahoo front page ! Wideout makes great catch! This sucks
Chan Gailey
September 29th, 2012
4:41 pm
I was the best coach you people could have ever hoped for. And no, I will not come clean up this mess.
GT in SC
September 29th, 2012
4:42 pm
Crap! UGA scored again… They are gonna kill us
George Stein
September 29th, 2012
4:42 pm
I don’t think it does, Grinch. I think he has five or six years left.
This Todd Gurley is gonna have a field day against our defense. Yeesh.
Big Crimson 75
September 29th, 2012
4:43 pm
Forget the buy-out Money. Tech has it. Every College has it.
If the decision is to replace Johnson, then replace him.
eddie lee
September 29th, 2012
4:43 pm
Simply disgusted. Nothing worse than seeing our players milling around, passionless. I sensed that if we got behind early (after the miami loss) that we might go in the tank. We did ok early but MTSU didnt roll over…simply outplayed us, out-fought us, and yes out-coached us. Credit to MTSU. I dont think I have felt this bad since those Furman games in the early 80’s….
George Stein
September 29th, 2012
4:43 pm
No, you weren’t, Chan.
BEEFENSE
September 29th, 2012
4:44 pm
IMPLOSION coming at the Flats–fallout could be LETHAL. Losing to a BETTER team (at home is one thing)–quitting on the field is a whole different ballgame. This is NOT the worst loss ever but ranks in the top 10. Sad, sad day for Jacket fans (myself included)!
George Stein
September 29th, 2012
4:45 pm
UGA is playing like a team that might win the whole damn thing.
Ol'JacketFan
September 29th, 2012
4:46 pm
I’ll say it again, there are no money issues if the leadedship at Tech wants to get rid of CPJ. If anybody cares to detail it differently then feel free to do so. PH’s buyout has been taekn care of and they Insitute can afford to buy out CPJ if they feel the need to. My issue is not with CPJ for the most part but with Groh’s complete failure as a DC. We have been told as fans that it takes 3 years to install a 3-4 D, well it’s year 3 and they’re worse now than they were under Wommack. Get this team a top flight DC and let’s see where they can go. As far as the talent level, do yourself a favor and go back to check who are the teams that are recruiting Tech’s players. While is may not be AL, LSU or the like it sure isn’t the Elon, GA Southern or UT San Antonio either. There is good talent on the Flats and nmore coming in, it just needs better coaching, particularly on D.
faultline
September 29th, 2012
4:46 pm
Still, only 2 conference losses so far.
George Stein
September 29th, 2012
4:46 pm
Tennessee is playing like a team that’ll be shopping for a new coach.
Brad in NY
September 29th, 2012
4:46 pm
“Arguably” the worst loss of CPJ’s tenure?
big daddy
September 29th, 2012
4:47 pm
Another complete failure by the defensive side of the ball. No tackling whatsoever, no pass coverage whatsoever. This defense was in a funk all day. On the offensive side of the ball, not much better. CPJ should have benched TW and let VL play the rest of the game. This is the QB of the future. But no, it foolish pride would not do that. The O line did not block worth a damn. This team has no heart. If CAG is the best we can get for a defensive coach, we are toast. This D is worst than last year. If Tech wins 6 games this year, it will be a miracle. Right now, we can’t beat anyone on the remainder of the schedule the way this team is playing.
David S.
September 29th, 2012
4:47 pm
world class education, world class city, a pretty good conference for athletics… a total joke for a head coach… arrognant ass Paul Johnson… I stated back in the pring that he’s not up for this, just like our commander in chief and just like the P.O.T.U.S., he will not accept full repsonsibility… Pride always falls before the man… get that bumb out of there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
George Stein
September 29th, 2012
4:47 pm
Agreed, OJF.
ezekiel
September 29th, 2012
4:48 pm
Without a doubt one of the most disappointing losses in a longgggg time. This turnsyle defense can’t stop anybody. Talk more GT football at: http://gtsportstalk.com
David S.
September 29th, 2012
4:48 pm
or is it man falls before the pride… I’m sooo frustrated with this jerk… lol
The New Coach Hewitt
September 29th, 2012
4:50 pm
Sure AJC will write a poignant fluff piece tomorrow. What a joke of a paper.
Chan Gailey
September 29th, 2012
4:50 pm
@George Stien – I don’t know, you see any recruits near the talent of Calvin Johnson walking around North Avenue these days? Nope, didn’t think so.
What you do see are a bunch of division 1-AA athletes.
Ol'JacketFan
September 29th, 2012
4:51 pm
@George, I’m trying to stay sane at the moment
George Stein
September 29th, 2012
4:51 pm
You didn’t do jack when you had Calvin, Chan. That makes you suck even more.
Highly Respected Southern Troll
September 29th, 2012
4:52 pm
@Southern Eagle – We would beat Tech and maybe give Georgia more than they could handle? Surely you must be drunk in preparation for the Samford game. Eagles have looked like crap the past two games. If Monken doesn’t get it together, we’ll be lucky to play within three touchdowns of that bunch in Athens.
George Stein
September 29th, 2012
4:52 pm
Eh, I’m numb, OJF. I said last week I’d rather lose by 100 than lose the games the way we did against VT and the U. Today, I got that loss.
Big Ol Stinger
September 29th, 2012
4:52 pm
It’s gonna be hard to argue with everybody at work saying “Man, Tech sucks”.
Embarrasing, but not new. And apparently not really fixable either.
Ol'JacketFan
September 29th, 2012
4:52 pm
Chan, go back to Buffalo, you had no clue what to do with a Calvin Johnson. You’re still the 2nd worst coach ever on the Flats only bettered (worsened) by the lame Bill Lewis
DecaturHurricaneAlum
September 29th, 2012
4:54 pm
Man ya’ll need a passing game for real at Georgia Tech and some big DB’s I am watching the game replay on ESPN 360 now and your secondary your corners SS and FS just let people walk by them.
a whole
September 29th, 2012
4:55 pm
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/mtsu-anthony-amos-makes-case-best-touchdown-catch-181856888–ncaaf.html
Clyde
September 29th, 2012
4:56 pm
Well, I’m going to be at the BYU game anyway. I will enjoy not having to worry about anyone sitting around me. BYU is looking pretty good this year too.
Josh
September 29th, 2012
4:56 pm
Def going to be an UGLY year this year….. Defense is non-existent and offense, well come on people it’s time for a change on offense. Come on PJ time to adapt your offense we have to be able to throw and catch the ball!!
The New Coach Hewitt
September 29th, 2012
4:56 pm
Who is slower … T. Washington or M. Turner?
- V. Lee, I’ll hang up and listen.
64Grad
September 29th, 2012
4:57 pm
Get rid of Al Groh. Get rid of Paul Johnson.
George Stein
September 29th, 2012
4:58 pm
At least we aren’t Arkansas. Yeesh.
Big Ol Stinger
September 29th, 2012
4:59 pm
Arkansas would beat us by three touchdowns George.
Hetch Hetchy
September 29th, 2012
5:00 pm
Tech has lost its idenity with Johnson as coach. I’m almost glad to see this loss if it means getting rid of him.
George Stein
September 29th, 2012
5:00 pm
I actually don’t think they would, BOS.
Jacket Time
September 29th, 2012
5:00 pm
Dunno but the loss to Kansas in 2010 was pretty crappy. Still this one is worse.
List Mama » Tech humbled by MTSU, 49-28 – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
September 29th, 2012
5:00 pm
[...] Tech humbled by MTSU, 49-28Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)Down 28-21 late in the third quarter, Tech gambled on a 4th-and-12 from the MTSU 36-yard line and came up one yard short on a pass by quarterback Tevin Washington to A-back Orwin Smith. On the next play, Blue Raiders quarterback Logan Kilgore and …Georgia Tech Stunned by Middle Tennessee State 49-28Bleacher ReportFinal: Middle Tennessee 49, Georgia Tech 28ESPN (blog)Cunningham helps MTSU down Georgia Tech 49-28Yahoo! SportsTheNewsTribune.com -FOXSports.com -Rant Sportsall 119 news articles » [...]
Masterplan
September 29th, 2012
5:01 pm
I’ve say it all along Coach Johnson’s offensive style coaching doesn’t belong in Division I football, time for the Jackets to either tell him to change his style or say SO LONG FELLA!!!!
Delbert D.
September 29th, 2012
5:01 pm
George – I just got back from the game. Tech was confused on defense, players moving in the defensive backfield, motioning to one another even up to the snap. Tyler Macordes, replacing Attaochu, looked helpless as the MT offense targeted his side. On several occasions, from my vantage point fairly low in the stands, the linebackers simply disappeared. It looked like an 11 on 7 game.
BostonJacket
September 29th, 2012
5:02 pm
wow, this was an absolute disgrace.
Al Groh is not a good DC. When our defense wasn’t standing around clueless (how do you let a big slow tight end lumber down the middle of your D like that?), they appeared to be allergic to tackling. Don’t go for the hit, don’t drop your shoulder 3 yards out and rush blindly towards where you think the ballcarrier might be. Wrap your arms around the guy! Poor preparation, poor execution.
Tevin Washington is not a good QB. Can’t throw, can’t read the option. What’s he doing back there? And THANK YOU Outside Observer – someone else has finally brought up his terrible footwork. I’ve only been trying to say it for the past two years (though I remember Nesbitt would do it too so it’s not 100% TW’s fault).
CPJ is not a good fit for us. He did okay at first, but that was with players recruited by Gailey. Now that he has a full, experienced roster of his own players though, we were supposed to take a big leap forward. Instead, we get embarrassed at home to a Sun Belt school. We can’t win bowl games, we can’t beat VT or Clemson regularly and UGA hardly at all, and nearly every year we lose at least one game a year that we have no business losing (MTSU this year, Virginia last year, Miami pasted us at home in 2010, etc.). That to me is a failure of recruiting and motivation.
(also, what’s up with Orwin Smith the past two weeks?)
Buddy Landel
September 29th, 2012
5:02 pm
New coah Hewitt- I will see your Turner and TW and raise you a McCann
Alabama Jacket
September 29th, 2012
5:03 pm
OJF,I too have been a Jacket for 55 years and wasa graduate. I do agree with you and others that believe we could be okay with a formidable defense. In my time starting back with Bud Carson, the only coaches with success were Ross and O’leary. If you remember also those were celebrated defenses. When a team averages 30 some odd points a game, a great defense then allows for much success. And correct, we don’t recruit with SEC type teams but don’t need to with this offense if we had a flying to the ball, hard attitude defense!!
I’m willing to give CPJ more time I he makes adjustments to coaching staff and continues to add more passing to offense.
This was tough to watch!
Haynes
September 29th, 2012
5:03 pm
GT may have put Miami put behind them, but they obviously didn’t put MTSU in-front of them.
JustinSyder
September 29th, 2012
5:03 pm
I know they’re without Watkins, but Clemson looks like crap.
Delbert D.
September 29th, 2012
5:03 pm
Johnson cannot be fired. What the AD should do is fire the offensive coordinator and hire one. Of course, Groh will retire. See if Johnson can run a team instead of his triple option.