Outmanned Tech fights to the end but can’t finish the drill
One guy coached a winning game. The other coach won. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Athens – Give Paul Johnson a couple of months and he could take the remaining Rolling Stones and have those geezers rushing for 300 yards a game. Say what you will about the man, but he can coach the heck out of what he has. At issue Saturday night was whether he had enough.
There aren’t many coaches who can outdraw Johnson with the X’s and O’s, but the game, as we’re constantly reminded, isn’t played on a whiteboard. It’s played by real-life players. And Johnson’s Jackets lost to Georgia here Saturday not because they didn’t play hard or well but because in the end they just weren’t as skilled. Try as they might, and they tried mightily, they could never take the lead.
If anything, Saturday’s game showed us how clever Johnson is. He bled 512 yards out of an offense missing its best player. Tech held the ball for 38 minutes and 14 seconds, ran 92 plays to Georgia’s 48. And even at the end, when the Bulldogs appeared to have scored the clinching touchdown, they looked up and realized the old fox on the far sideline had one-upped them again.
As Johnson said, allowing Georgia to score was “the only way we could win the game.” And rather than alert its players to the possibility and advise them to get a first down and then fall on the ball, the Bulldog staff was caught unawares.
“We didn’t coach very good there,” Mark Richt said, speaking of Washaun Ealey’s 20-yard touchdown run with 1:29 remaining that put Georgia up eight points. “We got outcoached right there. It was good strategy by Coach Johnson. I thought when it happened, ‘He got us there. He got me.’ ”
It was that kind of night. Georgia won the game but left the distinct impression that it had gotten away with one. Johnson’s Jackets messed up early and often and still were one drive from winning the thing. (And then, one possession later, one drive from forcing overtime.)
Tech fizzled twice early — getting stopped on fourth-and-2 at the Georgia 19 after recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff, fumbling inside the 10 not five minutes later. And here came the Bulldogs, seizing a 14-point lead that at the game’s outset seemed like twice that much. But back came Tech, back on the strength of those two Johnson staples: A running game and a sheer stubbornness.
Even the hardiest of Jacket backers were dreading this strange game, in which the team with the lesser record entered favored by two touchdowns. Georgia clearly has better players than Tech, and without quarterback Joshua Nesbitt there are moments when it seems Tech has nothing at all. And yet the visitors kept fighting after falling behind by those two touchdowns, and soon it was apparent that the team lacking its best player wasn’t lacking in guts.
It was 14-all with one minute left in the first half, 21-all with a minute left in the third quarter. And this wasn’t because Tech was playing letter-perfect football; on the contrary, it had taken three Georgia turnovers and gotten nothing from them. And still the game was tied, the underdog having become the aggressor, the Bulldogs looking as confused as they had all season. (Which, given how the season had gone for Georgia, was saying something.)
Late in the third quarter Tech was driving to take the lead when Roddy Jones fumbled. Georgia nosed ahead on Washaun Ealey’s touchdown burst on fourth-and-goal. Then Tech fumbled again, quarterback Tevin Washington pitching to Jones as the Tech back was about to get splattered, and the resulting loose ball was taken for a touchdown by Georgia linebacker Justin Houston.
Another two-TD lead for the home side, this with barely a quarter to go. Surely there was no responding from this, not with the redoubtable Nesbitt a spectator with his broken arm. But doggone — no pun intended — if the Jackets didn’t surge to one touchdown and then, beggaring belief, another. With 4:56 remaining, the Jackets were within a point of even.
And Scott Blair, who hadn’t missed an extra point all season, missed the extra point. And surely that was that. But no. Georgia didn’t lose six times by its ability to deliver under pressure. The Bulldogs moved within field-goal range, chose to go for it on fourth-and-1 and saw Aaron Murray fumble the snap. At last Tech had its chance to take the lead.
And it couldn’t manage a first down. Tevin Washington was dropped for losses on first and second down, threw incomplete on third and fourth, and the Jackets had to be done, didn’t they? But Johnson pulled his let-’em-score trick and still his Jackets kept coming, flying across midfield with 45 seconds left. And then finally it was done, Washington delivering an interception.
Georgia had won and rendered itself bowl-eligible, but the lasting memory of this game won’t be of the Bulldogs and their escape: It will be of Johnson and his Jackets and how close they’d come with all their fumbling and without their No. 1 quarterback. It will be of the coach with the lesser players forcing the Bulldogs to the brink. If Paul Johnson can ever recruit similar talent on a consistent basis — admittedly, it’s a big if — Tech won’t wind up 6-6 again anytime soon.
“I wish I could have found a way to help them win the game,” Johnson said, speaking of his players, but he’d done all any coach could do. He’d put them in position. His undermanned team just couldn’t finish the drill.
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859 comments Add your comment
DAWGWINNERS
November 28th, 2010
1:52 am
UGA fumbled HOW MANY TIMES? Punt, two runs, kick off? seems like the turnovers were much more on UGA
DAWGWINNERS
November 28th, 2010
1:54 am
And yeah Tech I watch the whole game, and saw ALL of UGA’s turnovers. Along with the piss poor passing performance the last two series. What a joke and it wouldn’t have been any different with Nesbitt. Mr. I will throw a short pass at the end of the UGA game
DAWGWINNERS
November 28th, 2010
1:56 am
Tech, Yeah and he picked the UGA game to miss the PAT. BTW, UGA would have kicked a field goal to have won the game at the end anyway.
RealDawg
November 28th, 2010
1:57 am
Did GT bring any fans??
Tech Forever
November 28th, 2010
2:02 am
DAWGWINNERS
Georgia turned the ball over twice, the opening KO and at 9:45 in the 3rd quarter. Tech responded by turning it over on downs and then fumbling it back on the second one. Georgia scored 21 points off Tech turnovers. That’s the story of the game.
Tech Forever
November 28th, 2010
2:03 am
RealDawg
Lord I hope not. I’d rather have my nuts slammed in a car door than go to Athens wearing Tech gear having beer spit on you, people acting like apes, it’s aweful.
DAWGWINNERS
November 28th, 2010
2:04 am
Tech you are stupid. Kickoff, punt in the 3rd quarter, after the Caleb King FUMBLE that is three right there.
Jeff
November 28th, 2010
2:04 am
To the Tech players: you guys played a heckuva game and fought hard. Congrats.
To Paul Johnson: quit always being so dam* smug. It’s hard for people to get behind you during tough times when you often act like such an arrogant arse.
To the Tech fans: we’ve heard enough of your whining and yipping. Now shut it. All I heard all offseason was “Tech is the defending ACC champs, Georgia’s defense isn’t any better, Tech has got some great recruits, Georgia will choke in this year’s game just like 2008, etc. etc. etc.” Now, ENOUGH of that crap! The FACTS are:
The most average Georgia team in 15 years just beat the defending ACC champions.
Your best player was missing, I understand. But Georgia missed AJ Green for 4 games, but was UGA cut any slack for that? Nope, we just got pummeled for losing some close games.
Georgia’s losses came to some ranked, bowl-bound, very solid teams like Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Auburn. Tech’s came to some very average teams like Clemson, NC State and Miami. Yeah, Georgia lost to Colorado, but your loss to Kansas was just as bad.
FINALLY… a WINNING team takes advantages of the opponents mistakes… heck, a good team FORCES those mistakes. Georgia forced those fumbles that led to scores… Tech got Georgia’s fumbles and didn’t do squat. You had great field position all night, Georgia kept giving you the ball, your coach is (supposedly) a genius, and our defense (supposedly) can’t stop anybody… but when it MATTERED, Georgia’s defense stepped up on the last two drives and slammed the friggin’ door on Tech.
So no more grandiose predictions, ok? Take what you are — a decent program that can reach the ACC title game every now and then, and a program that is NOT as good as your in-state rival. Sorry, facts are facts… I know they get in the way of good insults sometimes, but c’mon.
Many of you Tech fans are realists and have some decency and class… but to those of you who like to make arses of yourselves about how “great” CPJ and your team is…. well, it’s 9 outta 10, so go stew on that for a year.
(Blogger’s note: this comes from a person who grew up a Tech fan and actually had a scholarship offer to attend there. I just call it like I see it, and I don’t like when fans on either side get all puffy-chested and make predictions like “we’ll win by 70, we’ll win 800 in a row now, etc.” Football is difficult and every game is a battle… Georgia just finds a way to win a helluva lot more from Tech.)
Tech Forever
November 28th, 2010
2:07 am
DAWGWINNERS
Tech didn’t punt in the 3rd quarter…sooooowhen did this fumbled punt occur?
DAWGWINNERS
November 28th, 2010
2:09 am
Oh, and let’s think about the 4th and 1 where Murray fumbled the snap.
DAWGWINNERS
November 28th, 2010
2:10 am
Maybe it was a kick off, but it went right through his arms.
Cynthia M
November 28th, 2010
2:12 am
Old School- appreciate your spirit. Unfortunately for me, the Dawgs fans I face regularly act like most of the above- tacky and low class. Glad to know there are more like you!
Tech Forever
November 28th, 2010
2:12 am
Georgia turned the ball over twice. Tech turned it over 5 times.
Justin Houston
November 28th, 2010
2:12 am
Hey Mark, I made that last interception, not Washington. And I made the play before it too. We finally made the stops we needed to on defense and we get no love? You’ve got to get over that man crush on Johnson.
St. Clarkston
November 28th, 2010
2:14 am
Hate Tech. However, Johnson’s call of giving up the td was ballsey.
Tech Forever
November 28th, 2010
2:15 am
DAWGWINNERS
Murray’s snap fumble was not a turnover…he recovered the fumble. Boykins KO fumble was not a turnover…it was recovered by Brown and actually returned for 5 or 6 yards. So, like i said, Georgia only TURNED THE BALL OVER two times…..Tech, 5 times…..leading to 21 UGA points.
Tech Forever
November 28th, 2010
2:16 am
St. Clarkston
Question, why do you hate Tech?
pete van weird
November 28th, 2010
2:21 am
Never, ever, let the other team score. Never. Ever. It cannot be justified, regardless of which team you pull for.
74 UGA grad
November 28th, 2010
2:21 am
Granted, Johnson’s offense is very effective against teams, like Georgia, that have more talent than discipline and intelligence. On the other hand, take away a few of the LBs and a DB or 2, and exactly how much talent does Georgia really have on defense? Not that much.
Sorry, Mark, but no coach who receives all the praise you can heap on Johnson can put an offense on the field that is absolutely incapable of throwing the football when required. Washington did a very nice job running the triple option, but there are backup QBs on high school teams who throw better than he does.
Are you telling us that a “genius” like Johnson had no option at the end of the game other than to put on obviously overmatched QB like Washington in the game in the final minute, needing to pass to move the ball down the field.
Does Tech ever work on what used to be called the 2-minute drill? Sure didn’t look like it. I guess genius coaches don’t need to be worried about such trivialities.
There’s a reason almost nobody in college runs the offense Tech does. Sure, it produces a lot of yards and a decent amount of points, but there are times when you gotta throw it, and even a genius like Johnson can’t will his offense to do that.
Georgia made Tech’s defense look as inept as it really is. Since Johnson apparently only coaches the offense, guess that’s on Groh, not the genius head coach.
Assuming Georgia can find some receivers who can run routes and catch the ball, along with a few defenders who can actually comprehend what the coaches tell them, the ‘Dogs will be fine in the next few years.
Tech, on the other, will be hoping for 6-6 records and bids to bowls on the same level as the one they’re going to in the immediate future.
GT BABY
November 28th, 2010
2:22 am
…
GT BABY
November 28th, 2010
2:24 am
TO ALL GEORGIA FANS- YALL ARE PLAYING CENTRAL FLA IN THE LIBERTY BOWL! NOT MUCH BETTER, RETARDS! I LOVED PUNCHING YOUR FANS AT THE GAME TONIGHT, IT WAS FUN…..REMEMBER GEORGIA FANS, YALL ARE 6-6 WITH LOSES TO COLORADO AND MISS ST SO I WOULD KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT.
GT BABY
November 28th, 2010
2:25 am
I LOVED PUNCHING GEORGIA FANS IN THE FACE TONIGHT AT THE GAME!
6-6
COLORADO
LIBERTY BOWL AGAINST CENTRAL FLA
HAHAHAHA
GT BABY
November 28th, 2010
2:26 am
COLORADO
74 UGA grad
November 28th, 2010
2:26 am
Pete:
Never, ever, never make such an absolutist statement when you don’t know what you’re talking about. Johnson did the only thing he could to give his team a chance to win. Kudos to him. Great move.
Saw a high school playoff game in the late ’70s that Westminster won because they allowed Swainsboro to score a touchdown in overtime under the old penetration rules. If they had stopped Swainsboro instead of letting them score, they would have lost.
GT BABY
November 28th, 2010
2:26 am
6-6
pugh ulpian
November 28th, 2010
2:26 am
Let’s see now, Georgia is paying this NFL wonder coach of the 3 – 4 defense how much? $750,00 which is at least 4 times more than a tenured full professor with a good research and publication record. Georgia’s defense looks just about as bad this year as it did under Wonderous Willy Martinez. Auburn scored the last 5 times it had the ball and Tech at times ran rampantly over the Dogs defense.
Had it not been for a missed extra point, which was an unforced error, the game would have been tied. As it was, that one missed kick changed the whole game.
In total, Tech’s ground game piled up the yards on Georgia. The final total was over 500 yards of total offense, which was more than Auburn had against the Dogs.
The defense tried hard but much of its efforts were futile. Fortunately Murray, Green, Durham, and company were able to outscore the Jackets.
I really don’t see that bringing in a coach for $750,000 a year to install the 3 – 4 did much good. I think an equal coach for less money could have been found.
Bear in mind that Auburn scored the last 5 times it had the ball and in two games the Dogs gave up almost 1,000 yards of total offense. Those read like Martinez numbers to me. And we will not add in the 450 yards that 5-loss Florida racked up or the blown coverages of the Arkansas game. that led to an Arkansas victory.
If I do, then I have to wonder what has our $750K bought us? A re-run of last year?
Either the Dogs lack talent on defense or the 3 – 4 defense is not the answer to a maiden’s prayer. .
pugh ulpian
November 28th, 2010
2:29 am
Enter your comments here
GT!!
November 28th, 2010
2:35 am
This is a tough pill to swallow, but TECH played as hard as they could and gave uga there best shot but came out on the short end. Any uga fan running that mouth really has a lot of nerve being that you were given that ball game on the foot of a damn kicker. P.S. You better watch out uga, The “U” is looking for a coach.
A-town
November 28th, 2010
2:35 am
I’m tired of caring about this stupid game. Ugag will continue to support felons and GT will continue to not win. CMR will be the saint and 60 more gaggers will wind up arrested under his tutelage and not a single gagger alum will care – heck they finished 6-6. The beat goes on….
Jeff
November 28th, 2010
2:36 am
The bottom line is that Georgia scored more points than Tech… the UGA defense made some huge plays when it had to on Tech’s last two drives… Georgia has won 9 out of 10 in the series, the most successful decade ever in the rivalry… and quite honestly, the “genius” CPJ couldn’t find a way to beat the second-worst Georgia team in 15 years (2009) OR the WORST Georgia team in 15 years (2010).
It’s been a tough year, but tonight’s win makes it much more tolerable. It will be fun to hear the rhetoric, excuses and veiled insults for another year.
It might be best for the more vocal, more trash-talking jacket fans to keep a low profile for the next 12 months… you embarass the 90 percent of your fans who are actually decent people.
Rell(Chris)
November 28th, 2010
2:39 am
GT wont win with that Highschool O they run…… Win a bowl game.
74 UGA grad
November 28th, 2010
2:40 am
When Tech missed the PAT, I wondered for a minute if he was instructed to do so by the coach. Knowing the predictable nature of the Georgia coaching staff, Johnson could have legitimately deduced that he was better off one point behind than tied, or even one ahead.
He probably had it figured out by then that if Georgia really wanted to score, it was going to. Tech had no answer whatsoever for Georgia’s passing game, but as long as the ‘Dogs had the lead, Bobo was going to play it conservatively and run the ball on the first 2 downs at least.
Had that been Johnson’s strategy (I know it wasn’t but it could have been if he was as smart as Bradley seems to think), it would have been successful. Georgia went 3 & out after running on the first 2 plays and Tech got the ball right back.
If the game had been tied, Bobo probably would have gone to the air and Georgia would have moved down the field and won anyway. Assuming, of course, they didn’t screw up along the way.
5string
November 28th, 2010
2:43 am
The reference to The Rolling Stones was a bit of a stretch and not close to funny or entertaining. Yay Georgia!!! Uh huh!!
Tom in ATL
November 28th, 2010
2:44 am
Tech “Gave” the game to UGA? UGA did everything it could to give this game away. Fumbling the opening kickoff, King fumbling the ball away on the Tech 9, jumping offsides to give Tech a first down that they turned into a TD, Boykin fumbling the kickoff, Smith fumbling the punt, Scoring when falling down ices the win, Murray fumbling the center exchange on 4th and 1, failing to convert a 4th and inches at the 4 yd line, etc. Houstons scoop and score was FORCED – Tech didnt just throw the ball on the ground. I have seen every UGA game this season – and this was by far the WORST game UGA has played all season. Terrible play calling, terrible execution, terrible tackling – 2 weeks to prepare and we get this? How Tech ran 92 plays, rushed for 500 yds – Had UGA never subbing Defensive players – HOW DID TECH NOT WIN THIS THING? THEY were given every opportunity. IF UGA shows up with this game plan and lack of execution against Boise State – who I think is vastly over rated – UGA will lose by no less than 42 points.
George Stein
November 28th, 2010
2:49 am
That high school offense ran all over your SEC defense. Gimme a break.
Biggus Dawgus
November 28th, 2010
2:56 am
BOTTOM LINE……DAWGS STILL RUN THIS STATE!!!!………….UGA -W……………Trade School -L…….
Austin
November 28th, 2010
3:01 am
Enter your comments here
Austin
November 28th, 2010
3:02 am
BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH…. maybe next year nerds
A-town
November 28th, 2010
3:04 am
You gaggers can shut up about Fairley already…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoU_z3BPzwE&feature=player_embedded
A-town
November 28th, 2010
3:05 am
How many leghumpers will wind up in jail during this offseason? I hear the over / under is 12.
Bad Man Mike.
November 28th, 2010
3:08 am
What is there to brag about. Both teams suck, both teams are going to a crappy bowl, and both teams have so many problems to fix they make Obama and his band of idiots look good. Biggus Dawg, your damn right UGA runs this state that’s why there are no jobs, no money and we owe over 500 million dollars to the Federal Government. That UGA grad Sonny did a damn good, didn’t he?
Mark Bradley
November 28th, 2010
3:09 am
Home now. Thanks to all of y’all for hanging with me tonight.
rx-dawg
November 28th, 2010
3:11 am
My lasting memory will be GA doing everything in their power to let Tech hang around…from the poor kickoff coverage starting the game to King fumbling deep in Tech territory to Murray fumbling the snap on 4th and 1. You can’t on one hand praise Tech for keeping the game close despite turnovers without realizing GA was busy doing much of the same. As lucky as we were to win, Tech was equally lucky to be close. If we didn’t shoot ourselves over and over again, that game wouldn’t have been that close. At the end of the day, the better team won because they made the plays when they had too…the other team did not. It’s not coaching or anything else…one team executed when it mattered. Auburn wins because they execute when it matters. GA did it when they needed it. Boise lost because they didn’t…Tech, the same.
Mike Dodo
November 28th, 2010
3:14 am
Mike Bobo is terrible I predicted 6 straight plays he called tonight. The sad part is that I only predicted 6 plays. Get a 7 point lead then run on 1st, run on second, force a pass on third and long when your qb is 14-17 with over 250 yds at that point. You cant make this stuff up. I would bet my house that I could destroy Bobo or Richt in a game of ncaa, especially in the coach only mode.
DAWGWINNERS
November 28th, 2010
3:20 am
Tech you are so insane. The ball went straight through the returners hands on the first kick off, King fumbled on the 9, the first kick off was fumbled.
DAWGWINNERS
November 28th, 2010
3:26 am
Just so tired of year after year Tech making excuses for losing.
P. Bull Terrier
November 28th, 2010
3:32 am
Paul Johnson just lost to the worst UGA team in more than a decade to finish the regular season with a 6 – 6 record and Bradley drops to his knees in admiration of Pauls Johnson. Talk about a man crush…
Douglas
November 28th, 2010
5:40 am
Martinez must be laughing his head off. Yeah, we needed to fire him but our new DC has not improved our defense at all.
JOHN
November 28th, 2010
5:49 am
GA SUCKS BIG TIME
Indydawg
November 28th, 2010
6:16 am
Big Man Mike, get in touch with me, I have a job waiting here for you.