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
Butts Wagner
November 28th, 2010
7:02 pm
Kind of funny MB how your genius CPJ gave away points to start the game. UGA fumbles kickoff, GT has 4 & 2 from the 20. Take the points and 75% chance of field goal and GT wins the game.
Commentary like this is very valid. One disturbing trend I’ve noticed is PJ’s 4th down strategy of trying to draw the opponent offsides, calling a timeout, and then going for it anyways. At this point, it’s predictable. If there was ever a time to do something unpredictable, it would have been in this game. GT was bowl eligible, the result wouldn’t affect conference standings, and GT is not getting into the top 25 with a win. Take a real chance on 4th down or kick the field goal and get some points. But the 4th down, try to draw-em-offsides-then-call-TO-and-go-for-it-anyways move is just one example. I think what PJ is trying to do is prove to his team that if they just do their jobs, they will win. And that was true in this game. If GT had taken care of the ball, they probably would have won. What I’m getting at is that PJ is not a perfect coach, but compared to Gailey’s close losses to Georgia, this loss leaves a GT fan with optimism, whereas the Gailey losses always felt like the coach’s fault and not a lack of player execution(and it was absolutely the coach’s fault that Reggie Ball was a four year starter).
Reality Sucks
November 28th, 2010
7:02 pm
Unfortunately for PJ, recruiting is a part of being the head coach of a football program. PJ is an awful recruiter (note that his best season so far was last year, with all of Chan’s star recruits). Does it surprise anyone that he’s bad at recruiting? He’s arrogant, belittles his players (e.g. he gets caught on camera calling them “stupid mother f’rs”), and he’s unattractive. My point is this: His talent pool will continue to drop and UGA’s won’t. Plus, why does he get a free pass for being so bad at recruiting? And I don’t want to hear the typical academics excuse because that sure didn’t stop Chan. Boom. Victory is sweet.
Born2Buzz
November 28th, 2010
7:02 pm
Adam, I agree. There was no clear advantage talent wise, no matter what MB says.
CC
November 28th, 2010
7:06 pm
I completely disagree. If he’s such a good coach, then why didn’t he take the gift points on the first drive instead of going for it on 4th and a long 2? Could have used those points in the end. It’s because he’s so damned stubborn. If Tech wants to claim moral victory, be my guest. I’ll take the “W”.
mtraininjax
November 28th, 2010
7:07 pm
Tech fans, tough game, but you have to figure the coaches will motivate the seniors to NOT go 6-7 in their final year. So win the bowl game and break the 5 game losing streak!
BuzzGTBUzz
November 28th, 2010
7:08 pm
If Paul Johnson is such a genius, why did he go 6-6 in a mediocore ACC? And Mark asks a question about the last time Richt outcoached someone – how about this time last year when UGA rolled into Atl and beat the #7 Jackets in the Joke by Coke without their best player? Really stretching it on this one Mark. Johnson is now 1-2 against UGA and another GT senior class is leaving campus with a losing record against UGA. And the beat goes on.
nerds are funny
November 28th, 2010
7:08 pm
Well goodie for tech fans Mark that they trust PJ. Another year they should have beat UGA and another year they did not. I hope they keep trusting the guy for a long time so that the streak can stay alive and we will continue to own the state. By the way, they made another bowl game that they will lose. In Pj we trust!
wreckmaniac
November 28th, 2010
7:09 pm
Why is there anything positive to say about Johnson at this point ? We know he can run a successfull offense but until he gets the point that you have to stop the other team , his offense is useless. There’s no difference between losing 42-0 and losing 42-34.
nerds are funny
November 28th, 2010
7:11 pm
You are wrong wreckmaniac, in Bradley’s mind you almost won. That’s all that counts at GT.
boots
November 28th, 2010
7:11 pm
Mark, I have to say this article makes no sense. Georgia has won 9 of 10. Its coaches might have had a night not as strong as CPJ, but so what? Last year, our coaches out-planned, out-schemed and out-coached the ACC champs and a top 10 team. In the end, our players survived some stupid mistakes, and we won. Let me repeat that – we won. By any standard, I would rather be on the Dawgs side of a 9 of 10 record than on the Tech side. It is similar to the way my Tech employee boasts about her school – “we are better at math.” To which I say, “ok, now get back to work.”
wreckmaniac
November 28th, 2010
7:12 pm
If you dawg fans admire Chan so much, I suggest you hire him.
nerds are funny
November 28th, 2010
7:14 pm
No thanks, we have our own issues all the same.
wreckmaniac
November 28th, 2010
7:14 pm
Eddie: UGA is always looked down on. What planet have you been on ?
4 Jacks
November 28th, 2010
7:18 pm
If UGA did not own the board of regents and every other recruiting advantage in this state it would be alot different and anybody with half a brain knows it. However, most ugag fans don’t have half a brain that is why they never graduated from ugag or any college, Yes, Paul Johnson outcoached Richt and usually does. Richt is loaded with 4 and 5 star atheletes all up and down his roster, CPJ has maybe 5 or 6 4star players on the whole squad if that and I know of no 5 star guys, but maybe he has one or two. Fact is if CPJ had Richt’s sqaud or talent ugag would have won by 24 to 30 points. Richt gets by on talent alone, and is a very average coach. CPJ usually makes the most of his talent and gets the best from it, although this year something just did not click with this team. ugag will always have the better players on whole because of all their advantages, but one thing they do not own and never will…class…look at the state “school” over the past year, the AD, the arrest, coached giving choke holds etc., etc. Class is something you rarely see from over there.
Reality Sucks
November 28th, 2010
7:19 pm
I don’t think anyone admires Chan. Afterall, he’s the coach that was never able to beat UGA. What we like to point out, though, is that PJ is getting credit for Chan’s recruiting successes. Why do you think the team went from an 11 win season to a 6 win season in just one year? Think maybe it was because of the fact that Chan’s recruits left for the NFL? Maybe I’m just crazy…
wreckmaniac
November 28th, 2010
7:21 pm
There’s a point that we all need to recognize. The top five states for producing NFL players are:
Calif, Texas, GA, FL and Ohio. Now which one of those five states has NOT produced a
nat champ in the past 10 years ?
Georgia’s college teams are underachievers.
Reality Sucks
November 28th, 2010
7:21 pm
“something just did not click with this team” – haha, great analysis 4 Jacks. You should charge money for that kind of material. Very insightful.
where is marcus
November 28th, 2010
7:23 pm
Remember Marcus??The Aaron Murry expert? The one who said about 9,000 times last week Murray is no good and over-rated…Marcus…where are you???
Mel
November 28th, 2010
7:24 pm
You’re right, Mark. There’s honor in defeat when we can say none of our players got arrested this season.
wreckmaniac
November 28th, 2010
7:24 pm
You dawg fans really believe that recruting is important. Why ?
What have 4 and 5 star players accomplished for UGA ?
Wow1979
November 28th, 2010
7:25 pm
Why are UGA fans such douches? They BARELY beat a pitiful Georgia Tech team (one of the worst seen since Reggie Ball) and they claim they “Run the State?” Yeah, let’s see UGA try and beat Virginia Tech or Florida State or even NC State or Miami. So you are so cool because you are in the “mighty” SEC? The SEC does have THE best teams in the league (I.e. Augurn, Arkansas, South Carolina) but their depth is not as great as those say. FSU PUMMELED Florida who beat you ignorant mutts. What do the “Dawgs” have to brag about? They are not that good, and were supposed to RUN IT UP on Tech, yet they allowed around 511 yardsa to be run on them by an injury-plagued weak team… True, the SEC is the strongest conference, but I highly doubt Georgia of all team would do any better in the Big-12 or the ACC. Screw the “dawgs,” you ignorant fools.
Go Tigers
Cornelius Washington
November 28th, 2010
7:26 pm
The Cult of Paul Johnson……why doesn’t the ajc investigate whether CPJ was taunting the UGA players before the game which led to the pregame face off, as reported by Kevin Butler today on Bulldog Brunch…….if true, that is less classy than Grantham and the choke sign after the UF kicker shouted something at him…..do any of the Kool Aid drinkers wonder about his decisions to QB draw and attempt two passes with 2:54 left when he ran for over 400 yards???? no, that would be questioning the greatest, smartest coach in all of college football….Richt should realize he has met his match and that the last two years have been flukes…..all hail coach turkey neck….all hail coach triple chin….all hail coach manboobs….all hail coach nose cleavage….
Your Breath Smells like Fish Fry Tacos
November 28th, 2010
7:28 pm
Giddy? I thought Gtu lost.
TheItalianDawg
November 28th, 2010
7:28 pm
Bradly,
I have no idea how a techie would be giddy after that loss!! this loss should be more painful.
also I may add, Tech couldn’t stop our offense at all, they were very lucky to be that close, but very nice of you to make them feel better about this nasty loss
Kay
November 28th, 2010
7:30 pm
Good article/perspective, Mark.
Seems pretty objective to me.
Yes, Tech fans do love and appreciate Paul Johnson very much.
The team did better than anyone expected. They played their hearts out and almost pulled it off.
Coach Johnsons Paul
November 28th, 2010
7:30 pm
“Lesser talent” Who’s fault is that??? (see CPJ) “Without Joshua Nesbitt” Who recruited him to Tech??? (See Chan Gailey) Who was higher ranked at the beginning of the season??? (see GT)
Who is 1-3 versus UGA alltime??? (see CPJ) by the way when CPJ brought GSU into Athens that team also ran up some stats w a pretty decent back but that end in a LOSS as well.
Give it up MB…Tech can win the stat battle all day but the W is all that will be remembered about this game 10 years from now.
FWIW…UGA QB Murray played pretty smartly given he could barely walk a few days ago!!!
Boo Radley
November 28th, 2010
7:32 pm
Mark — Why isn’t defensive coaching part of your equation for “genius”? Or special teams? Or acquiring and developing talent? Or having some diversification in your offensive attack that allows for situational flexibility? Johnson has not been able to recruit and develop his own players in the 3 years he has been at GT. His defenses are horrible as are his special teams. Lastly, when circumstances require it, his rigid offensive scheme is unable to adapt (i.e. consistently pass when required). Is building an offensive attack that is so limiting really an indication of coaching genius?
You really seem to be running the same AJC Sports page formula, which has been developed since the emergence of digital media — throw some red meat to the dozen or so GT fans in the state to ensure that they stay engaged in the dialogue and take repeated cheap shots at UGA to aggrieve and inflame the passions of the majority. Sadly, it works for generating page hits, but the jury is still out as to whether it is a sustainable business model. One thing is for sure though — this can’t be all that gratifying for you as journalist/columnist. I can’t imagine churning out these formulaic, unimaginative, pot-stirring pieces is what you signed up for when you launched your career.
TXDAWG
November 28th, 2010
7:32 pm
Holding on to the ball is part of the game. It is just as important as play calling, play execution AND coaching. If you don’t hold onto it and say “We were the better team that lost because we couldn’t live up to the most important thing in the game”…you are a double loser.
I bleed white and (old) gold
November 28th, 2010
7:35 pm
@ Mark Bradley: I think Taz is right to support our coach, but his comment about our boys talent was rather thoughtless. Perhaps Taz could rephrase his comment.
Your Breath Smells like Fish Fry Tacos
November 28th, 2010
7:35 pm
The only thing I saw was a Gtu loss. CPJ is too arrogant to be effective.
Wow1979
November 28th, 2010
7:38 pm
Why are UGA fans such douches? They BARELY beat a pitiful Georgia Tech team (one of the worst seen since Reggie Ball) and they claim they “Run the State?” Yeah, let’s see UGA try and beat Virginia Tech or Florida State or even NC State or Miami. So you are so cool because you are in the “mighty” SEC? The SEC does have THE best teams in the league (I.e. Augurn, Arkansas, South Carolina) but their depth is not as great as those say. FSU PUMMELED Florida who beat you ignorant mutts. What do the “Dawgs” have to brag about? They are not that good, and were supposed to RUN IT UP on Tech, yet they allowed around 511 yardsa to be run on them by an injury-plagued weak team… True, the SEC is the strongest conference, but I highly doubt Georgia of all team would do any better in the Big-12 or the ACC. Screw the “dawgs,” you ignorant fools.
Go Tigers
Coach Johnsons Paul
November 28th, 2010
7:38 pm
wereckmaniac-in regards to recruiting I would suggest that CPJ do a better job since the last of Gaileys recruits that CPJ benefited from will exit this year.
WOW1979-Who was higher ranked at the beginning of the season??? That you underachieved hangs like an albatross from CPJ’s neck.
F
November 28th, 2010
7:38 pm
Enter your comments here
Rusty
November 28th, 2010
7:40 pm
Thank you Boo Radley.
Bradley….you really do suck.
roterhalsdawg
November 28th, 2010
7:41 pm
UGA lost to South Carolina, possible SEC east champ….but we were in it until well into the 4th qtr.
Then UGA lost to Ark. at the very end. Ark gonna be in the top 10 after they just beat no. 5 LSU.
UGA took the Gators into OT!! Didn’t lose by 40 as usual!!
UGA took no. 2 Auburn into the 4th qtr before fading, good effort though.
See there boys, not such a bad year after all!!!
Mark, moral victories are still for losers……
The Hedge
November 28th, 2010
7:43 pm
Mark…”When was the last time Georgia coaches worked a game that good?” Oh, what a short memory you have! How about LAST YEAR when Tech was SUPPOSE to be the dominate team and UGA ran up and down the field on them….9-1 speaks volumes!! Get over it!
roterhalsdawg
November 28th, 2010
7:49 pm
wreckmaniac hit the nail on the head though. WAY too much talent in this state for the mediocrity that is college football here. That’s something the geniuses over at ESPN will never understand.
TXDAWG
November 28th, 2010
7:51 pm
WOW1979 – The Augurn tigers drink some more buddy. Your argument is stupid. FSU beat Florida who beat Georgia…. To quote another article…”This is the same sort of circular logic that SOME college football fans use when they back-trail a team’s losses to produce a dubious top team. For instance: Murray State beat Tennessee Tech who beat Jacksonville State who beat Mississippi who beat Kentucky who beat South Carolina who beat Georgia who beat Georgia Tech, so therefore Murray state is better than Georgia Tech.
DAWGS....suck
November 28th, 2010
7:53 pm
I do believe UGA played a good game on their part no doubt. But, I will say that GT played better than georgia because you have to consider their main QB is out with an injury. I guarantee if you took AJ out of the game, Georgia wouldn’t have a damn fighting chance. Oh yeah, and to you Auburn fans same thing. Take Cam out and you guys suck a nut, like last year. To Alabama, yeah you guys are good, but you’re not as good as you used to be. You went from #1 to #11. I mean come on, you’re getting beat out by Oregon, who isn’t even in the SEC. All in all, GT put up a real good fight considering they lost a key player. Sounds similar to the NFL where the Falcons lost their main QB and now the 2nd stream QB has helped lead them to leaders of the NFC South.
WOW1979
November 28th, 2010
7:59 pm
TXDAWG – I’m not saying that Arguement means anything. I’m only saying y’all are ignorant and more cocky than anything I’ve EVER seen in forever, and y’all aren’t even that great. Why do y’all get so giddy for BARELY beating a team who 1) probably would have raped y’all if Nesbitt played and 2)Doesn’t get NEAR the recruiting nor ever will that y’all get. I’m so sick of the cockiness of Georgia Fans. Like y’all have beat any good teams this year… NOBODY you have beat are impressive at all. Kentucky and Georgia Tech are the only halfway-decent teams and y’all barely beat Tech while they were starting mosly freshmen and sophomores… bottom line y’all were a much better team and should have won by alot more… but having 500 yards put on you BY MOSTLY THIRD STRING PLAYERS (and the best active player on their team, Anthony Allen) is just sad. Sure, be happy y’all beat a pitiful team. But all this bragging and rubbing it in is rediculous. Y’all are pretty mediocre. I’ve never read so much ignorance.
Dirty Dawg
November 28th, 2010
7:59 pm
You and Schultz love this crap man..you both have got such a ‘man-crush’ on Turkey-neck Johnson you ought to marry him or something. Yeah he’s got an effective offense that out-gained Georgia by about 80 or 90 yards…whooopee. And, as Mark Richt said that letting us score there in order to get the ball back was a good move…but in the end it didn’t work, did it?
As for Tax Anderson – his middle initials ought to be PT, cause he’s the biggest huckster in town…as a Tech fan he’s almost a bigger joke than the one that used to run a ‘bone-cruncher mill’ out in Marietta and called himself a Doctor – you know, like Alan Harper’s a Doctor. But you go on quoting this guy if it serves your love affair.
I wasn’t expecting a blowout and we didn’t get on, but yet you write this as if it should have been. The history of this game is that it’s almost always closer than you expect it to be and so it was. I’m relieved that we pulled it out and I’m happy that the Techies are happy about how smart he is…they seem to take pride in being ’smart’…even if he is a loser. Let’s see how smart they think he is in a couple of years when he shows that he can’t recruit a single ball-player that excels in that offense.
D0293
November 28th, 2010
8:01 pm
I agree with the Wow dude… seriously.. arrogant, cocky, ignorance… I’m seeing all this from my fellow Georgia Fans.. I’m a Dawg fan but you all make me sick.. i am glad we beat Tec but I am not proud of how we did. Seriosuly guys
9
November 28th, 2010
8:02 pm
Enter your comments here
Coach Johnsons Paul
November 28th, 2010
8:03 pm
MB-To be objective (which apparently you are not trying to be) you should have taken a better look at the stats.
GT held an almost 17 minute TOP advantage. And still lost
GT had a 87 total yard advantage-And still lost
UGA’s per play avg. was almost 4 yards per play better than GT’s (which means GT wasn’t doing too good of a job slowing UGA down)
UGA converted 3 GT TO’s into 21 points which is an integral part of any game. GT did not convert UGA TO’s into points hince the loss.
FWIW-The 2008 UGA-GT game for which CPJ built his “Genius” resume Tech converted 3 UGA TO’s into 21 points that day otherwise CPJ would be 0-4 alltime versus UGA. The sword cuts both ways MB!!!
BTW-Please review 2009 UGA-GT game and see if you have the same opinion about “Genius” CPJ.
Ed (The Original)
November 28th, 2010
8:04 pm
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.’ ”
It’s the difference between a good coach and a mediocre one. Richt has had time and game management issues before. But a coach should never, ever pass up the opportunity to kneel down and kill the clock with a slim lead. What if Ealey had fumbled (not much of a stretch)?
A boneheaded move that might have gotten Richt fired if Tech had rallied with a TD and 2-point conversion to send the game into overtime.
Miami is calling, coach.
Kevin Everett
November 28th, 2010
8:05 pm
Ridiculous article, absolutely ridiculous. UGA coaching staff outsmarted on ONE play & you write an article about it? 42-34. Go check out the “sting” & the “hive”, they’re on suicide watch because of the “moral victory” you’re writing about!
Pin Head Mark Bradley
November 28th, 2010
8:06 pm
Mark, after yesterdays beating by FSU you must have love Urban Meyer now.
Big Dawg
November 28th, 2010
8:07 pm
How can you feel good about losing? This article is a joke bottom line Georgia won! made the plays GT didn’t …maybe next year..ummm nope….Thats like me saying we felt good we stayed in the game with Flordia SMH! GP DAWGS..WON AGAIN!
wesleywhatwhat
November 28th, 2010
8:07 pm
“This we know: Georgia Tech folks obsess over Georgia.”
,ark bradley is a moron.
gunter
November 28th, 2010
8:08 pm
Mark, not all Tech Fans are giddy. The guy that you constantly bash (Richt) just beat us for the 9th time in 10 attempts. We had by far the better team last year and got waxed by a sub-par Ga. Team. This year we were evenly matched and they won again. We also lost several games this year that we should have won. Johnson needs a passing game to go with the triple option. Call it like it is Mark!