A canny loss to UGA leaves Tech fans giddy about their coach
Paul Johnson thinks of something. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
This we know: Georgia Tech folks obsess over Georgia. (An unkind reference to UGA is included in the song “Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech.”) And it’s beyond dispute that the Jackets lost to the Mutts (another unkind reference) in Athens on Saturday. And yet …
Tech people walked away from that game feeling good about themselves, which never happens when Tech loses to Georgia in any sport. But it happened this time. It happened because Techies, who pride themselves on brainpower, were tickled at having outsmarted Big Brother.
OK, I know what you Bulldogs are saying. I’ve read the responses to this little missive from late last night. To paraphrase the stance of (some) Georgia folks: “If Paul Johnson is such a genius, how come he lost to Mark Richt again? Isn’t the name of the game to win?”
Well, yes. But there can be honor in defeat, especially when the defeat is so hard-fought and cleverly wrought. There can be no denying that the Jackets were the aggressor throughout and the stronger side up front. Those 411 yards rushing weren’t wisps of smoke. (Fun fact: The Jackets ran for two more yards against Todd Grantham’s million-dollar defense than they had against the one misguided by Willie Martinez in the epic upset of 2008. And this time they did it, as I’m guessing you’re aware, without Joshua Nesbitt.)
Urban Meyer, my role model in all things, believes the measure of a coach is how his team fares “when the checkers are equal.” The checkers weren’t anywhere close to equal Saturday night — even Tech people fully expected their team to get blown out — and the Jackets were a PAT from a tie inside the final five minutes. Georgia made three mistakes (two turnovers and a botched kickoff) that yielded no Tech points, while three Tech fumbles spawned three Bulldog touchdowns … and still the Jackets kept coming.
Full credit to the Bulldogs for making the requisite plays at the end, but fuller credit must go to Johnson and his Jackets: They got nearly the maximum from their diminished resources on a night when Georgia’s best player, the sublime A.J. Green, could be seen running out of bounds three yards short of a first down when the score was 0-0. (Georgia scored on the next play, Kris Durham’s catch-and-run, but still.)
And when the careening game finally seemed lost, that rascal Johnson conjured up one last way to make it winnable. He ordered cornerback Jerrard Tarrant to tell the other Jacket defenders, “Let ‘em score.” A Tech employee standing on the sideline heard this exchange and was terrified the Bulldogs would catch on to this strategic bit of jujitsu, but they didn’t. Washaun Ealey burst through the line and kept going and everyone in red and black got really excited — for five seconds. Then they realized they’d been snookered.
Said Richt: “We didn’t coach very good there. We got outcoached right there. It was good strategy by Coach Johnson. I thought [when it happened], ‘He got us there. He got me.’ ”
Said Johnson, almost shrugging: “It was the only way we could win the game.”
In the end his team lost, but the same Tech man who’d told me after the Jackets’ uninspiring defeat of Duke that he fully dreaded Saturday night in Athens was positively giddy in this losing aftermath. And another Tech man, the former captain Taz Anderson, sent this e-mail 18 minutes after the final whistle: “Tonight you saw a great football coach take a group that has little talent and keep them in a game where they were clearly overmatched.”
OK, I know what (some of) you Bulldogs are saying to that: “They’re Techies and they lost– who cares what they think?” And under other circumstances I might agree. But after this wild night I’d suggest both sides saw the same game, which is to say an on-paper mismatch that became an on-field white-knuckler. And I’d also ask this: When was the last time Georgia’s coach worked a game that good?
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791 comments Add your comment
beeswax
November 29th, 2010
11:59 am
PJ is crossing the line from aggressive to stupid, more and more. He’s a wack job. PJ, you don’t have to be all in everytime, sometime you need to punt, and sometime you need to kick a field goal and take you dadgum points.
UGA=YAWN
November 29th, 2010
12:09 pm
I agree. The 4th down try early and not kicking a field goal was just asinine. The team with the most points wins. He will never understand that – which to me – seems odd. Especially after we racked up all these great stats but lost in the ‘points’ category. Kick the frickin field goal next time!!!
UGA=YAWN
November 29th, 2010
12:10 pm
PS: and stop fumbling the ball away!!!
JBW
November 29th, 2010
12:23 pm
Techs coach is such a genius that he lost….. AGAIN!
gt45
November 29th, 2010
12:24 pm
Mark, Funny thing, and I haven’t read them all, but I don’t see one person defending Richt’s coaching, just taking shots at CPJ-and you!
JMac12003
November 29th, 2010
12:35 pm
All I can say is that the UGA win proves that it is better to be lucky than good. As Mr. College Football put it on TV Sunday night…. this is the third time UGA has played Tech since PJ took over, and they have yet to stop the Tech offense. 411 rushing yards did not produce a win, but it did prove that GT really runs this state, and in fact the entire NCAA.
Buzz 2010
November 29th, 2010
12:36 pm
Which game were these Dawgs watching Saturday.. The game I saw was lost only because of points left on the field by Tech, which I concede is inexcusable..Your team has all these great recruits, but your coaching is not up to par for a SEC football mill.High school backs could run through that defensive line. I hope Richt leaves and goes to Miami as I love his coaching skills. I also hope you Dawgs don’t have Florida, SC, Arkansas, Boise State and Tennessee on your schedule in 2011.
JMac12003
November 29th, 2010
12:40 pm
All I know is that Saturday’s game proves the old saying that I would rather be lucky than good. 411 rushing yards did not produce a win, but it proved that GT not only runs this state but they run the entire NCAA.
David
November 29th, 2010
12:52 pm
Mark, did you get this idea from Paul Finebaum? “Stir up the pot and it will make you a popular read.”
I guess we are just stupid sheep aren’t we?
Damn, I thought you really were different.
Damn internet has screwed it up for all reporters.
“
Hokies and ‘Noles to battle Dec. 4 + rivalry weekend reflection | Represent ACC's Campus Correspondent Blog
November 29th, 2010
12:57 pm
[...] the ground. They dominated in time of possession with over 38 minutes. Paul Johnson clearly was the smarter man for 60 minutes last night. The only time the Jackets could be stopped was when they stopped themselves, a common [...]
Dawg Man
November 29th, 2010
1:17 pm
Only the Bugs would be “giddy” after a loss.
chrismiller
November 29th, 2010
1:22 pm
I love how all the UGA folks talk about how terrible Johnson is, how Tech can’t throw the ball, how the ACC is so weak, et. al., and then thump their chest at how they were a single missed extra point better than the Jackets on Saturday. Then again it’s common for Georgia fans not to realize how idiotic they sound.
PreyDawg
November 29th, 2010
1:37 pm
Chrismiller. I invite you to pucker up and kiss this DAWG grad’s posterior. PJ gave us a touchdown at the end but what nobody has mentioned is that we were going to take one anyway. Either way we score and you loose.
PS. I work in a department with thirty engineers and me and my UGA Chemistry degree make more than all of them. And I met a hot babe at UGA to marry (23 years this week) Just so ya know.
gt0823
November 29th, 2010
1:59 pm
Georgia fans can say what they want but every single one of my friends, who are UGA fans, were incredibly disappointed in the way UGA played despite them winning. Georgia had two weeks to prepare for Georgia Tech’s offense. They gave up 512 yards and could not stop the Jackets all night. They got blown of the ball almost every play. It took the Jackets stopping themselves to catch a break. UGA had home field advantage and faced GT’s backup QB. UGA has not figured out how to stop Tech’s “highschool” offense. Congrats to UGA on the win but I have a strong feeling no Georgia fan is going to be to sure of themselves going into any GT game anytime soon. Kudos to the GT players for never giving up even after going down 14 twice. Gotta take care of the football but things should only get better as Washington gets more and more experience. GO JACKETS!!!
Reality
November 29th, 2010
2:03 pm
I STRONGLY think that the win is more important to uga than to Tech. Imagine of uga wasn’t going to any bowl….. with respect to extra practices….. with respect to recruiting. uga winning was required. Tech winning was not.
Would Tech liked to have won? Of course. Tech MAY have moved up to a higher level bowl – but that’s it.
That being said, I think that CPJ will be on the hot seat to beat uga next year. It’ll be in Atlanta and Tech will have better/more experienced players.
Tech was supposed to lose by 2 touchdowns against uga this year – and everyone clearly saw that Tech played them toe-to-toe. Expect Tech to win next year.
Fred
November 29th, 2010
2:04 pm
Glory Glory said:
“Teck (sic) can brag about their school, academics, rankings, etc. but UGA alums and fans know that football is what is important…We have the superior football program and that’s all that counts.”
GG, I am a Tech alumnus and fan, but I have a higher opinion of UGA than you apparently do.
gt0823
November 29th, 2010
2:07 pm
Breaking News: Ummm no I saw a bunch of white folks they showed that were GT fans. You must not have been watching the whole game or just didn’t pay a whole lot of attention. You say we lost to a less than average georgia team. Yea and GT was less than average this year as well along with UGAG having two weeks to prepare for Tech’s backup quarterback. Ya’ll really man handled us let me tell ya. But just for kicks will go with your arrogant comment and bring up 2008 when UGAG was preseason #1 and a “less than average” GT team went into Athens and beat what was suppose to be one of the best teams in all the land.
UGA=YAWN
November 29th, 2010
2:37 pm
Paul had his chance to beat UGA in Atlanta last year and failed. And failed again this year. He is 1-2 against UGA. Chan was 1-6 I think. Who is to say Johnson won’t do the same?
high school offense
November 29th, 2010
2:39 pm
*****Tech 2010 Goals(prioritized)******
1. Beat Georgia – No
2. National Champs – No
3. BCS Bowl – No
4. ACC Title – No
5. 10 win season – No
6. Nesbitt for Heisman – No(is that site still up)
7. Winning season – tbd
run left, run right, run middle……when all else fails…run left again..or middle…or right
However, if run left, right or middle succeeds…try passing
CPJ is a genius
Mark Bradley
November 29th, 2010
2:42 pm
Pretty sure Gailey was 0-6 against Georgia.
GAaREDSTATE
November 29th, 2010
5:50 pm
Although a WIN would have been the icing on the cake, but watching DAWG FANS at the edge of their seats in silence, then after the last second of the clock is ticked off, rush to the bathroom to scrape off the excreted thanksgiving trimmings from the inside of their britches!!!! – A PRICELESS MOMENT! – LOL!!!
GO TECH!
BEEFENSE
November 29th, 2010
5:56 pm
MB you’re wasting your breath telling the truth to nadlicker fans–they are so delusional and ignorant they can not recognize the fact that the best team LOST this game. I’m surprised they stopped crying about mean ole Auburn hurting their puppies long enough to respond to ANY blog. Keep whimpering Dawgs–the Gators are your Daddy and soon Tech will be too. Go Gators–give ‘em Hell Tech and GO TO HELL Ugag.
Jillytech
November 29th, 2010
6:47 pm
first off: u(sic)ga can never get recognized for their engineering program, in fact, you guys already have engineering programs that even YOU don’t know about because they’re that terrible. It’s a fact: u(sic)ga is great at mindless games such as football, but can’t do ish about their international ranking, or endowment, which is half as large as ours I might add. Your fanbase is a bunch of rednecks, at least ours is diverse. Finally, we’re a research and engineering school, not a ” early childhood education and whatever else gives you a paycheck of less than 25K” school, so no our focus isn’t on getting the best football team. They did good, u(sic)ga is still the cesspool of the south
Ross
November 29th, 2010
7:12 pm
This is a great article. It’s exactly was I was feeling after the loss.
bradleyhater
November 29th, 2010
7:38 pm
if Urban Meyer is your role model Bradley then why don’t you go write for the Gainsville Sun! we don’t like you here in Atlanta!
Seekar
November 29th, 2010
10:45 pm
College football in the state of Georgia,
Your star employee, er, student athlete, the one AND ONLY reason Auburn is even mentioned this season, is a product of GA.
Now go ahead and tell me “you just plain suck” one more time, you played-out broken record.
Dan Hill
November 29th, 2010
11:45 pm
Miss. College football in the state of Georgia,
Idaho State University could beat Alabama, and probably play it close with Auburn. It’s sad BSU took Nevada too lightly and lost. At least I’ll get satisfaction in watching Oregon whooping Auburn up and down the field.
Roy
November 30th, 2010
12:13 am
Regardless of who won this game, college football in Georgia has become pathetic.
ga dawg
November 30th, 2010
1:18 am
Wow, i hope CPJ outcoaches us more often if it always results in a win!
Enjoy your moral victories, bugs.
Bayard is Gay
November 30th, 2010
8:38 am
baker leavitt- one of the very few classy UGA fans out there. appreciate it.
glory glory- you just sound like a straight up retard. you watching football should really get you somewhere in life shouldnt it? according to you, it will. good luck with that.
JOhn
November 30th, 2010
10:36 am
If Paul Johnson would wise up and get a defensive coordinator that would run a 4-3, not a NFL type defense that is too difficult for college kids, he would win multiple national championships. But until he get a defense he can run for 400 yards all day long and will still lose games.
GAfootball
November 30th, 2010
11:13 am
two 6-6 teams. Not much to brag about for either side. both had dismal years. both have defenses that are near nonexistent. nonetheless, congrats to UGA for pulling out a competitive win, and congrats to Tech for making it close when they were obviously overmatched. Hopefully both teams will be able to get a win in whatever joke of a bowl we play in.
93Dawg
November 30th, 2010
12:12 pm
Stay giddy nerds. Proving that there are such things as moral victories to some people when real victories never materialize. We prefer the real kind; life is harsh, thanks for playing. 61-39-5
93Dawg
November 30th, 2010
12:18 pm
Only a week away from another loss to the Dawgs in hoops. Giving you a head start to begin thinking about the excuses for that one. My guess is it won’t be about Hewitt outcoaching Fox; you bailed on your coach a while ago. Smells like another moral victory headed your way. Be giddy.
Richt outcoached by Johnson? Not So. « The Grit Tree
November 30th, 2010
12:33 pm
[...] The second article talks about how great the Tech fans feel about their coach after a loss. That must be the difference between Georgia and Georgia Tech…moral victories still count for something in Atlanta. Because we played Florida really close, rallied from 14 down and came up just short; I didn’t feel good about anything Sunday. [...]
Lee Todd
November 30th, 2010
12:48 pm
Yeah, and when was the last time a coach got inducted to the hall of fame for brilliantly losing games? This was almost too pathetic to read. To the victors go the spoils, that’s the nature of the game.
PDMORGS in Los Angeles
November 30th, 2010
6:29 pm
I watched the game, I see great things ahead for GT. Tech will get better on defense as they recruit for the 3-4. Tech just ran the ball down the throat of UGA. Considering the academics and the stature of both schools, Georgia Tech is a winner. Let’s see, UGA has 2 national championships and Tech has 4! Not bad for the trade school as the fleas call us.
CSRA Press
December 1st, 2010
12:32 am
Great observation Bradley and yeah, Tech fans went away from the Georgia game with a better feeling because they know what’s in the future. Georgia fans also know what’s in the future and it ain’t lookin’ too good. UGA fans, on the otherhand, went away from the game feeling it was more like a loss than a win. Why Georgia had 10 returning starters on offense and the only question mark was the quarterback who turned out to be the bright spot on a “weak” team. As for all you Mutt fans runnin’ your fingers, learn to spell and know what you’re talking about before you start typing – evidently you don’t know much about the real qualities of football. Yes, you have won 9 of the last 10, but you are 1-2 against the triple option (that high school offense that none of your defenses can stop) and Coach Johnson and all three of those games have been closer and more of Tech domination than you want to admit. Coach Johnson is an offensive genius like Coach Spurrier, Coach Meyer, and Coach Friedgen. He has a young team and he’s working to install “his” system. When it’s all in place, you know what’s comin’ and your little doggie tails are puckered up at the thought of losing to Tech every year – it ain’t a gimme game anymore even when you’re a 12 and a half point favorite! Face it, you didn’t beat Tech, they beat themselves with turnovers and mistakes with 411 yards of running the ball right at you. Enjoy it while you can because Murray’s gonna have an empty nest next year and it ain’t lookin’ too good for several years. Just a suggestion – try to recruit some student-athletes who know they can’t drive without a valid driver’s license and you won’t have to bail them out each week so they can play on Saturday. And, a note to the Alabama idiots makin’ noise – UGA whipped Auburn five years in a row and split with Alabama – you ain’t got nothin’ on Georgia football – check your rosters and recruits! Great effort by a Tech team! Thanks from a proud Tech fan and a guy who understands what a great hire it was to get Coach Paul Johnson – he’s the best!
Tech Ty
December 2nd, 2010
12:33 pm
You all are mumbling idiots on who is bigger and better in the state of GA in football. In the big leagues the Falcons Dominate the whole World, take that Alabama whose state is too poor to have a Pro Football team.
On another note UGA spends $900,000 on football athletics while GT only spends half that. So when your snug in bed thinking that UGA is the best team in the world, take a look at how many Championships (SEC/National) Mark Richt has won?? 1 in 9 years. They money spent and top recruiting UGA has means their team should be amazing but they never are, get a life you losers in Athens, your Law school is the only thing worth a damn
Tech Ty
December 2nd, 2010
12:52 pm
Im sorry i meant UGA spends $900,000,000 on athletics while GT spends $480,000,000. At least we do not live in the Poorest county in the state of GA, Clark County, eww gross.
Get off you high horse because us Tech guys take all the good jobs in the state first and leave the ones we dont want for you guys. Plus we have the best Job Networking in the the South. Kiss it, lick it, suck it, and get use to having 6-6 seasons in UGA
And Alabama fans can shut up anyway because Auburn and especially Alababama are the easiest schools in the world to get into! At least UGA and Tech are ranked Tech – 35 best undergrad program in the Nation and UGA 56. Alabama is a retarded school and I would rather get a degree from Georgia Southern University than go to an easy day care center called University of Alabama Durrr!!!
World Spinner
December 4th, 2010
5:54 am
A canny loss to UGA leaves Tech fans giddy about their coach ……
Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……