Can Georgia Tech avoid a Dog hangover against Clemson?
Paul Johnson's next challenge is helping Josh Nesbitt and others get past the loss to Georgia. (Johnny Crawford/AJC)
Paul Johnson told everybody who would listen last week that the Georgia game would not define Georgia Tech’s season. Now all he has to do is convince his players.
The Jackets won eight straight games and had a chance to finish the season with a top-5 ranking. But they blew that by losing at home to Georgia Saturday, 30-24, creating the ACC’s worst nightmare: a championship game between two teams, Tech and Clemson, coming off losses to pedestrian SEC teams. The ACC title game now matches No. 12 (Tech, which fell from seventh) vs. No. 25 (Clemson, which fell from 15th).
But the bigger issue for Johnson is making sure his players get past what just happened. This easily is the biggest defeat the Jackets must bounce back from since he took over. It’s bigger than last year’s loss at North Carolina, and the even the early season defeat at Miami.
Three years ago under Chan Gailey, the Jackets were 9-2, then collapsed and lost consecutive games to Georgia, Wake Forest (ACC title) and West Virginia (Gator Bowl) to close the season.
Asked about a potential hangover, Johnson said Sunday: “It’s always a concern. When you have a big game like that one and you come out on the wrong end, and certainly it was a game we all wanted to win and we took seriously, you have to turn the page. We talked about that for eight straight weeks [during a winning streak]. We talked about it in the locker room [Saturday] night. We have to move on. The regular season is over. We finished 10-2, and that’s better than a lot of people probably thought we could do. Now we have a chance to play for the conference championship. We’ve earned it. Now let’s go play.”
Those were the right words. We’ll find out about the actions soon enough. I’m inclined to think Tech will bounce back. Question: Are you confident the Jackets can avoid a collapse similar to the one we saw in 2006?
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
565 comments Add your comment
The Truth
November 30th, 2009
12:26 am
TXDawg3…give me a break…uga not a media darling??? uga a top 10 team??? What are you smoking? Top 10 teams don’t lose 5 games in a season (with or without your “shoulda, coulda, woulda” excuses). The SEC only had two solid teams anyway, so go pound sand. Congrats on your win over GT and peaking at the right moment.
macrotech
November 30th, 2009
12:29 am
TXDawg3, are you SERIOUSLY saying that this years dawg team is a top 10 team?! You have got to get out more…you DO know that there are more than 10 teams in the country, right?
tech man
November 30th, 2009
12:31 am
Please any Ga fan please tell me are there any other reason to happy about your very bad season other than barley 6 piont win over Tech.
ESPN 2
November 30th, 2009
12:32 am
CGatechfan….glad to see you speak out. You pointed out the teams records. Would UGA be 7 and 5 if they played in the ACC. Would Tech be 10 and 2 if they played in the ACC?
dawgs win
November 30th, 2009
12:39 am
OK let’s be honest. Tech is a good team. Good, not great. They may finish better than Vandy if playing in the SEC East. Tech probabaly will beat Clemson. However, do we really want tech playing in the Orange Bowl when their fans will chose to stay home and read comics instead of actually attending the game. O yeah, all I heard last week from techies was how GA fans left early. Well, look what the techies did yesterday. Plus, 1/2 the fans there were GA fans. Typical
macrotech
November 30th, 2009
12:39 am
ESPN 2, we’re gonna have to cut him some slack…..apparently he’s gotten into the eggnog a little EARLY!
tech man
November 30th, 2009
12:40 am
ESPN I did not know we were in the same conference now. I know what you are saying. UGA would get beat by 3 or 4 Acc teams if they where in our conference. I would realy like Uga to be in the Acc that would make it stronger till Fsu and other teams get stronger.
This Just In from National Media
November 30th, 2009
12:43 am
Thought you geeks might enjoy this…………http://cfn.scout.com/2/924237.html
Georgia exposed a dirty little secret about Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Saturday night: The Yellow Jacket defense is atrocious.
Even after reeling off eight consecutive wins, the Yellow Jackets wound up being a top 10 fraud, a pretender as soon as a more physical SEC team entered their building. By no stretch of the imagination was this a vintage Bulldog team that made the trip to Bobby Dodd Stadium this weekend. These Dawgs began the day 6-5 and fresh off a devastating loss to Kentucky a week earlier. However, on this night, they were physically superior and, at times, dominant, shoving Tech around its own field. On this night, Georgia adopted the personality of Georgia Tech, blowing open huge holes for Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, en route to a season-high 339 yards on the ground. Had Mark Richt known he’d get that long-awaited breakout effort from his kids, he’d have tried to get Tech on the schedule twice in 2009.
The Yellow Jackets might still go on to win a conference championship and play in a BCS bowl game, but as legitimate national powerhouses go, they just don’t measure up, especially on defense. It was a bad night for Tech and a horrible day all around for the ACC.
macrotech
November 30th, 2009
12:44 am
dawgs win, Tech IS a good team that played badly. As for how they’d fare in the sec…it’s been a while, but we were kicking tail in that conference years ago! It’s a mute point…we’ll never know…isn’t going to happen anytime soon. I didn’t see any Tech fans leaving early Saturday night….perhaps, if you were ACTUALLY there, you’d retract that statement…..OR, are you just making stuff up? Typical
Reggie
November 30th, 2009
12:44 am
You GT fans have forgotten that you barely squeaked by Clemson the first time. Your offense went stale and Clemson scored 27 unanswered points. Before S.C. game, Clemson avg’d over 40 points the last 6 games. GT beat Clemson with a late game field goal, but got outplayed. Georgia got outplayed by S.C. but managed to still win. GT lost to Miami, Clemson didn’t. So…. don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Also, Florida survived against S.C. and whooped GA. I don’t see where GT has an advantage, they better look out!
macrotech
November 30th, 2009
12:48 am
This Just In from National Media, hit the snooze button! Tech’s defense hasn’t been a secret to anyone that’s been watching. Ben Anderson getting hurt early in the game made for a MOST soft middle…. Tech’s offense with a GOOD defense…. it’ll be a beautiful thing if it ever happens! Not the case THIS season, though.
macrotech
November 30th, 2009
12:49 am
Reggie, I’ll give you this….we DON’T need to assume that we’re going to win this game against Clemson…. it didn’t work against the dawgs!
This Just In from National Media
November 30th, 2009
12:56 am
“Yellow Bellies looking to improve sordid defense hire Universtiy of Georgia’s Willie Martinez thereby improving both teams defense!!”
ga_tech_92
November 30th, 2009
12:59 am
Play of the game for Georgie?…knocking Josh out of the game for two possessions. That was the ball game, because we only needed one more possession with him.
Scam of the century? Georgie being considered the “underdog”, while getting top ten recruiting classes ever year and winning 8 of the last 9 games against GT. Underdog indeed. I guess UGA is now ‘over-achieving’ when they beat GT.
Georgie won fair and square, with superior talent and was clearly the bigger, stronger, faster team. Underdog?…not so much…let’s be real. Big accomplishment, grats for beating up on the mighty Georgia Institute of Technology.
Go Jackets, we (fans) are proud as hell of you for this season…there is more football to be played and we can’t wait to see it! Go Jackets!!
****THWG!!****
CGATECHfan
November 30th, 2009
1:02 am
ESPN 2 – Georgia Tech IS 10-2 in the ACC! Would UGA be 10-2 if they played in the ACC? I don’t know and I don’t care, because that’s not how it is or ever will be in college football.
I think what you meant to ask is: Would TECH be 10-2 in the SEC? Hmmm…maybe if we played Troy, College of Charleston, and FIU in addition to the SEC bottom feeders we too could be National Championship contenders like Florida and Alabama!
Get Real
November 30th, 2009
1:04 am
Hey 92,
Looks like you are an early 1 point favorite against Clumpson………the odds makers must have looked at the mighty #10 BCS ranking you have and determined that you are 1 point better than an 8-4 unranked BCS (Top 25) team at a neutral site. Maybe the players could have that printed on their rings this year.
Champs vs. Chumps
November 30th, 2009
1:05 am
Is it charcoal season yet?
GT311
November 30th, 2009
1:07 am
Hey Dawg fans you guys are hilarious!!!! You win one game and go 7-5 and Tech is 10-2. We understand that you beat GT by 6!!! Wow, you are the greatest team in college football….NOT! Your bowl game was Saturday fellas!! How does it feel to beat us but still go to the crap toilet bowl and probably lose!!! Why don’t you talk some football hugh? Because you can’t? That’s right you beat us but still SUCK! hahahahhahahahahaha
ACC=All Cupcake Conference
November 30th, 2009
1:13 am
I hope not, GT looks good playing on blue turf, where they belong.
Do you really want to see them in a prime time game getting the snot kicked out of them? They are not ready for a real game as saturday night proved.
ACC=All Cupcake Conference
November 30th, 2009
1:17 am
GT311
Whats amazing is how much BS tech fans have spouted the past year, you win one out of 8 and think you are the best all of a sudden when in reality you had an average year(for the ACC) and got stomped by LSU in your bowl game last year and will get stomped again if you play in a BCS game. Thats IF since you will probably lose to a team that got stomped by SC last Sat.
Face it tech fans, you will always be considered UGA’s little sibling and nothing else, hate all you want but the 800lb gorilla up the road is always waiting to smack that a$$.
OchreBugMan
November 30th, 2009
1:27 am
Why are dawg fans so overdone,
it’s a miracle that they have even won,
They came into our lovely town
whipped us while we were really down
and now the orange bowl will be less fun
Oh, you faithful red and black
you took our game plan, the running attack
and with brawn and hate you whipped our yellow a$$
and now I’m but a forlorn lass.
Somehow, I’ll find a way to smile
Perhaps by reviewing the newsprint file
It seems it’s not just jive,
The Georgia Dawgs are 7 and 5.
For your mediocrity to last
just keep your coaches, hold them fast
we’ll see you between your ugly hedgerows next year
to whip your a$$ and drink some beer!!
GT311
November 30th, 2009
1:29 am
ACC=ALL Class Conference
Let me get this straight. Do you think that UGA is that good? I can see your cheeks getting really red from hitting the crack pipe! Your team is 7-5 you dumb arse! GT is 10-2!!!!! Please reflect on that!!!!!
GT311
November 30th, 2009
1:30 am
OchreBugMan LOL!!!!
John
November 30th, 2009
2:00 am
GT fans:
Are you more proud of your overall record, basically ignoring the fact that you compiled it by doing well in an inept conference, more than the satifaction of actually beating a quality team within the year. It seems as if your goal is to take the path of least resistance in hopes of winning a backdoor national title, hoping that you won’t have to play anyone of substance. (see Ohio State) Somehow your twisted idealogy makes you think you are deserving of a shot at the championship game even if by technicality, and anyone that thinks you haven’t earned it are haters.
Sean M
November 30th, 2009
2:02 am
To the classy Dawg fans on wishing Tech good luck in Tampa I say thanks and wish you all could teach some of your fellow fans a little class. Congrats to you guys on last nights win i’m sure many of you are wondering where that kind of performance had been all year long. Looking at last years game and the game last night it would seem that having the bye week before the final game isn’t such a good thing.
Drexel Gal
November 30th, 2009
2:21 am
In 2006, Tech lost the last three games — Georgia, Wake Forest (ACC title game), and the Gator Bowl (West Virginia) — by three points each. Perhaps that means they will lose the final three games of this season — Georgia, Clemson (ACC title game), and “WHO Knows” (Gator Bowl again) — by SIX points each.
jacketsareretarded
November 30th, 2009
2:53 am
love the jackets saying they dont care about this game, they have bigger fish to fry in the ORANGE BOWL. yeah right, techies live and breathe this game and for UGA to come into bobby dodd and dominate is pure sh!t in their nerd mouths..
btw, for all the nerds yelling papajohns.com bowl and shreveport, tech has not won a bowl game since 2004.
uga has more BCS bowl losses this decade (1) than tech has appearances (0)
lets take a look at some recent tech bowl appearances:
1997 Carquest Bowl •
2001 Seattle Bowl • 2002 Silicon Valley Classic •
2004 Humanitarian Bowl •
2004 Champs Sports Bowl
• 2005 Emerald Bowl •
2007 Gator Bowl •
2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl
so, losses in the emerald bowl, gator bowl, and chick fil a bowl is what tech has
so dont obsess too much over our one down year
btw you actually have to beat clemson to get to a bcs bowl. lose that game, no bcs for you
Maddawg
November 30th, 2009
2:54 am
Jawja YECH….you just plain SUCK! GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SIC’EM!!!!!!!!!! WOOF-WOOF-WOOF!!!!!!!!!!!
Word to the Wise
November 30th, 2009
3:34 am
I have read and read CPJ comments about the UGA game early last week and after the game. I understand his goal it to downplay the loss to try and get ready for the ACC championship game. But as a UGA fan I must warn he is going down a slippery sloap. If he does not win this game more than he looses it spells trouble whichever side you are on. Just ask Jim Donnan or Chan Gailey how much this game means.
It means way more to you “GT fans” and us “UGA fans” then anything else. You can play it off like it doesn’t but you know it does.
Love the competiveness of this rivalry now good luck next week as you play for 5th place in the SEC East. ( Sorry had to get a stab in there but really good luck)
Crackle
November 30th, 2009
5:47 am
It would be nice if these ignorant Georgia fans would stop with the SEC lovefest. But then again that’s what most of the teams in the SEC are falling back on. Well, all but two of them….that are actually relevant.
Do you really think anybody in the Big 12 or Pac-10 or anywhere else is so concerned in how everyone else in their conference is doing as compared to their OWN school’s record?
Keep it up you Georgia goofballs…be more happy Alabama and Florida are doing something…it at least blankets the fact YOUR program is average….sure, you beat Tech…Tech didn’t come to play and played their WORST game of the year while you played your best….means you won by SIX. You also got blown out by Tennessee and Kentucky. What a joke…but hey…”The SEC rules”…..right?
matthew
November 30th, 2009
6:24 am
Hey Crackle:
The fact is Georgia beat tech for the 8th year out of 9. That’s dominance. Has Georgia had a rough year going 7-5? Certainly. It’s an abberation much like the 3-point loss to tech last year. But let’s see how other schools handle having three stars leave to go play in the NFL and then maintain domination, especially in a conference as difficult as the SEC.
And because I know it’s difficult for you to understand this so let me explain it once more:
Tech is having a great year, Georgia is having a horrible year… but between these two teams the song remains the same: Glory, Glory to Georgia, and to hell with georgia tech.
Topp Dogg
November 30th, 2009
6:30 am
Saturday night inthe row in front of me were to queers hugging and crying complete with GT blue and gold, typical Tech fans i guess. 30-24 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Topp Dogg
November 30th, 2009
6:34 am
UGA sold out GT home game saturday night i wonder if Clemson will do the same!
tchance
November 30th, 2009
6:36 am
no stupid, tech does not have a better team and the Dawgs didn’t have just a better game. the game wasn’t even close to the score. UGA manhandled tech on both sides of the ball the entire game. your d line was pancaked all night…a freshman and a sophmore runner embarrassed your team on national tv…and as much as I love my Dawgs, we were not a good team this year and with that, do you have any idea how ugly this game would have been if you had the pleasure of playing Florida or Alabama? That would have been a big time a$$ whipping!!! tech has been winning against ACC opponents in a very very weak conference. dont know what koolaid you boys drink down on north avenue but heres a thought to sober you up, your two best teams got solidly beaten by lower tier eastern division SEC teams. GT would be a 6-5 0r 5-6 team in the SEC right now. dont get so caught up being top dog in a basketball conference
LET THE BIG DAWG EAT!
November 30th, 2009
6:50 am
Jonathan Dyer – one yard and a cloud of dust!
So much for the Heisman and Tech’s HIGH SCHOOL OFFENSE!
Crackle
November 30th, 2009
6:53 am
matthew-
You can play the eight out of nine years all you want. Again, I could care less what happened seven years ago about as much as what happened in 1961. Is anybody that played seven years ago or even five years ago still on either team? No.
The problem was CPJ. He didn’t put an emphasis on this game…and Mark Richt did. CPJ said this game was no different then Virginia Tech or Wake Forest. Now he has lost to UGAg and he’ll notice the difference this offseason. Next year CPJ should have a different take on what this game means.
dawgfanforlife
November 30th, 2009
6:54 am
day 3…..30-24 hahahahahahaha thats for you saint simons….
Mayretta_Dawg
November 30th, 2009
6:59 am
If the ACC Championship game is played but nobody attended, did it really happen?
LOL nerds, this past Saturday’s game was more prestigious than the ACC Chumpionship!!! I also love the fact that you of all fanbases is making fun of our upcoming bowl game as your team holds the record for most bowl games on blue turf or playing on a baseball field for the Emerald nut bowl! I guarantee there will be more fans attending the UGA bowl game than the ACC Chumpionship game. LOL, LOL, LOL!!!!
Gold
November 30th, 2009
6:59 am
Idiot Nadlickers. What do you mean so much for Tech’s high school offense? You won the game. You won the game because your offense was able to run through our pathetic D. (Ya’ll should know how that feels). But it wasn’t because our offense laid an egg. If you watched the game, Georgia couldn’t stop our offense either. We didn’t punt in the game. You won by controlling the clock and keeping our offense off the field…you just look stupid saying our offense sucks. It doesn’t. Our defense however does, I’ll give you that. That will be the main point of focus this offseason. Finding a D-coordinator and getting the D coached up.
Mayretta_Dawg
November 30th, 2009
7:01 am
Hey Gold , who had more yards on the ground than your less than perfect option? OVER-RATED!!!!!
TaylorGator
November 30th, 2009
7:03 am
I’m laughing all over the place. This is pretty typical though of Georgia fans. You beat a team that is actually better than you but you gloat like it’s the first time you’ve ever won a game.
Also funny to see how ya’ll treat the Tech fans in saying ya’ll don’t have a rivalry because of your dominance. How is that any different than our dominance over YOU guys over the past 20 years? It’s not. You guys are a classless bunch of jerks, and the rest of the southeast is laughing at you. Have fun with your 7-5 season and crap bowl. We are going to the NC game.
And stop spitting off the SEC dominance. You guys are no different than having Vanderbilt say the same thing. Stop trying to ride on ours and Alabama’s coattails you pups.
LOL
Jason
November 30th, 2009
7:04 am
Mayretta Dawg
Stupid philosophy. You had more yards so our offense is overrated? So the same could be said about how you played against Kentucky? What an idiot.
Mayretta_Dawg
November 30th, 2009
7:16 am
Hey Techies, keep beating your collective chests because you only have less than a week of being in the top 10. Enjoy completing the three game losing skid!!!
You guys must be smoking something in talking of how UGA would have the same record or worse if we were in the ACC. How many teams are ranking in the top 25 from the ACC??? Didn’t two lower level SEC teams throttle the top 2 ACC teams and didn’t the ACC get swept over the weekend? Oh, and UGA is 11-1 in ACC games under coach Richt beating Clemson twice, F$U once, and Tech for the remaining 8 games. Yep, UGA would definitely be a bottom feeder in the ACC (a little sarcasm).
Can Georgia Tech avoid a Dog hangover against Clemson? | Jeff Schultz | Georgia Today
November 30th, 2009
7:18 am
[...] Go here to see the original: Can Georgia Tech avoid a Dog hangover against Clemson? | Jeff Schultz [...]
Mayretta_Dawg
November 30th, 2009
7:21 am
Hey Jason, my philosophy blows away the nerd herd philosophy that your ACC Chumpionship means more than beating UGA. It hurts, doesn’t it??!!
2009 win over Tech –> Advantage UGA
8 out of 9 wins –> Advantage UGA
Overall record –> Advantage UGA
UGA’s dominance over ACC in Richt era
SEC > ACC year in and year out
Felix the Cat
November 30th, 2009
7:23 am
PSSSSSSSSST………………Clemson Coaches…..RUN the Ball…preferable more than 6 times..
TaylorGator
November 30th, 2009
7:33 am
LOL.
Mayretta Dawg…..
See my above post at 7:03 AM. The facts you gave could be copied exactly for our record and OWNERSHIP over your puppies. LOL
GO GATORS
Dave In Tampa
November 30th, 2009
7:43 am
GT, this Dawg wishes you guys the best of luck down here in Tampa. Some of these posts by Dawg supporters is uncalled for. However, I remember along with you, some of the posts from last years game from the Tech side. Unfortunately, there are morons from boths sides. They probably never stepped foot in a classroom at either institution.
I look forward to the battles of years to come with GT. This rivalry is back. Tech won’t lose 7 in a row again. It will be more balanced. Never count out my Dawgs. This team will get stronger. I look forward to seeing what Murray, Ealey & King can do next year.
GT
November 30th, 2009
7:46 am
you know it. Georgia just so lucky come out with a win.
TC
November 30th, 2009
7:47 am
Why are gators on this Blog? Go home loser. Bama will take care of business with you on Saturday. This is a UGA/TECH blog. Go find your own. I still wish my jackets played you guys this year. You will be exposed on Saturday.