Upsetting Georgia would give Tech needed boost for future
From Tech's 2008 celebration: Roddy Jones, Troy Garside and Marcus Wright. (Brant Sanderlin)
During the course of a five-minute interview, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson referenced Georgia’s No. 3 ranking in the BCS three times, just on the chance that we didn’t know.
“It’s not often you get a chance to play the No. 3-ranked team in the country,” he said.
“We haven’t beaten them in three years — that should be motivation enough. And they’re the No. 3-ranked team in the country,” he said.
“It’s an important game — and we also know that it’s the No. 3 team in the country,” he said.
So, just for clarification, Georgia is ranked No. 3 in the country, correct?
“I think so,” Johnson said, smiling. “That’s what somebody told me.”
Welcome to the view from the other side. Johnson is perceived as the other coach of the other team in the other conference. On Saturday, his Yellow Jackets will face the Bulldogs in their annual feud in Athens. Johnson understands the backdrop. Georgia has a bigger fan base, commands more national and local media attention and plays in the Goliath of the conferences, the SEC. So there’s no reason to pretend the situation doesn’t exist. It’s better to go with it publicly and throw roses in the air, but behind the scenes remind his players that this is a chance to stick it to the world outside of North Avenue.
Coach Paul Johnson has endured a rocky season, notwithstanding the Jackets' Coastal Division title. (AP)
When Johnson gives his pregame Gipper speech to his players, he’ll touch on all of the expected themes for an ignored underdog. Linebacker Brandon Watts speculated, “I’m sure it’ll be how we have a chance to beat the No. 3 team in the nation, and we have a chance to kill their dreams.”
Tech has a chance. Rivalry games often give way to unexpected results. With so much attention in Athens being paid to next week’s SEC Championship game against Alabama and the potential of a berth in the BCS title game, it would be surprising if some UGA players weren’t distracted this week.
But this game is about more than that for Tech. When Johnson took over for Chan Gailey in 2008, it was like he plugged the program into a light socket. He won 20 games in his first two seasons, including an ACC title (later vacated). He led the team into Sanford Stadium in his first season and engineered a 45-42 upset. It was pure joy for players and everybody connected to Tech.
“I was watching it on TV,” said Jackets defensive back Jemea Thomas, then in high school. “They looked so excited when they were winning. They were running around with pieces of hedges in their mouth.”
The Jackets’ program is in need of a similar boost.
This has been a rocky season, notwithstanding their impending happy-birthday-berth in the ACC Championship game (resulting from Miami withdrawing in hopes of minimizing coming NCAA sanctions). Tech’s season has seen ugly non-conference losses to Middle Tennessee State and BYU, defensive collapses against Virginia Tech, Miami and Clemson, a fired defensive coordinator (Al Groh). The recent departure of athletic director Dan Radakovich to another ACC school (Clemson) cast the financial situation of the institute’s athletic department in a negative light.
For many, if not most, Tech fans, it doesn’t feel like 2008 or 2009. It doesn’t feel like a division-championship season — it feels like 6-5. In the stands, it looks like 6-5. The Jackets regularly played before thousands of empty seats at home games. The school also could not sell out its allotment of 8,000 tickets for Saturday’s game. Tech, in fact, returned more tickets (1,900) than Georgia Southern (1,400). (A contributing factor: Tech sold the UGA game tickets only as part of a season-ticket package. Nonetheless, it didn’t look good.)
A win over Georgia would improve perceptions, ease concerns. Johnson isn’t thinking about that. Coaches are wired to just try to win games and assume that will fix everything else.
When asked if he believed Tech fans seemed as excited about the program as in 2008, Johnson replied: “Probably not. But do you think any fans are as excited after the coach has been there for a while?”
Point taken. Mark Richt wasn’t feeling excitement in Athens two years ago, but things have turned. Tech needs a similar turn.
By Jeff Schultz
Post-Thanksgiving blog blowout sale
• Weekend Predictions: Georgia will win on Red-and-Black-Saturday
• Vince Dooley: Joy from Georgia’s resurgence, pain from son’s firing
• Wonder why SEC is on top? Look at other conference finals
• Falcons win — but run before somebody changes their mind
• Short takes: Ryan awful, defense great, win important
• Georgia’s new reality: From on the brink to BCS title possibility
• Upsets launch Georgia into BCS title picture (updated game column)
• Short takes: Murray wakes up the offense
• Weekend Predictions: Dogs, Jackets, Falcons and the lust triangles
• Falcons’ flaws aren’t worse than any other NFL team
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193 comments Add your comment
Grits
November 24th, 2012
8:35 am
This is the Year of The DAWGS! To Hell with Tech!!!!!
GO DAWGS!!!!!!!
embarasseddawg
November 24th, 2012
8:54 am
Im one dawg that is embarassed by the behavior not of the students but the alumni and NON alumni fans who come to Athens, trash the old historic campus, urinate in public, get rip roaring drunk and dont even go to the game. We can do without all of the above, they are an embarrassment. I can barely stand to be there on Athens and I am a contributing Double Dawg. The President proved he does not have the balls to stand up to them. Let them go Tailgate on HIS yard and urinate on HIS bushes. Go Dawgs beat Tech.
Tarryuga
November 24th, 2012
8:57 am
Damn Real Jacket, you’re going to have a loooong ride back to Maconga!!
But I do respect your support of your team.
GO DAWGS SIC’EM!!!!!!!!!!!!
GT fan
November 24th, 2012
9:03 am
@Tech Time…..long time GT season tix holder here….our academic story is true but getting old if we’re going to play BIG BOY football! Otherwise….no problem!! Doesn’t matter if we’re playing in the ACC, SEC, Big 10 wherever…..if we can’t get the Jimmy’s and Joe’s, why bother? Let’s just compete in academic bowls and forget about football….at least BIG BOY football!!!!!
Tech Sucks
November 24th, 2012
9:21 am
Greg is correct. They will not overlook Tech. We are going to curb stomp you stupid nerds just like always. This is the best UGA team you will have faced since 2002. And you are 6-5 in one of the worst conferences in the country.
You lost to MTSU. By TWENTY ONE POINTS.
Go play World of Warcraft and get ready to cry in your cheerios losers.
Bad Dawg, Bad Dawg
November 24th, 2012
9:27 am
Dawg fans are all giddy, just like when Stafford and Moreno were in Athens. Let me repeat…..32 years since your only national championship and you’re a “football factory?”. Please….your FBS opponents at this point in the season has a winning percentage of 30%. Let me leave these number with you: 1917, 1928, 1952 and 1990 versus one and done 1980.
END the RIVALRY
November 24th, 2012
9:38 am
You are right, Rick James. And that’s why this so-called rivalry should be ended now.
GT fan
November 24th, 2012
9:41 am
@Tech Sucks….you are correct!!! We’re committed to academics and NOT football yet we still try to play with the BIG BOYS even in a terrible conference! You will always kick our butt….no way around it.
Alphare
November 24th, 2012
9:47 am
“stupid nerds”?
it’s more like “stupid dawgs” somehow can put on a show with an olive-shaped ball.
Buckhead Bulldog
November 24th, 2012
9:48 am
>Sic’ ‘em DOGS!
>Good luck to GT.
>I hope there are no serious injuries to either team.
>Again, Sic’ ‘em DOGS!
North Georgia Dawg
November 24th, 2012
9:53 am
I agree with Buckhead.
Jesper Skanks
November 24th, 2012
9:55 am
It’s common knowledge and an unquestioned fact that UGA head football coach and scumbag Mark Richt has brought shame on the state of Georgia and made an embarrassing laughingstock of the state’s largest university. Even the most avid UGA fans understand this even when they won’t acknowledge it, bless their hearts.
The most embarrassing thing is the win-at-any-price mentality of Richt, which has effectively made UGA a football factory, with cheating, recruiting of low-intelligence morons who can barely read, and tolerating immoral and unethical activities by both players and coaches. Even with all this, he still can’t win the big games.
Richt is a product of the lawless environments of the University of Miami and Florida State University, where he learned well how to conduct himself in the most sleazy way, while pretending to the world to be a saint. Make no mistake about it – Richt is in coaching purely for the millions of dollars that have been wasted on him, and the millions more he will add until someone in Athens has the integrity and intestinal fortitude to run him out of town.
A truly shameful situation, especially since all Georgians, including UGA alumni and fans, have to live under this shadow of infamy.
The Tide Turns
November 24th, 2012
9:57 am
Bammer 49, Leghumpers 10
Delbert D.
November 24th, 2012
10:00 am
Gruden’s wife used to be a cheerleader for UT, and she may be willing to move back there. For $50 million, even I would consider another tour of duty in Knoxville. It’s been about 25 years since my 3rd posting to that zone; maybe they’ve cleaned it up a bit.
Piney Woods Pete
November 24th, 2012
10:04 am
It’s common knowledge and an unquestioned fact that UGA head football coach Mark Richt has brought shame on the state of Georgia and made an embarrassing laughingstock of the state’s largest university. Even the most avid UGA fans understand this even when they won’t acknowledge it, bless their hearts.
The most embarrassing thing is the win-at-any-price mentality of Richt, which has effectively made UGA a football factory, with cheating, recruiting of low-intelligence morons who can barely read, and tolerating immoral and unethical activities by both players and coaches. Even with all this, he still can’t win the big games.
Richt is a product of the lawless environments of the University of Miami and Florida State University, where he learned well how to conduct himself in the most sleazy way, while pretending to the world to be a saint. Make no mistake about it – Richt is in coaching purely for the millions of dollars that have been wasted on him, and the millions more he will add until someone in Athens has the integrity and intestinal fortitude to run him out of town.
A truly shameful situation, especially since all Georgians, including UGA alumni and fans, have to live under this shadow of infamy.
Cobb Dawg
November 24th, 2012
10:05 am
Flapjacket
November 23rd, 2012
2:44 pm
“I think another reason for the return tickets, or at least a major reason I didn’t buy, is that the seats are flat awful. You might as well be watching from the moon as that new upper upper deck. The upper deck is reasonable, but you’re just not even a part of the feel of the game in the 600 level. Just spoiled from BDS, I guess. The other major reason is that Thanksgiving is out of town for us when the game is in Athens. I’d imagine it’s the same for lots of folks”
Flapjacket, really?!?! You’re gonna blame Tech’s returning tickets on Sanford Stadium being too big?!? Funny how fans of other programs don’t use that excuse. This is college football. Lot’s of stadiums are big now-a-days. I guess you are indeed spoiled by BDS where they beg you to come, give you free cokes and hotdawgs ;+) and you can sit where ever you like. Do they ask you what time you can get there when you ask what time the game is?!?! I guess you get what you pay for.
Nativebird
November 24th, 2012
10:07 am
Didn’t everybody “date” a UT Cheerleader?
What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
November 24th, 2012
10:09 am
Piney Woods Pete, you need to get out of the woods more often and try and make sense when you post in a public forum. Your pure, obvious jealousy, along with your ignorance is showing.
Techster
November 24th, 2012
10:21 am
Win or lose, I’d much rather support an academic institution like Tech versus a win at any cost football factory like Dog U.
Don Smith
November 24th, 2012
10:36 am
Enter your comments here
Don Smith
November 24th, 2012
10:38 am
How many lame excuses can Tech fans make. It ain’t Georgia fans fault you aren’t going to the game. You just don’t have the stomach to watch your team.
gt4ever
November 24th, 2012
10:47 am
When asked if he believed Tech fans seemed as excited about the program as in 2008, Johnson replied: “Probably not. But do you think any fans are as excited after the coach has been there for a while?”
Yes coach some fans are excited with their coaches… The coaches who actually earn the millions of dollars they make… What a COMPLETE joke this program has become….
Monroe's First Redcoat
November 24th, 2012
10:54 am
You play tp 5 teams all the time in the SEC because you have a conference schedule. In The Always Crappy Conference you get to flex your muscles against the mighty Dukies….
JlyLarkspur
November 24th, 2012
10:58 am
Hey! Hands off the hedges!
Put in Timeout by Ken Sugiura,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 24th, 2012
11:06 am
TCU over #16 Texas @ Texas
Arizona St over #24 @ Arizona
Washington St over #25 Washington
#7LSU looked bad against @ Arkiesaw only by 7.
#14 Nebraskea looked bad against @ Iowa by 6
Anything can happen.
GoDOGS#3!
November 24th, 2012
11:12 am
Piney Woods Pete
November 24th, 2012
10:04 am
Slightly touched with retardation, eh?
5150 UOAD
November 24th, 2012
11:35 am
JlyLarkspur
November 24th, 2012
10:58 am
Hey! Hands off the hedges!
=============================
Words NO UGa female has ever said unless the guy didn’t have some Smoke or Drink.
1 4 G
November 24th, 2012
11:47 am
From a guy I know that is a georgie fan! “Ain’t nothing finer that a drunk, obnoxious dwag (sic) fan”! ‘Nuff said!
1 4 GT
November 24th, 2012
11:50 am
the post at 11:47 AM is ME! Lazy fingers!
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 24th, 2012
12:02 pm
Time to run the Jackets on back out of town is finally here.
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 24th, 2012
12:05 pm
Tech looking like a high school team. GO DAWGS !
Jimmy Crack
November 24th, 2012
12:06 pm
Would you like a biscuit with that butter?
VP
November 24th, 2012
12:06 pm
This game is no fun: Clean old fashioned Nerd Whupping.
Cdpridg
November 24th, 2012
12:09 pm
You tech boys ready for this?!!!
Iluvnutella
November 24th, 2012
12:18 pm
Guess Fish Fry doesnt coach holding onto the ball…….they are trying to strip on every play. It worked.
son's who?
November 24th, 2012
12:30 pm
No one can say UGA came out flat and overlooked today’s game. They are hitting hard in all three phases. If Tech can develop a tough defense they can be a power.
dawgs out for blood
November 24th, 2012
12:31 pm
DAWGS GOT THIS STOP TRYING TO HURT PLAYERS TECH SUCKS
dawgs out for blood
November 24th, 2012
12:33 pm
U MEAN TECH CAN THROW A BALL
dawgs out for blood
November 24th, 2012
12:36 pm
TECH IS SORRY THE D IS WEAK DAWGS BY 30
Max
November 24th, 2012
12:43 pm
Beno play on 4th down is the worst play call I’ve ever seen. Tech fan for years, but we under-achieve because of our too smart for school coach.
GA Girl
November 24th, 2012
9:38 pm
I can’t believe you actually write crap like this … go back to Cali Schultz
Wanna-bees
November 25th, 2012
8:37 pm
Tech players should have chopped up those hedge branches into little pieces. Cause they won’t be getting any more for some time to come.
Hal
November 26th, 2012
8:01 am
Tech has won National Championships, or ACC titles has never helped Tech in recruiting. It has only been a struggle getting talent at Tech. There was no one any team could hire with more experience coaching successful NFL QB’s than Chan G. That did not attract one top level QB recruit. Yet look at what UGA had during the same time period. Greene and Stafford. Winning at Tech does not translate into great recruiting.