I’m thinking PJ sees a real title as bigger than beating UGA
Paul Johnson and Josh Nesbitt can still be champions. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
I had this conversation with a Georgia Tech booster last night: If Paul Johnson had to pick between beating Georgia and winning the 2009 ACC title, which would have chosen?
“As fans, we’d always pick beating Georgia,” the booster said. But that’s from the fan’s perspective, which isn’t the same as a coach’s. And if I had to guess — and I don’t have to guess, but just for grins I will — I’d say PJ would take being the champion of a BCS conference. (Yeah, yeah. Even if it is only the ACC.)
I base this on something PJ said last week about beating Georgia — “Been there, done that” — and on his stated desire to win championships at Tech. “We almost did it last year,” he said, and the Jackets did. They shared first place in the Coastal Division but lost to Virginia Tech on a tiebreaker. And now the moment is here. Beat Clemson in Tampa and the Jackets will play in the Orange Bowl in Year 2 under Paul Johnson. And that’s pretty darn impressive even if they did lose to the hated mutts.
A year ago, I think PJ would have chosen the other course: He needed to beat Georgia to establish credibility among his constituency. And that had to come first lest he run the risk of turning into Chan Gailey. (Who was fired because he couldn’t beat Georgia, fired 51 weeks after he played for the ACC title in Jacksonville.) Having done the deed in Year 1, Johnson has more global goals.
Which is why, I submit, he talked down the rivalry last week. (Indeed, he came tantalizingly close to channeling Reggie Ball and saying of Georgia: “It’s just a game, dog.”) PJ said this flat-out: “I’m going to get Georgia Tech to the point where our program is bigger than one game.”
Georgia fans will crow that the ACC title game now holds no currency, but that’s not true. (The Tech fan’s comeback: “So who are you playing this week?”) Tech was the best team in its conference, which isn’t to be confused with the SEC but isn’t the New York-Penn League, either. And that was the Jackets’ stated goal from spring practice on — win the ACC.
Remember Tech’s rings from last season? They weren’t presented for beating Georgia, although they did bear the famous score. (I’m pretty sure this year’s rings won’t be engraved with “30-24.”) The rings were for tying for the Coastal title. This year GT and PJ don’t have to share a division with anyone. This year they can win the whole conference. And I’m thinking, in this coach’s mind, that was Job 1 all along.
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1,540 comments Add your comment
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:21 am
The tech experience
- Playing in an irrelevant conference.
- Never having played in a BCS bowl.
- Offering free food and drinks just to bring “fans” into the stadium
- Bopping up and down to the budweiser song
- Starting a QB for 4 years who couldn’t even count to 4
- Having your most hated rival beat you 8 of the last 9 years
- FINALLY reaching #7 only to have UGA, who is having their worst season in 13 years, come to your house and whip you
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:22 am
Joseph
November 30th, 2009
11:20 am
Riiiiight. So he would have been able to tackle King and Ealey? bWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
GIVE ME A BREAK
November 30th, 2009
11:22 am
Here we go with the HISTORY lessons. “NO CLASS”
Reptillicide
November 30th, 2009
11:23 am
Bradley, hard to take this article seriously. We all know that Paul Johnson doesn’t think the UGA game is a big deal… but I’d bet that if you canvassed GT fans, 90% would say that the ACC title means nothing to them if they lose to Georgia. They’re already saying it. Paul Johnson simply doesn’t “get it.” Tech’s season is ruined in the eyes of their fans. PJ is going to find out soon just how much the UGA game means. He’s already beginning to find out.
MASSDAWG
November 30th, 2009
11:23 am
HEY JOSEPH,
IF A.J. GREEN PLAYS THEN IT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE!!! WE KICKED YOUR BUTT WITHOUT OUR BEST PLAYER!!!
TOP 10 Misconceptions about Tech
November 30th, 2009
11:23 am
1. CPJ is a genius… 3 incompletes, whoops you lose
2. Willie Martinez is the worst defensive coordinator in GA. No Womack is.
3. Tech has great student atheletes.. Graduates only 49% of football players
4. Fans have more class… see Yellow Fuzz, St Simons, M, Ramble ON etc
5. Tech plays in a competitive conference.. ROTFLMAO
6. Tech will beat Clemson… NOT
7. Tech will go to Orange bowl… NOT
8. Tech will finish in top 10… Not
9. Tech program is on the rise and UGA is declining… see latest score
10. Tech’s season is bigger than the UGA game… see blog postings
GLAD it hurts so bad.
GT Hypocrites
November 30th, 2009
11:25 am
2008-kickoff 2009 – Create rings for a 3pt victory over UGA, rub the win in on every UGA blog whether it was realevant or not. Act as though the game was a blowout. UGA fans are called “mutts”, “butt-sniffers” “whinny puppies” etc… Ramble On, Saint Simons, m, Stinger, Yellow Fuzz, Burdell, Pi$$ on a Dawg etc.. make DAILY apperances on every UGA Blog just to rub the score in and remind us that there’s a new sheriff in town named Coach Paul Johnson.
Post game 2009-Kickoff 2010- UGA lucks up with a win, GT “gave the game away”, If Nesbitt doesn’t miss a qtr, if this, if that. The game isn’t that big of deal anyway, the Yellow Jackets are playing for the ACC championship. UGA fans are told they should show some class. Ramble On, Saint Simons, m, Stinger, Yellow Fuzz, Burdell, Pi$$ on a Dawg etc… are no where to be found.
BTW- The reason Johnson down played the game this year is he KNEW he didn’t have a strong enough team to beat UGA this year. The ACC got exposed this year!!!
Anyway all you GT Hypocrites (and you know who you are) enjoy a year of:
(((((30-24)))))
BaHahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!
“Washaun Ealy is STILL RUNNING” and
“Caleb King just scored again!!!”
Maybe if your turd fans had shown a little more class last year and this year you wouldn’t have to endure the onslaught of negative posts.
Don’t be mad at UGA fans, you can blame Saint Simons, Yellow Fuzz, m, Burdell, Stinger, Ramble On, Pi$$ on a Dawg, and the rest of the GT Turd faithful for what you’re having to go through.
To the classy GT fans: sorry you’re having to deal with this, but like our classy UGA fans last year, you’re collateral damage.
I feel one coming on!
November 30th, 2009
11:26 am
Enter your comments here
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
November 30th, 2009
11:28 am
Knew early in the week when CPJ said it was just another game that he was preparing the jacket nation for the worse…Your next game is always the most important game, and no one knows that better than Paul….ACC Championship game vs Clempson more important than hanging half a hundred on Dawgs!!!! never in a million years….Please….But 220 yards won’t get you half a hundred…QB for 41, top ten draft pick, 33….Got to be honest, didn’t see that coming….Hats off to Willie and Bobo and entire UGA staff……IF THEY PLAY THIS GAME 200 MORE YEARS, THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER ONE THAT THE TECH FANS AND MARK BRADLEY AND OLD SCULTZIE WILL FEEL BETTER ABOUT WINNING THAN THIS LAST ONE…IT WAS NOT IF WE WIN, BUT BY HOW MANY??? IT WAS A DONE DEAL, THEN THE WHEEL RAN OFF….4-2 BOX WON’T CUT IT JACKETS……
White&Gold Engineer
November 30th, 2009
11:29 am
Tim,
Great comments. As I have told my UGA friends, that was a quality win by the dawgs and should put a brighter note on the season. They had a game plan and executed it to perfection. Congratulations.
To those UGA fans that brag about the 8 of 9 wins, it would be in your best interest to swap wins with Tech more often than that. A stronger tech team only helps UGA football by boosting their strength of schedule perception. More national recognition for our rivalry game would only help each program. Since the game only slightly impacts recruiting between the two school, negatively impacting future teams would not be dramatic. While I absolutely hate the lose, I am glad the rivalry has gained back some of its luster. Lets hope it is further strengthened next year with a Tech victory! Go Jackets!
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:30 am
Excuses for saturday night:
1 – The UGA game is not really that important.
2 – If Nesbit could have played the whole game we could have won
3 – Calculus
4 – The refs
5 – Our DC did not call his normal brilliant plan
6 – The week off hurt us
7 – We’re much better than UGA, we were just flat
8 – It was only a 6 point loss, no big deal
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
I feel one coming on!
November 30th, 2009
11:30 am
If it’s JUST another game then why do you post the score of last years victory over UGA on your co-divisional championship rings…….plan on posting it this year?……….by the way, does anyone know what time kickoff is in te ACC championship game between UGA and S. Carolina?……HAHAHAHAHAHA
lmp
November 30th, 2009
11:34 am
I agree 100 F****** %…. All year all you GayTech fans say is 45-42 hahahahaha(not just annoying a$$ saint simmons) and how y’all will see us Nov.28th. Now its, well we are focused on the Clemson game(might i add loss to S.C. haha) and that game was just a loss. BUUUULLLSSHH***TT!! PREPARE FOR IT ALL YEAR CUZ U DESERVE IT!!!! 30-24HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! GO DAWGS!!!
Tech Fan
November 30th, 2009
11:34 am
sometimes you have to loose a battle to win the war. i for one would rather win the war. i know how it feels to have a bad season and win over uga and think we just won the championship. and this is how uga feels right now. i think i would want to win championships than just a single game. and uga does feel the same way, but right now want admit it. they won a battle, but have lost the war. just because the sec has two teams rated 1 and 2 doesnt mean that the sec dominates football. i for one am watching a shift in power that is slow to develop, but develop it is. so relish in your win, while you watch the team you beat go to the bcs. i am sure that if we have a bad season that a win over uga will feel good. i know that while we are building a program, we will have some looses that will hurt. but i can get over the hurt by winning the war. go jackets.
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:35 am
The tech excuses for Saturday’s loss
1 – the game wasn’t that important
2 – we’re looking at the bigger picture
3 – if nesbit played the whole game we would have won
4 – calculus
5 – the refs
6 – we were flat
7 – we didn’t wear the right jersey colors
8 – did I mention calculus?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
TechFan 559
November 30th, 2009
11:35 am
Every Tech fan knows this was the biggest game of the season to us. I wished ya’ll would stop making us look bad and just take the medicine the same way they had to last year. All we can do know is look forward to next year and hope it don’t happen again.
GT45
November 30th, 2009
11:35 am
THUGA’s record next year: 8-4
UGAgrad71
November 30th, 2009
11:37 am
I hope MR woke up and realized that GA is a power running football team. I really enjoy the spinning of the bugs that the UGA game is nothing more than a “non-conference” game. The best the ACC had to offer Saturday got beat by UF, SC and UGA. The best the ACC is only 4th or 5th in any SEC division. Let the bugs schedule ALA, AUB, FLA, SC, KEN, TENN, MISS, MSTATE, ARK, etc every year and I would submit that they might win once, twice in a good year. Put your slide-rulers where the sun does not shine!
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:37 am
GT45
November 30th, 2009
11:35 am
With a win over tech, of course. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
TechFan 559
November 30th, 2009
11:37 am
now
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
November 30th, 2009
11:37 am
GRINCH:
DON’T FORGET “BIG BOI”…THEY BROUGHT THAT DUDE IN AT HALFTIME TO EXCITE THE GT FAITHFUL WHEN CHAN WAS HERE….
Sanford Drive
November 30th, 2009
11:39 am
Tech Fan,
You’re not winning the war either. Sorry.
TechFan 559
November 30th, 2009
11:40 am
Not trying to win a war just trying to get a few of my fellow techies to stop acting like the game is not important.
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:40 am
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
November 30th, 2009
11:37 am
Hmmm, I must have missed that. Oh well, that’s what happens when you’re watching the freak show known as tech fans bopping to the budweiser song. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Sanford Drive
November 30th, 2009
11:41 am
That was for Tech Fan’s weird comment @11:34
TechFan 559
November 30th, 2009
11:42 am
gotcha
Dawg4Life
November 30th, 2009
11:42 am
Funny all of you GT fans, that have decreased in size exponentially now that you realize you stink, can say “you hang banners for championships, not beating UGA” when you guys were handing out rings for winning the game last year. The ACC is the 4th or 5th best conference in football and should not have an automatic bid into a BCS bowl game. Both teams that are contending in the ACC championship games lost to 7-5 SEC teams. TCU or Boise State deserve the ACC’s spot in the Orange Bowl. So now you Techies can take to the bank that you get beatdown on your best day by a team that is having their worse year in over a decade, and that the ACC has parody, not pairity. Its a joke, and so is PJ.
Smug Johnson's alter ego press conference...
November 30th, 2009
11:43 am
Well boys, we just got our butts kicked by a 6-5 middle of the pack SEC team. We had two weeks to prepare for this game and we looked like we had two days. But let’s put this all behind us BECAUSE WE HAVE BIGGER FISH TO FRY!
I don’t care about beating UGA because we did it last year and I have a ring to prove it.
I don’t care about beating UGA without Nesbit because he did it last year. That’s why I sent him to the training room in the 1st qtr and had him shot up to finish the game.
I don’t care about beating UGA by throwing the ball 4 straight times at the end of the game. We beat them last year(as the ring says) by running the ball, so I wanted to beat them this year by throwing the ball.
I don’t care about beating UGA. It is not like they are Army or somebody.
I don’t care about beating UGA, because winning the ACC is better. (you get two rings with that. division and conference)
So you see boys, I have this program right where I want it. 11-2 with Coastal div champs and ACC champs has a nice RING to it.
See you in Tampa and bring your own tartar sauce for the fish fry.
Thanks
CPJ
p.s.In case we lose to Clemson, I don’t care because we beat them earlier this year.
SadJacket
November 30th, 2009
11:44 am
Payback is hell – it is one out of eight, not nine.
Bobby Dodd
November 30th, 2009
11:44 am
Tech hasn’t beaten the Dawgs at home since 1999. CPJ should focus on that.
AIN'T Simon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 30th, 2009
11:45 am
30-24!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
TOP 10 Misconceptions about Tech
November 30th, 2009
11:46 am
GT45- Give it up brother… when you lose call them thugs… that’s the ticket.. as old as you are you should be used to it and expect it. 30 to 24 azzwipe.. go back to bed in your nursing home.
Tech Fan
November 30th, 2009
11:47 am
lets see if we have this right. winnign a battle is better than winning a war. glad you werent in wwll.
DR.J
November 30th, 2009
11:47 am
Let’s see…Tech wins if Nesbitt plays 8 more minutes….Dawgs are without their best player and receiver AJ…missing another preseason starter in Durham…our best lineman Trinton…our starting DE Rod…and maybe our best DB Rambo…yeah right. I’m not sleepy yet please tell me another bedtime story.
fair and Balanced
November 30th, 2009
11:50 am
Okay, so he beat GA once. This year he wins the ACC so that next year he can sit on his butt and do nothing. Loser, man! You want to dumb down the GA game go ahead. That is a pretty neat way to do it, “Beating Ga is okay if we can do it, but we would rather beat Duke, and NC State, and FL State now that they are in the toilet and a few other teams like Clemson maybe…… and get a ring”. Yeah, right! And AJC reported that if you get the chance you will let down the hammer on GA. I really hope that GA lets down hammers, nails, drills…..how bout jack-hammers on Tech next year! Cowards! You go ahead and win the ACC and get a ring! Don’t really care about beating GA! Ha! Good for us! Hope we will drive you in the ground next year you bunch of arrogant idiots. It is clear why you left the SEC years ago – you can’t compete with SEC teams in football! 30 – 24! O yeah I forgot – that really doesn’t matter to you since you already beat GA one time last year.
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:50 am
Just to make sure we all have this talking point down. Tech didn’t focus on this game with their biggest rival, even though they had an off week to do so, because they were looking at the big picture, which is a game against a team they’ve already beaten and who is not even ranked in the top 25. Okay…..got it. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Bobby Dudd Stadium
November 30th, 2009
11:52 am
Tech loses again to UGA.. uses new tactic… we don’t care anymore. ROTFALMAO… you guys are dying and you know it. This is killing you. You thought this was going to be 45 to 20 tech. You got manhandeled by the worst UGA team in 13 years.
GoTech610
November 30th, 2009
11:52 am
You Jackets fans who only care about this game are ridiculous. It’s one game! It’s a non-conference game! It’s sure nice to win, but guess what? They didn’t do anything to us nationally. GT is still top 10 and UGA is unranked, GT is still getting a chance to play for a BCS bowl and UGA is playing for care care in crappy Detroit (Maybe Stafford will grace them with his losing presence), we are playing for a championship and UGA is at home watching Florida do the work again and reveling in one good win against GT, and GT can finish in the top 5 and start out the preseason a hell of a lot higher than UGA.
We can go on to the Orange Bowl to beat a TCU or Boise, which is something Bama and Oklahoma couldn’t do. They couldn’t beat the busters. Well GT can set the bar and push them right back into their hole.
GT is top 10 > UGA is unranked and irrelevant
Robert
November 30th, 2009
11:52 am
(((30-24))) You can write all you want about how the ACC is more important…but Tech will ALWAYS be measured by its success against UGA. And just like always…Tech is found to be sub standard!!!!! (((30-24)))
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:53 am
….and Boo Boo Thomas dropped the ball again……
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
November 30th, 2009
11:53 am
MARK IS NOW A DOCTOR LIKE IN THE DR. PEPPER COMMERCIALS….HE IS NOW KNOWN AS THE “SPIN DOCTOR”….OBAMA WILL BE CALLING SOON, HE NEEDS A “SPIN DOCTOR” LIKE MARK BRADLEY…..SORT OF BOXED YOURSELF IN A CORNER ON YOUR LOVE AFFAIR WITH TECH AND PJ, GOT TO BE PRETTY TIGHT WHEN YOU CALL HIM BY HIS INITIALS….
“I’m thinking PJ sees a real title as bigger than beating UGA”……GET REAL, MARK, NOBODY IS BUYING THIS GARBAGE…..MORE IMPORTANT TO BEAT SOMEONE THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY BEATEN THIS YEAR (CLEMPSON) OVER BEATING THE RED CLAY HOUNDS IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME…..THAT IS AN INSULT TO AN ASTROPHYSICIST”S MIND…..ENOUGH, ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!
TechFan 559
November 30th, 2009
11:53 am
I don’t know about the rest of the tech fans but it is killing me and it makes it worse that ya’ll beat us at our own game but after I get done licking my wounds I will still be a Tech fan and I will take my medicine like a man.
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:54 am
….and yes, Boo Boo Thomas dropped the ball again……
tech man
November 30th, 2009
11:54 am
UGA fans just don’t get it.I will try to make you undrestand it if you will open your minds. GA Tech played its worst game this year and UGA played thier best game this year and still almost got beat.There is no way you will beat Va Tech in a bowl and I don’t think you deserve to play with them.You are not even ranked in the top 35. Use your minds and think about that!!!!! GO Tech
Wrecker1
November 30th, 2009
11:55 am
I hate and I mean hate, losing to Ugag. But for some of you illiterate or just plain dumb doggies, Coach Johnson made his comments about the Ugag game BEFORE it was ever played. He didn’t say after the fact winning the conference was bigger but BEFORE the game was played. Most, if not all, of the few dog fans that actually showed up Saturday night came expecting to get their butts whupped. Then they run their mouths like they had just won the national championship, which is great that they feel so good after beting a lowly ACC team. Heck, 7-5 and a date in Shrevport or Nashville aint bad. I mean TECH played probably their 3rd worst game of the year and Ugag played their very best and won by 6. Great show doggies. We’ll send ya’ll a post card from Tampa since ya’ll will have so much time to read it. Oh excuse me, we’ll just make that a picture card.
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:55 am
tech man
November 30th, 2009
11:54 am
30 – 24
Paul Turkey Neck Johnson Press Conference
November 30th, 2009
11:55 am
This was not a big loss…. it does not define us… we are ok with being #2 in the state…Dave Womack does sux… We’ve already eaten Clemson so we should not have to play them again.. just give us the rings and send us to our first BCS bowl ever…
Tech Fan
November 30th, 2009
11:56 am
lets see if we have this right. winning a battle is better than winning the war? glad you werent in ww2. say what you want, but this debate between us will never end. win one, loose one. have a streak, not have a streak. so what. waddle in your win while you watch the your world slip away. wake up uga, change is happening right before you.
DirtyDawg
November 30th, 2009
11:57 am
I gotta give you techies credit, you can come up with more rationalizations than any ten other schools I can think of. You lost and your ‘Year of Living Arrogantly’ is over. Sure, you might beat Clempson and you might beat somebody in the Orange Bowl…then again you might not…but regardless, you got your s$$es beat by Georgia on Saturday night – and the loss was a lot more one-sided than the one you made the rings for last year. Don’t worry, we won’t be memorializing this one with rings and stuff – we’ll just chalk it up to ’setting the record straight’.
The Grinch
November 30th, 2009
11:57 am
tech man
November 30th, 2009
11:54 am
30-24
Use your mind and think about that!!!!!