Tech’s Paul Johnson: A coach who dares to be great
Josh Nesbitt after scoring the game-winner in overtime. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
The surprise wasn’t that Paul Johnson went for it on fourth-and-inches with Tampa on the line. The surprise was that, for half a minute, it seemed Paul Johnson wasn’t going for it on fourth-and-1 with Tampa on the line.
Down three points in overtime, ball nuzzling the 5: What else would PJ do? “If we can’t get half a yard,” he said, “we don’t deserve to win.”
First Georgia Tech faked everyone out. The Jackets lined up as if to run a play but did the ol’ draw-’em-offside bit to no avail. They called timeout and trotted to the sideline, and your first thought was, “PJ just chickened out.” But PJ doesn’t chicken out. He talks the talk and goes on fourth down.
“If you ask the kids to play to win,” he said, “you’ve got to play to win.”
He’d asked his quarterback what he thought, and Josh Nesbitt, who’s as bold as his coach, said: “I can make it.” And PJ said: “I know you can.” And then Nesbitt did, and one play later he was in the end zone and Tech had climbed a couple of rungs up the BCS standings and drawn within one win of the ACC title game. So you can’t say there was nothing at stake. But PJ’s way is to play to win no matter the consequences, no matter the history.
Four times Tech had gone on fourth down already, and four times it had failed. Nesbitt had fumbled the snap and slipped in the backfield and gotten stopped at the line and thrown a pass Anthony Allen dropped. One more slip and Tech would lose. But this time nobody slipped. This time Nesbitt ducked his head and got the yard.
Tech wobbled Saturday. It started nicely but began to commit penalties at a Georgia-esque rate, and a quick 10-point lead became a 17-10 halftime deficit. It could have been worse, but Dave Wommack’s underwhelming defenders stopped Wake Forest at the end of the first half and then limited the Deacs to one first down over the next 25 minutes.
And then, even after Wake tied it, the D made a stand near the end of regulation to force overtime, and once beyond 60 minutes, PJ and Nesbitt weren’t going to let the Jackets lose. “You just will your way to win,” Johnson would say, and that’s what happened here.
Derrick Morgan had three sacks, all essential. Jonathan Dwyer rushed for 189 yards, 59 coming on Tech’s first snap of the second half when he burst up the middle on a tweaked play for the tying touchdown. (”Something I saw,” said Johnson, the archduke of adjustments.) Wake being Wake, it would never simply slink away into the gathering dusk, but Tech matched the Deacs in heart and trumped them in skill and gall.
Into overtime. Tech held Wake to a field goal and the game was the Jackets’ to win or lose, which meant it was PJ’s and Nesbitt’s, and was there ever any doubt how it would end? Said Johnson: “I don’t think [his players] expected anything else [than going for it on fourth down]. Our defensive guys knew we were going for it.”
Said Dwyer: “Who wouldn’t want to play for a coach like that?”
Before the game, Johnson had given his men an impassioned speech. He told them “not to put the horse before the cart” and ponder what might be waiting down the road. This prompted someone to ask: Doesn’t the horse generally go before the cart?
“Horse before the cart, cart before the horse,” Johnson said. “Maybe that’s why we came out flat.”
No matter. It all worked out in the end. PJ dared and Nesbitt made it work and Tech’s cart and horse, in whichever order you prefer, drew another hundred miles closer to a title game in Tampa.
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552 comments Add your comment
By Dodd
November 7th, 2009
9:22 pm
Billy, you are smoking the bad stuff. I contribute handsomely to get and keep Paul Johnson. He is the best Coach we have had since Dodd. What is going to be sad is if he determines that he cannot win a National Championship because we went cheap on a Defensive Coordinator.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:22 pm
tech is a beast. wonder what all those players are enginering in.
TechMD
November 7th, 2009
9:23 pm
Gotta love Navy beating ND today too!
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:24 pm
dodd, dont blame everything on the defensive coordinator. uga fans do that.
jacketnation
November 7th, 2009
9:24 pm
UGA is going to the Preparation H Hemorrhoidal Ointment Bowl. We’re going the Orange.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:24 pm
tech md. do you do prostate exams?
rsvp
November 7th, 2009
9:24 pm
Nice piece Mark. No one will argue that PJ is a “ramblin, gamblin, hell of an engineer”.
I was surprised though when GT had the ball with a minute left in regulation and decided to wait until OT. I figured a guy like PJ would have been taking it to Wake until the clock stopped. No complaints though ! A W is a W ! Go Jackets !
Delbert D.
November 7th, 2009
9:25 pm
Aerospatialtecture.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:25 pm
jacket, you are right. its cause we have a–holes like you to deal with. best, willie
TechMD
November 7th, 2009
9:25 pm
The D is improving! Give em credit.
RogerDawg
November 7th, 2009
9:25 pm
Bradley
Unbelievable you spin this how great of a coach CPJ is. Fact is, he proved tonight how average he is. His team was unprepared and the decision to go for it on 4th was hardly something of a great coach. CMR still owns the title of best in this state.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:26 pm
baby, get out the prep h. been on this blog too long
Jon Heisman
November 7th, 2009
9:27 pm
Laying it on the line! Another great win.
It am worried about Duke though.
Keep marching to Tampa, Go Jackets!!
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:27 pm
gt?
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:28 pm
del, them big words dont intimidate me. spell defense. uga style.
TechMD
November 7th, 2009
9:28 pm
Hey, Mark. Are you covering the Duke game?
RogerDawg
November 7th, 2009
9:28 pm
What we have is a sub-par coach in CPJ getting accolades galore out of our “fine’ journalist staff (Bradley and Schultz). You two must have CPJ buying ya’ll breakfast on a weekly basis…otherwise I have no clue what ya’ll are seeing through your rose colored glasses. CMR still is the best. Book it.
Hillbilly Deluxe
November 7th, 2009
9:29 pm
You got to give the man credit for playing to win.
Delbert D.
November 7th, 2009
9:29 pm
Actually, the upperclassmen on the O-line are Pre-med, Aerospace Eng., Management, Management, Civil Eng. and Civil Eng.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:29 pm
where is the guy that gets paid to write this column? Bradley, you signed off for the night?
Gringo
November 7th, 2009
9:29 pm
By Dodd: We did pay dearly: Miami.
The D is young. Give ‘em another year. And hey, they have played better and better.
snapshot
November 7th, 2009
9:29 pm
I did not know that Tennessee had a Technical College?????
Jason
November 7th, 2009
9:30 pm
If I was Paul Johnson, I would introduce myself…then I would separately introduce my giant brass ones.
“Hello, I’m Paul Johnson and these are are my brass ones…they go everywhere I do.”
brewdawg
November 7th, 2009
9:30 pm
I’m guessing no matter what UGA does the rest of the way, they play their best game against Tech (not to say they will win… though they could). It’s not often that the Dogs are looking up at Tech, and they are going to have a nice big chip on their shoulder. I always want to beat Tech, but I REALLY want to beat you guys this year- especially if there is even a glimmer of a chance at a BCS title for you.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:30 pm
del, come on. dont believe what they tell you.
By Dodd
November 7th, 2009
9:31 pm
Game Plan for Puke: Replace two of the larger, slower Linebackers for this game, with two extra Defensive backs. Line them up directly across the Receive and pound them for the first five yards to throw off timing patterns. Blitz them when unexpected. Play Special with Special teams. Execute the Plan and we will pound the Pukers by 50 and be tuned for the leg humpers.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:31 pm
del, you left out the skill positions. call me back.
Delbert D.
November 7th, 2009
9:31 pm
willie – Defense, UGA-style is spelled ole’ . Then you are ’sposed to bring out the rapier and stick the bull after it has scored 45 points.
jacketman
November 7th, 2009
9:32 pm
i gotta DRIVE to the store—i am waaaayy to DRUNK TO WALK.
I am trying to become the grandpoopah of DAMM—–Drunks Against Mad Mothers——i love thanks for splaining it to me
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:32 pm
brew, uga will win. i guarantee that on my mother’s soul.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:33 pm
del, a good attempt. the insects will be swatted by 20.
Delbert D.
November 7th, 2009
9:34 pm
willie – I can’t give away the skill position secrets. Y’all could order up heat-seekers, lasers and stuff to try to stop ‘em.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:34 pm
del, its called goring.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:36 pm
del, i know: basket weaving; lawn enginering, kite flying; co ed watching. all those things we excell at at uga.
Bootlegger
November 7th, 2009
9:36 pm
Craziest, Dumbest, ballsyist, gutsyest, daring, madening, insane, brilliant play calling ever seen. Who tries to draw a team off, calls time out, THEN goes for it anyway ?!! WOW !!!
collegeballfan
November 7th, 2009
9:36 pm
I knew this was going to be difficult.
I had the impression Johnson came out with a game plan to throw. I really felt he gave Grobe to much credit. Tech is not a throwing team.
You are who you are – and Tech is a running team.
The mystery is the defense. You can’t be a top ten team playing defense like this. Something must change in the off season. There is no excuse for not covering all the receivers.
Bootlegger
November 7th, 2009
9:37 pm
NO other coach in the world tries that !!!! Amazing !!
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:38 pm
Bradley is so pro tech. i just dont understand that.
Bootlegger
November 7th, 2009
9:38 pm
Who tries to draw a team offsides, does’nt get them to, calls time out, THEN goes for it anyway ??!! Amazing !!
Delbert D.
November 7th, 2009
9:38 pm
jacketman – I hope the store isn’t up on top of Haleakala. Freeze your buns off.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:39 pm
boot, how would you feel if pj blew it?
George
November 7th, 2009
9:39 pm
Cmon Willie, Mark Bradley is not pro Tech; he will always be pro kentucky basketball
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:39 pm
del, i thought that was in hawaii
Give PJ a raise!
November 7th, 2009
9:40 pm
This was a sloppy offensive game at times, our defense was exposed again like the Miami game, but Coach PJ willed us to a win today. I thought he would get gun-shy after 4 missed 4th down plays, but he stuck to his grits and his confidence righted the ship. I’m freaking out over what’s going to happen at the flats in a few years with ‘his players’ on the field. Give him a raise now and lock him up before an SEC team comes knocking at his door. I think a string of ACC championships could help sway him to sign a long-term deal!
Go Jackets! and to hell with GA!!!!
Bootlegger
November 7th, 2009
9:40 pm
Which coach would you rather have: One pulls a pregame switch of uniforms or one who pulls his team together and says we are going for it on forth and 1 in OT down by 3?? Retorical question of course !!
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:40 pm
george, i know that. but he is so all over tech it makes me ill
GT Metro Mon
November 7th, 2009
9:40 pm
RogerDawg is “book it” the same as “in the hole”? Errrrrrrrr, I am Cliche Man, and I’m full of stupid cliches.
Jay G GT
November 7th, 2009
9:40 pm
Brewdawg – thanks for the honesty. That’s the kind of stuff I love about a rivalry game. CPJ is absolutely the man. You’ve got to love his guts and attitude about the game. Loving the player Nesbitt has become. Go Jackets!
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
9:41 pm
boot, didnt you like the blackout?
George
November 7th, 2009
9:41 pm
Can’t give CPJ a raise because CPH’s lifetime contract has us financially tied up in knots