A fat and sassy Georgia Tech gets handed its comeuppance
Virginia's Mike London had his men primed. His opponent was less than prime. (AP photo)
Charlottesville, Va. – Even if the polls suggested otherwise, Georgia Tech was never the nation’s 12th-best team. It was a good team with a clever scheme and a bunch of guys who’d worked hard and coalesced to make the whole greater than the talent on hand. And then, in the season’s seventh game, the workers worked less hard and got what they deserved, which was beaten by an opponent that had won one ACC game since 2009.
Surely Mike London and his Virginia staff saw what was coming to Scott Stadium: A team that could win any track meet but not many wrestling matches. The Cavaliers, who’d lost to Southern Miss and beaten Idaho by a point in overtime, treated this as their game of arrival and, when Tech got done fiddling and flailing, it was. The No. 12 team got beat and deserved to get beat.
“It’s been coming,” said Paul Johnson, Tech’s obviously irked coach. “When you play with fire long enough, you get burned.”
Tech couldn’t put North Carolina State away in Raleigh two weeks ago and had stopped scoring against Maryland last week, and those were troubling signs. But collegiate players can be tough sells: If you’re winning, what difference does it make? For Tech, the winning stopped Saturday. A pedestrian offense amassed 407 yards against a unit supposedly coordinated by Al Groh, who recruited some of these Cavs. Tech’s own sleek offense couldn’t override a 10-point halftime deficit against an opponent that didn’t score again.
“We talked about it repeatedly,” Johnson said. “[Virginia's] backs were against the wall. We were going to get everything they’ve got.”
Message unheeded. The Jackets trailed 7-0 after six minutes and 14-0 with 6:20 gone. They’d been staggered, and they never fully recovered. Whenever Virginia needed to move, it shoved the Jackets backward. The Cavs rushed for the same number of yards (272) as Tech, and they did it with power. Said Johnson, speaking of Virginia’s repeated sorties around the flanks: “We never set the edge.”
Remember when, back over the summer, we suggested Tech might not have enough prime-time players to win the ACC Coastal? Here was a tutorial in the difference between big/strong and smallish/skilled.
Said linebacker Julian Burnett: “When they run the ball right at you and you can’t stop them, it’s frustrating.”
Say what you will about Johnson, but he’s far better with a lean and hungry team than with a bunch of fat cats. Heck, his whole system is built on wrong-footing bigger guys. He said he tried to impart both a warning and a challenge — “We talked in the pregame meeting about what an opportunity we had” — but this time his urgings moved no one.
Johnson again: “Sometimes you just get blocked and can’t block the other team.”
Some try to make every Tech loss a referendum on Johnson’s spread option, but this was no such thing. It was a pounding by a desperate team that hit harder and fought longer. LSU or Alabama or Oklahoma could have laughed off an early flurry by the likes of Virginia, but Tech is not LSU or Alabama or Oklahoma. On talent, Tech is scarcely better than Virginia.
The Jackets aren’t good enough to win, at least not repeatedly, at half-capacity. They’re a good team when doing the things they do well, but if you force them into a different game they’re far less. Virginia hogged the ball — it punted only twice — and nursed its lead, and with 5:58 the Jackets completed a fizzled series by punting to the Cavs, who wouldn’t give it back.
Johnson: “That’s the way everyone is going to play us … They were able to get ahead and in the end in worked.”
Burnett: “I wasn’t surprised [that Virginia sought to be the aggressor]. We just didn’t match it.”
If we’re going to criticize anything about Johnson’s Method after such a loss, it’s more a matter of philosophy: Johnson wants to do it his way — with a roster of middling recruits who’ll fight to the finish — but we saw Saturday what can happen if the middling recruits don’t fight as hard as they might. They get exposed as … middling.
Yes, that’s a bit harsh. Playing hard and well, Tech is a tough opponent for anybody anywhere, and the Jackets will have the chance to beat some big names over the next six weeks. But a sluggish Georgia Tech is just another team, and Saturday it was a loser to a program so starved for victory that its students swarmed the field.
By Mark Bradley
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332 comments Add your comment
jacket for life
October 16th, 2011
12:00 pm
all the mutt fans need to get off of this blog…we still have a better record and you have to survive to beat a trash vandy team…get outta here and go put russ back on ice…go jackets and see you thanksgiving weekend
Birmingham Jacket
October 16th, 2011
12:04 pm
FIRE AL GROH, NOW.
His scheme is beyond the talent level we recruit.
Washington won’t see another snap during a game after this year.
We Own You....
October 16th, 2011
12:08 pm
To Jacket for Life You have a better record mathmatically—but really? If Georgia had played YOUR schedule Georgia would be 7-0. If Tech had played Georgia’s schedule Tech would be 3-4 at best. The beautiful thing about a rivalry is that you don’t have to compare records. You get to play at the end of every season to find out who is best. How has that worked out for you this century?
blazerdawg
October 16th, 2011
12:08 pm
Lawd Bradley, you get crankier by the day. OK, so GIT got beat, on the road, on UVA’s homecoming, because you say they were/are: low on talent, not inspired, only above average when they give it their all.
Agreed, they were flat. But I do not believe that the 6-0 start and #12 ranking was a mirage.
The D-line is a weakness and Clemson will tear-up the secondary when they have the ball, but I believe the GIT offense is legit. They failed against UVA because they flat, but it was up to the coaches to either kick butt or pull out some plays other than option left and crossing patterns to get that offense inspired.
Chris Miller
October 16th, 2011
12:13 pm
Yes, the defense was terrible. Yes, Al Groh needs to be shown the door. Yes, Tech got beat by an inspired Virginia team.
But there’s only one reason Tech is not 7-0 right now. And to avoid falling to 6-2 after the next game, I’d like to offer the following piece of advice to Tevin Washington:
GET YOUR BIG HEAD OUT OF YOUR STINGER AND LEARN TO PITCH THE BALL!!!! Who do you think you are,Thomas Lott? You do not need to carry the ball FIFTY-SEVEN times in two games. You’ve got faster, stronger running backs for that.
So it’s not totally the defense’s fault, though they were awful. Tech wins yesterday if Washington doesn’t try to be a superhero.
GTpak
October 16th, 2011
12:16 pm
Congrats to Virginia, they wanted it more than we did. Look at the Richmond Times article. They started getting ready for us before the Idaho game, each week they distributed copies of our games to their players and even with their bye week the had full practices with full contact to prepare for us.
So obviously they were looking toward this matchup for quite a while with the motivation and determination to get the win.
Meanwhile, our guys evidently had lost their motivation, or at least practiced like they had already achieved the success they wanted and didn’t need to get fired up for this team.
Well on any given Saturday,…
You can bet that every team we face from here on out will be learning from our last 4 games and especially this one and will follow a similar game plan of UVA and Md.
Before this season, I didn’t expect much for this year. New QB who was no Josh Nesbitt, no Dwyer or Allen or Thomas. Then Wow!! I thought we had found the secret, but started wondering in the last few games leading up to this one as competition got tougher, and saw our lines getting pushed around.
However, just like last year, the season has been fun up until this game. It would be more fun if we could finish better than we finished our 5 games last year.
All of us will be interested to see how our team responds against Miami, Clemson, VT, Duke, and UGA.
Will the Jackets once again be motivated and determined to not give up on the rest of the opponents? Or, will they replicate last year’s team?
Stay tuned……Could be more fun, or pain.
creative
October 16th, 2011
12:23 pm
how does al groh have a job? We have been absolutely terrible for 3 straight weeks. We need some new plays!!! this offense works against undisciplined athletic defenses that do not stay in their lanes. It does not work against less talented defenses who rely on smarts and discipline. When we play an athletic and disciplined team (LSU/Iowa) its over. Our defense practices against scout team guys because we run an unconventional offense. Just for the record I love Tech but our fans are just as retarded as redneck GED having dawg fans (except for my dawg friends of course…they are cool and not visor wearing dbags that get autographs from 18 year olds….I digress) Our recruiting class is top 40 at best and we will split the next 4 games if we are lucky. At least were not the dawgs with a top 5 team every year that wins 7 games.
No Big Deal
October 16th, 2011
12:23 pm
GT runs a high school offense, plays in a high school stadium, has a coach with only high school credentials (never played college ball), plays in a high school conference and gets beat by a team that also looks like it plays high school football. This loss comes as no surprise to me.
UVA ALUM
October 16th, 2011
12:23 pm
Wow … you guys have lost your mind. UVA had three advantages. 2 weeks to prepare, a d-coordinator who ran the wishbone as a head coach so he knew how to scheme against it, and a massive o-line that wore you down. GT will be fine … 9-10 wins and a good bowl. They aren’t #12, but they’ll beat VT and maybe Clemson (did you see what Maryland did to Clemson’s defense last night?). Your offense is fine … but the 3-4 is not a good fit for college. Not enough good NTs, then your LBs get exposed. That’s your problem.
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UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
12:26 pm
BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
GT Fan...
October 16th, 2011
12:32 pm
How good were think GT looked after the 1st 3 …… Now how bad everyone thinks they are after losing to VA.
It was a bad game … win vs. Miami, and we’ll all forget about yesterday.
calvin
October 16th, 2011
12:37 pm
This is the column that Bradley was waiting patiently to write,
as if Tech’s ranking was its own false claim, and now the chickens
have come home to roost. Just how did Tech ‘deserve’ it, Bradley?
By the way, did a cocky Georgia ‘deserve’ its first two losses?
dawgfan
October 16th, 2011
12:42 pm
Nobody tries to make every loss a referendum on Paul Johnson’s offense. We try to make it a referendum on his team, just like any other head coach.
Is there any other head coach in America that is not judged by wins and losses other than Paul Johnson? I can’t think of anyone.
Paul Johnson=OVERRATED.
NiquePhotog
October 16th, 2011
12:42 pm
And UGA’s irrelevance rears it’s ugly head with the mutt fans taking more pleasure out of a GT loss than their “win”.
Wahoo
October 16th, 2011
12:45 pm
I am a Cavalier alum and I agree that Tech is a better team than Virginia. BUT….you only need one of two things to beat Tech. 1) a week off to prepare (which we had) or 2) a fast and talented defense (Miami, Clemson, etc.). I predict that GT loses 4 or 5 games this year.
Tech Sucks
October 16th, 2011
12:57 pm
Lol You knew this was coming Nerds. Tech sucks. Get ready for 3 more losses.
Tech Sucks
October 16th, 2011
12:58 pm
GT, Miami is going to crush you.
Covers Dixie like the Dew
October 16th, 2011
1:04 pm
Georgia Tech is now ranked #19 in the Coaches Poll.
UGA remains unranked.
Parade of Knuckleheads
October 16th, 2011
1:06 pm
Does
Todd Grantham have an anger management issue?
wrecked
October 16th, 2011
1:10 pm
Mark, Stop fostering the myth that PJ recruits middling players, he may only sign Middling players but he offers all the sam 4 and 5 star that other progroms do. He just can’t sign them.
STINGER1
October 16th, 2011
1:14 pm
Boy,it’s soooo easy to jump all over us after one loss. Truly the best university in the country took a step back today. Even a King stumps his his toe. Bow to us you pathetic penguins like the scum your are . TECH will be ok, but your schools will never measure up to who we are. Keep trying ,but it will NEVER happen. now ……………….ENOUGH SAID !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GT Alum
October 16th, 2011
1:16 pm
I think it is too soon to cast blame on CPJ’s offense and AG’s 3-4. The team is young and got off to a good, if not sometimes lucky, start. What *is* disturbing to me is the lack of Football 101. The special teams look like they deserve their own SPED bus. Tackling? Try using your arms instead of just your shoulders. Passing? TW looked bad, very bad. The lines, both OL and DL, got pushed around. That needs to be fixed ASAP. It’s hard to run the triple option when they have 2 LBs standing beside your QB. In TW’s defense, he was pressured most of the afternoon while their QB seemed to have all the time in the world.
STINGER1
October 16th, 2011
1:18 pm
Enter your comments here
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
1:20 pm
Virginia????? Virginia????? BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
I cannot WAIT to beat-down gtu again this year!!!!!!
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
STINGER1
October 16th, 2011
1:22 pm
o
STINGER1
October 16th, 2011
1:23 pm
My future step son visited UGA……………………GROSS!
STINGER1
October 16th, 2011
1:24 pm
I pee’d on the ARK !
STINGER1
October 16th, 2011
1:25 pm
Athens………….I filthy town
STINGER1
October 16th, 2011
1:26 pm
Clarke County is honkyville
GT Alum
October 16th, 2011
1:26 pm
@UGA OWNS gtu: GT is not a university. There is no gtu. Your comment reminds me of a joke I once heard: What do GT grads and most UGA fans have in common? A: Neither went to UGA.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
1:29 pm
BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA
We absolutely OWN gtu!!!!!! We know it hurts you gtu fans, that’s why we ENJOY it so much!!!! LMAO
The only downside to going to gtu’s “campus” is all of the homeless people and bums. That whole place is a nasty dump.
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
1:32 pm
gtu = “georgia tech university” according to your own dumba$$ alum, Stephon Marbury.
BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
gtme2k
October 16th, 2011
1:33 pm
Mark, Good column. “Fat and Sassy” is a great way to describe the team. GT has been ripe to fall for the past couple of weeks. I regularly read Ken S. reports and week after week lately it’s been CPJ saying we’ve had an uninspired practice. Sounds like a whole lot of fat and sassy entitled attitude going on.
To all those worried about VT or UGA… don’t. We’ve consistently run all over them for the past 3 years. Should have beat UGA in Athens last year, and no one will convince me that Scott Blair didn’t bet against GT when he shanked the PAT to tie the game at 35.
Be worried about UM and Clemson who shut us down last year.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
1:37 pm
Are you gtu fans ready for your ANNUAL BEAT-DOWN????
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
Burgess
October 16th, 2011
1:59 pm
Seriously, a D1 team has 2 completions for 24 yards ???????
That high school offense will NEVER win big.
Drew
October 16th, 2011
2:04 pm
UVA has a big bad O-line and they rammed it down our throats, we knew what was comming and could not stop them. Hell playing in C-ville is always tough for us, nothing has changed. As for the offense, they hit us hard and make enough plays to hold us down. Give Virginia credit yesterday they were the better team, pretty simple.
gt4ever
October 16th, 2011
2:07 pm
Fat and Sassy my arse…. Good teams don’t get beat by terrible teams… Period! This team will be lucky to beat Duke….
gt4ever
October 16th, 2011
2:34 pm
And if Coach Richt is half the leader he thinks, then Todd Grantham should be looking for a JOB Monday morning…. Just ask yourself how GT can lose and still look better than UGA…. Todd Grantham to the rescue…. What a total JOKE this man has become….. Good Grief…
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
3:03 pm
We completely OWN gtu.
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
dawgfan
October 16th, 2011
3:08 pm
“Just ask yourself how GT can lose and still look better than UGA…. ”
I’m sorry but did you just try to claim a moral victory over VIRGINIA? LMFAO!!!
GT Fan...
October 16th, 2011
3:10 pm
Everybody on here says GT is better than UVA. But the YJs somehow lost to an inferior opponent.
Now all the naysayers are saying Miami (the suddenly better team) have no shot at losing to GT, when the exact scenario just played out for them in GT-UVA.
Glad the games are played on the field, and not in the minds of all the prophets on these blogs.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
3:18 pm
Tick tock gtu fans… it’s almost that time of year again!
IT’S TIME FOR YOUR ANNUAL BEAT-DOWN BY UGA!!!!
BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
Yowsa
October 16th, 2011
3:27 pm
UVA played better and won. Doesn’t mean they are the better squad or GT is that bad overall. They just got outplayed today and Bradley is right. Tech doesn’t have the elite talent to compensate for not mentally showing up. On the road in conference play…if you don’t show up, you lose. The thing that frustrates me… we haven’t had a balanced defense since Tenuta left. WTF is going on w/ our defense?
fan of tech, not bradley
October 16th, 2011
3:50 pm
Bradley, you’re such a UGA fan. No one expected more than 4th in the ACC for these Jackets. Now, just because they put a few wins together, they’re “fat and sassy.” Classy writing for the local team, chief.
realist
October 16th, 2011
3:51 pm
All you Tech fans quit worrying. We benefited from one of the easiests schedules in the counry and almos got to 7-0. We felt goog and got ranked. I see this happening every year in the future. We have announced we are going to play easier non conference schedules which should result in 3 wins out of 4 every year and then we always have Duke, NCState,Virginia, and usually NC or Wake and should go 6-0 or 7-0 every year before we play any tough teams. Our future looks good
fan of tech, not bradley
October 16th, 2011
3:53 pm
Did u go to college?
fourth and goal
October 16th, 2011
4:33 pm
It is time Tech recruited a real punter and kick off specialist. What we have is terrible.
Just a friendly reminder
October 16th, 2011
4:45 pm
GT 21
VIRGINIA (that’s right, Virginia) 24
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!
ramblwrk68
October 16th, 2011
5:19 pm
7-5, and that means we HAVE to win AT Durham, which might be tough going in there 6-4, and very demoralized after getting eliminated from the CC the previous week. ADDR needs to start putting out feelers …