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December 2008
Embarrassed in the Dome
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s no other way to put it: Tech got embarrassed by LSU.
It was 35-3 at halftime, 38-3 after three, and that was the final.
The Jackets made a ton of early mistakes. In the first half they roughed the passer, fumbled a punt, failed on a fake punt from their own 22, and got burned by an onside kick.
Josh Nesbitt missed open receivers. The defense got run over. It was Tech’s biggest halftime deficit since trailing Georgia 34-0 in 2002.
LSU looked more powerful, more prepared.
Did this dismal performance by Tech shock you?
Does it diminish what Tech accomplished this season?
And what did you think of LSU’s fake punt with under 10 minutes to go?
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Who’s more motivated?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bowl games often come down to which team is more excited to be there.
Watching Tech in Boise last year, CPJ said it was obvious the Jackets lacked enthusiasm.
CPJ and LSU’s Les Miles were asked about their teams’ motivation at the final press conference before tonight’s Chick-fil-A Bowl.
The question was aimed more at Miles, whose Tigers envisioned a BCS bowl after winning the national title last year.
Here’s what they said:
Les Miles: “I don’t know that anybody shoots for anything less than winning them all. I have to be honest, every team at the end of the year that’s had a great year plays in a bowl and that opportunity for victory and a bowl championship is truly the piece that we’re focused on.
“We practice with sincerity and you work at your business, you get to the back end of a bowl week, it doesn’t make any difference how sweet the environment’s been, and how much you enjoyed the time, the key is the game.
I’d be disappointed, like coach [Johnson], if our guys didn’t understand that fully and look forward to playing…I can tell you this is a nice bowl to be in and the want for victory to take into the offseason is very sincere. It does motivate your team into the spring. They enjoy coming off winning the last game. We’ve done that the last three years and certainly it’s been a springboard into a good recruiting season and a great spring.
“There’s plenty of motivation to play in this game.”
Here’s what CPJ said:
“Any time you get a chance to play against a quality opponent, for those people who are competitors, hopefully the juices are flowing and you’ll want a chance to measure yourself against that type of opponent. I think the bowl game is kind of an exclamation point on this season and can be a springboard into next year as well.
“You never know when you have the layoff what’s going to happen. I’d be really surprised and disappointed if our guys aren’t ready to play. I think they will be. Certainly, we’ve got a lot to play for and if we’re not ready, we’ll get embarrassed. That in itself ought to be enough motivation for our team.”
Tech comes in on a roll. The Jackets are 9-3 and have a chance to go 3-0 against the SEC. If Tech wins, there’s a chance it could end up in the Top 10. (Tech is ranked 14th now).
LSU, meanwhile, is 7-5 after losing four of its last six. But as Miles said, his LSU teams are 3-0 in bowl games and have used those wins to propel them into next season.
Players from both teams said all the right things this week, about how excited they are to be in this bowl game.
Which team do you think will be more fired up? Which team has more to play for?
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View from Baton Rouge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jim Kleinpeter, the outstanding LSU beat writer for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, took time this week to answer five questions about the Tigers and the bowl matchup:
What are the main reasons for LSU’s disappointing 7-5 record?
Everyone knew when Ryan Perrilloux was booted from the team in April it would take LSU down a notch. LSU had no quarterbacks with any experience and despite having a good offensive line and skill players, inconsistent play from Jarrett Lee hurt. He ended up throwing 16 interceptions, and though they weren’t all his fault, seven were returned for touchdowns.
But the biggest problem was on defense, where LSU had enough players from last year’s team to expect much better than what it showed. Twice they allowed 50-plus points, the first time in LSU history that has happened in one season. The defensive line was good against the run but LSU never had a consistent pass rush and young defensive backs repeatedly blew coverages all season. I believe there was a lack of leadership but also that the defense missed former defensive coordinator Bo Pelini’s fiery personality. I think last year’s unit played fiery and this year’s played more passive under co-cordinators Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto. The co-coordinator experiment was blamed and LSU will hire a new DC shortly after the bowl game.
Which LSU seniors are headed to the NFL?
The best bets are LG Herman Johnson, DE Tyson Jackson and C Brett Helms. Johnson was an All-American and is just a beast. Jackson hasn’t played up to the potential he showed as a sophomore, though he improved this year from his junior season. Helms is undersized, but a smart player. Lots of NFL teams go with smaller, mobile centers now. LB Darry Beckwith and DE Kirston Pittman have looked good at times, but both were nagged by injuries all season, which is a huge red flag for NFL scouts. Junior defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois had a groin injury and a disappointing season. He ought to come back, but is no fan of the classroom, so he might test the waters.
Give us a breakdown of freshman QB Jordan Jefferson and what you expect out of him Wednesday night.
We haven’t seen much of Jefferson. The coaching staff may have added a few plays for him that we don’t know about. He did looked rather poised for a freshman against Arkansas. The best thing about him is he is decisive when choosing between run and pass. He takes off, and he made some big plays with his feet. LSU can also go to its option package because he ran the spread option in high school and makes good decisions in that respect. He’s got a stronger arm than the other two QBs. The older players like him and say he’s cool and a leader in the huddle. I think the coaching staff will limit his burden because LSU has so many good players at WR and RB.
Talk about LSU’s offensive line and how it will fare against Michael Johnson and Tech’s front four.
Some may disagree with me, but I think LSU’s O-line was the unit that performed the best and most consistently. If LSU had chosen to run the ball more, it could have led the conference in rushing. It was close to the top. The pass protection was good until the end of the season when the whole team was in a funk. Three of the five are starting for the third straight year and four of them started last year. I haven’t seen Tech enough to handicap the matchup, but I know Michael Johnson is a good one. If he lines up at right end, you will have the best matchup in the game. LSU LT Ciron Black hasn’t missed a start in three years and is just as good as LG Herman Johnson.
How motivated are the Tigers?
I can’t say for certain because we aren’t around the players much, but I would have to guess it’s hard for them to care much about this game. The team just sagged completely after the loss to Alabama, which was sort of a last hurrah. The loss to Arkansas was inexcusable, as was falling behind Troy 31-3. I said earlier the leadership was not good. I think we’ll find out Wednesday. If LSU comes out and plays hard, it will be a testament to its leadership. If they don’t, it will prove my point. This game is a springboard for the players returning. It’s the seniors and how they want their last game to go — that will make the difference.
Your thoughts?
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D-Line’s swan song
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Michael Johnson, Vance Walker, Darryl Richard and Derrick Morgan (plus Elris Anyaibe and the other backups on the D-Line) have lived up to expectations. That’s saying something, given how high those expectations were.
The seniors — Johnson, Walker, Richard and Anyaibe — will go out with a matchup against one of the best O-Lines they’ve faced. Left guard Herman Johnson is an All-American and left tackle Ciron Black is second-team All-SEC. Watching Black against Johnson will be intriguing.
D-Line coach Giff Smith said if he had to compare the Tigers’ O-Line to one Tech faced this year, he’d pick Virginia’s: good size, quick feet, lots of experience.
“We hope to do a better job than we did against Virginia,” Smith said.
The D-Line’s last performance, against Georgia, wasn’t great, but they got two sacks and Morgan drew three big holding penalties.
Smith said the seniors have a lot at stake in the bowl game.
“They want to go out with 10 wins,” he said. “They were able to stop the streak versus Georgia. They’ve got a chance, if we win, to finish in the Top 10. And it’s their last time getting to put the GT on their helmet and that means a lot to those kids. This has been a special place for those kids.”
Tech is facing a true freshman quarterback making only his second start. But Smith said Jordan Jefferson is plenty capable.
“We actually had Jefferson in camp going into his senior year and we thought he was a heck of a player then,” Smith said. “He’s young, but he’s played enough and with all these weeks of bowl practice, he’s not a young kid anymore. He’s experienced enough that they’ve got the whole package in with him.
“It’s going to create a challenge because he’s athletic but he can really throw the ball too. He’s a dual threat. They’ve gained some confidence in him at quarterback, so it’s going to be a big challenge.”
What kind of performance do you expect from the D-Line on Wednesday?
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How dangerous are these Tigers?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LSU’s last impressive performance came more than two months ago when the Tigers won 24-17 at South Carolina.
Since then, they’ve gone 2-4 with victories over Tulane and Troy. They’ve given up 31 points in each of their last three games. They’ll start a true freshman quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. It will be Jefferson’s second start.
In addition, the 7-5 Tigers are dealing with impending changes on their defensive staff.
That said, Tech has plenty to worry about.
For starters, there is no shortage of bigtime talent on LSU’s roster.
Running back Charles Scott (1,109 rushing yards, 15 TDs), wideout Brandon LaFell (61 catches, 903 yards, 8 TDs), and defensive ends Rahim Alem (8 sacks) and Tyson Jackson (8.5 tackles for loss) are just some of the Tigers’ playmakers. Trindon Holliday is an electric return man.
Coach Les Miles is 3-0 in bowl games at LSU. And you know the Tigers are hungry to redeem themselves after a disappointing season.
Tech fans, what concerns you most about this matchup?
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Questions for the Jackets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the Jackets off until Friday, it’s a good time to look back on this surprising season.
We asked the players to pick out the most memorable moment. We asked them at what point they started believing this would be a special season. On a lighter note, we asked them to tell us their favorite Christmas gifts.
Here are some of the best answers:
A-back Lucas Cox said that after the 19-16 win at Boston College, a team that “came in here and destroyed us last year, when Matt Ryan had a heyday, once we beat them I thought we could do whatever we wanted.”
He couldn’t pick between two moments, Josh Nesbitt taking a knee against Georgia and Florida State as time ran out. “Against Florida State I’m going to shake hands and I’m getting slapped in the head by all the fans on the field. That was probably the most fun time.”
Best Christmas gift: Nintendo’s N64. “I was probably in 5th or 6th grade. It was awesome. That’s when video games took over our lives.”
B-back Jonathan Dwyer pointed to the first two road games at B.C. and Virginia Tech. “Even though we came out of Virginia Tech with a loss, just realizing how close we were, I realized the potential we had, that we could have a dominant team.”
Top moment? Easy. “Georgia. Going out there and beating them at Sanford Stadium, between the hedges, ripping the hedges after the game. That was a great memorable moment.”
Best Christmas gift: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles playset. “I was 5 or 6 years old. That was the show I used to watch all the time, we’d go crazy when it came on. Just having the toys, and my own imagination to play with them, that’s a great thing.”
Left guard Cord Howard said the win over Florida State proved “that we could play up to competition. The greater the competition, the more we play up.”
Howard said the season flew by. “Every week was like bam, bam, bam, bam, pretty much over with. When I got to the Georgia game, I was like, We’re playing Georgia and it’s like we just got out of camp.”
Best Christmas gift: Harley Davidson Big Wheel. “I was probably around seven. That was one of my all-time favorites. My parents saved it for a long time.”
Defensive tackle Vance Walker said he knew Tech would be good even before CPJ was hired. “I just knew the type of players we had. Past years, I didn’t know everybody because I was an underclassman. Being at the top, a senior, looking down, I could see the players who were going to play. I knew the attitudes of the guys on the team and I could just see we would be successful.”
He’ll savor most the wins over Georgia and FSU. “Those two alone will be the biggest things that I remember from this year.”
Best Christmas gift: Playstation. “When it first came out, I was like 10. I have memories of that Playstation. That definitely made my life…I didn’t think I was going to get one. It was for me and my brothers, actually. I was pretty excited because my parents aren’t really with technology. They had no idea. It surprised me that they would get one for us.”
Linebacker Brad Jefferson said he knew the Jackets would be good during camp, “when everything started connecting, when we started getting used to the coaches and the new offense they brought in and the new defense. They put in plays and we just started catching onto it and we started rolling.”
Beating Georgia stands out more than anything. “After the game, we really didn’t know what to do. You couldn’t explain it, how you felt. It was unbelievable.”
Best Christmas gift: “The color Gameboy. It had just come out. When I got that, you couldn’t tell me anything. That’s all I wanted.”
Quarterback Josh Nesbitt said the last two weeks of camp, “I could see the team developing. With our defense and running the triple option, I knew we could give a lot of teams trouble.”
Best Christmas gift: money. “My mom gave me like $300 dollars when I was 15.” Any specific reason? “Who knows?” he said with a laugh. “I was just glad she gave it to me. I didn’t ask any questions.”
Some other favorites…
Cooper Taylor - hunting bow; Michael Johnson - hunting rifle; Roddy Jones - a TV for his room when he was 11.
So how would you answer these same questions?
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Unsung Jackets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Happy holidays everyone.
Georgia Tech wouldn’t be 9-3 and 14th in the BCS if it hadn’t gotten contributions up and down the roster.
We asked a bunch of players to pick out the team’s unsung heroes, guys who don’t get a lot of attention but are critical to Tech’s success.
Here’s what they said:
Linebacker Brad Jefferson: “I would say [safety] Dominique Reese. He’s really competitive. When the defense got down, he stayed positive and got everybody up. He went out there and made plays and if somebody doesn’t know what to do, he knows the defense, he’ll tell them what to do. He needs credit for that.”
Quarterback Josh Nesbitt: “[A-back] Lucas Cox. On all the long runs, all the good pass plays, he’s in them. It might not be shown, but he’s making a good block, kicking a man out, different things like that.”
Linebacker Sedric Griffin: “Lucas Cox. He’s a hardworking guy. He represents the state of Pennsylvania, those hard workers who go out and grind every day. He makes all the blocks, all the right reads. He’s a great player.”
Safety Cooper Taylor: “[Defensive tackle] Elris Anyaibe. You never hear anything about him. He’s a quiet guy, he’s always making plays and he’s kind of under the radar.”
Defensive end Michael Johnson: “Elris Anyaibe. He can come in and play any position on the D-Line. He’s stepped in, started a game, just made big plays, and it’s been like that throughout his career. When called upon, he’s made plays and stepped up. He’s been doing that since I got here.”
A-back Roddy Jones: “The offensive line, and center Dan Voss in particular. He’s the guy who makes all the calls, makes sure the line is on the same page with protections and run plays, and he just really identifies the defense for everybody. He doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves. Really the whole offensive line. All those guys do a great job. Without them, nothing would work.”
B-back Jonathan Dwyer: “The O-Line. Everybody puts a lot of pressure on them, but they’ve done a good job as the weeks have gone on. They’re improving each and every week.”
A-back Lucas Cox: “Our entire O-Line. If they have a good game, we have a good game. We can’t do anything without them.”
So who’s your pick, and why?
Let’s stipulate that you can’t choose Josh Nesbitt, Jonathan Dwyer, Roddy Jones, Demaryius Thomas, Morgan Burnett or any starting defensive lineman.
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Contract minutiae
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some odds and ends from Paul Johnson’s contract that didn’t make it into today’s story.
1) It wasn’t merely the season or the apparent direction of the team that factored in the negotiation. Johnson’s agent Jack Reale and AD Dan Radakovich noted that the “very tangible, demonstrable excitement” (Reale’s words) that Johnson has created within Tech’s fan base was a factor. It was leverage for Johnson, as his popularity and the buzz from the team’s success have a tangible effect on Tech’s fund-raising ability.
“As I go out to do my job, whether it’s to sell more tickets or to increase contributions to the overall athletic department, when you have a successful football program, the door opens, the phone call is taken. Just because of the magnitude of the program, as far as how it’s covered in the media and television and radio, all the different media outlets, there’s a value to that.”
2) Radakovich acknowledged it’s possible we all might be going through another re-structuring again next winter. That said, Radakovich said he was “absolutely” confident that Johnson will be here a long time, and Johnson has made statements along the same lines.
Said Radakovich, “Again, it goes to the market and the success of the program. There’s nothing that says it can’t (happen) and there’s nothing that says it can.”
3) It’ll be interesting to see what happens with ticket prices and the Tech Fund giving levels. This has been in the works for awhile, well before the re-negotiation came up, although that could impact prices. At any rate, and you might know this better than me, but evidently in some sections there’s a lot of demand for seats and not so much in others.
So Tech may boost the requisite Tech Fund donation level in the sections with a lot of demand and drop it in others. And if ticket prices go up, it doesn’t sound like they’ll go up a lot. I’m guessing they’re counting on a larger season ticket base for 2009.
Said Radakovich, “I can tell you what it’s not going to be: It’s not going to be a straight ‘X’ percent increase for each of the categories.”
4) I’m not sure how much you can trust the coaching salaries you see published. I’ve seen Bobby Bowden’s salary anywhere from $2.5 million to just under $2 million. We put enough stock in a lower figure to determine that Johnson, for now, is the highest paid coach in the ACC (although we wrote previously that Bowden’s salary was $2.5 million, which was based on a reported figure). But it might not be long before Johnson gets passed if Bowden or Frank Beamer re-do their deals.
5) There apparently weren’t any one or two other coaching contracts that were a benchmark for Johnson’s. Reale said it was based on “a general knowledge of the market.”
6) There are plenty of incentives for Johnson to hit. We’ll hopefully publish those when we can get a copy of the contract.
What do you think?
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Gettin’ paid!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Paul Johnson and Tech finished their contract negotiations Thursday morning, and CPJ got money, as Lil Wayne says.
He will make $2.3 million next year, putting him just behind Bobby Bowden in terms of ACC coaching salaries, and places him among the top 20 nationally.
So, is this money well-spent? Sound off below….
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Tale of two halves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don’t know how many of you were at the Tech-Georgia State game last night, but it was mixed results. There was a lot of sloppy play, particularly in the first half. Before halftime, Tech shot 38 percent from the floor, turned the ball over 15 times and made 11 of 20 free throws.
Paul Hewitt attributed some of it to point guard Moe Miller’s absence. He broke his nose against Illinois-Chicago and will be out at least three weeks. He was at the game and had a bandage on his nose.
But in Lewis Clinch’s return, there was a glimmer of hope. As you might have read in Larry’s story, he went for 18 points, four assists (against two turnovers) and hit four of eight three-pointers. It was his first game of the season after sitting out the first semester academically ineligible.
He was, at least for one night, what Hewitt is hoping he can be - an outside presence who can keep defenses honest and a leader on the floor. Tech shot 68 percent from the floor in the second half as the Jackets pounded Georgia State inside. Hewitt said that there was a stretch in the second half when Tech played the best that it has this season.
Georgia State coach Rod Barnes said it was his team’s plan to keep Clinch from scoring from the outside, but the Panthers were unable.
Said Barnes, “Now they’ve got someone to free ‘em up on the perimeter. When you don’t have anybody who can shoot on the perimeter, you can pack it in. I think that happened [last night] against us, … They stretched us a little bit because of him, which I think makes them a better team. Without him, they still might have scored inside, but we probably would have had every one of our players on top of them (in the paint).”
It remains to be seen if a) Clinch can keep it up; b) if this will work once ACC play starts. As those of you who follow the team know, Clinch has had a history of being up and down. Last year, he started the season scoring in double figures in 12 of Tech’s first 15 games. In the 15th game, Hewitt moved him out of the starting lineup to give Tech some punch off of the bench. While he generally received fewer minutes, Clinch scored in double figures only three times after that.
Further, it may be awhile before Clinch’s teammates get acclimated to him. (Hewitt said that one thing he wants to do with the team’s practice time in Los Angeles will be to work on “different things we can do offensively” with Clinch back.)
For what it’s worth, Hewitt is bullish on Clinch this season. I mentioned it in a story before the Georgia State game. Naturally, he ought to, given that he recruited Clinch. But he sounded upbeat and proud of Clinch’s efforts in getting his grades back up and leading the team even while he wasn’t playing. Hewitt said he has a new focus on the court and said he surmised that his play would be “very, very strong.”
What’s your take?
If you’re looking for it, Paul Johnson’s new contract should be coming out today or tomorrow. We’ll post something as soon as we find something out. My guess would be somewhere around $2 million annually (he was at $1.6 million before), an extension and maybe a larger buyout clause.
Some news from the Baton Rouge Advocate. Both of LSU’s co-defensive coordinators are interviewing for jobs and one of them, Doug Mallory, has been offered. The Advocate story cites a New Mexico paper with an interesting twist on the head coaching job search. The AD has offered the job to Mallory and a Louisville assistant, and the first one to respond gets the job. Interesting.
Anyway, this is obviously good news for Tech fans. This won’t help LSU prepare for the Jackets.
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Inside the numbers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you read Tim Tucker’s UGA blog yesterday, this will sound familiar.
But I thought it’d be interesting to look at some numbers from Tech’s 9-3 season.
Tech had 64 plays of 20 yards or more. Twenty of those went for touchdowns. That pretty much put to rest any concern this was a plodding offense.
Tech had 23 touchdown drives of three minutes or less.
Tech led the ACC in total offense (377.3 yards per game).
Tech is 5-1 in games decided by four points or less. Is that coaching? A little luck? Some of both?
Tech picked off 18 passes this season (tied for ninth nationally), compared to five last year. Morgan Burnett has 7 picks (tied for first nationally). A lot of the credit must go to the D-Line.
Jonathan Dwyer tied Tashard Choice’s Tech record with nine 100-yard rushing games. Choice is playing well for the Dallas Cowboys, and we’ll see Dwyer in the NFL in a few years.
Looking at the bowl matchup, Tech has the statistical edge over LSU.
Tech ranks third in the nation in rushing offense (282.3 yards per game), 22nd in rushing defense, 23rd in total defense and 22nd in scoring defense.
LSU ranks in the top 25 in only one major category. The Tigers are 17th in rushing defense, allowing 105.7 yards per game.
What stats jump out at you the most?
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Most important game of the season?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I guess it depends on how you define important, which is up to you to decide. The Georgia game, for instance, was important because it broke Tech’s seven-game losing streak against UGA, but on the other hand, Tech’s season was already a success by that point. It was a capstone win, not the foundation. I’d say that a game was important because it helped make the season what it was.
Here are my thoughts on what made each win important. What do you think were maybe the two or three most important?
Jacksonville State - gave a hint at what was to come, answered a lot of questions that the offense could work, showed off big-play potential.
Boston College - A win over what might have been the toughest defense Tech faced, win on the road over a defending ACC division champion, comeback showed Jackets’ mettle
Mississippi State - first game that the offense overpowered an opponent (500 yards of offense), bounceback win after loss to Virginia Tech, win over SEC, depth at quarterback proven as Jaybo Shaw played most of the way
Duke - Demaryius Thomas’ breakout game (230 yards) reveals breadth of offense, defense gets a shutout and gives up just 132 yards, arguably Tech’s best game to that point, gave Tech more credibility as Duke was an up-and-coming team at that point
Gardner-Webb - I’m not sure how you spin this. It’s important in that they won when it could have very easily been a loss.
Clemson - win got rid of bad taste of Gardner-Webb game, a defeat of a team that was a lot better than it showed at that point, another fourth-quarter comeback that showcased Josh Nesbitt’s playmaking ability
Florida State - ended Tech’s 0-12 streak against FSU, the most emotional and memorable win of the season (pre-Georgia), made Tech bowl-eligible, kept Tech from losing two in a row, kept ACC title hopes alive
Miami - dominating performance on ESPN, clinched share of Coastal Division title, seniors go out winners at home, (again) kept Tech from losing two in a row.
Georgia - broke the streak, comeback from 16 points down at halftime, probably put Tech in Chick-fil-A, Roddy Jones’ breakout game, um, did we mention the streak?
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Too early to judge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, the Jackets lost a game they should have won.
They had the ball with the score tied 57-57, just over a minute left. They were on their home floor against Illinois-Chicago of the Horizon League.
Gani Lawal turned it over on a bad pass, UIC hit a 3-pointer, Iman Shumpert missed 2 free throws, and the Flames hit 4-of-4 from the line to seal it.
Tech is now 5-2 against a relatively soft schedule, with Georgia State visiting Wednesday. That won’t be a gimme either; Georgia State lost by five on Saturday to 9-1 Florida State.
All that said, it’s too early to judge these Jackets, and here’s why:
They lost senior wing D’Andre Bell to a spinal condition right before the season.
Point guard Moe Miller suffered a concussion in the second game, against Mercer, and hasn’t played like he did at the end of last season. Now Miller is hurt again. He took an elbow across the nose Sunday and looks doubtful for Wednesday.
Senior guard Lewis Clinch hasn’t played yet due to academics. He’s expected back Wednesday.
With all of those backcourt issues, the freshman Shumpert is being asked to do everything. He played a game-high 37 minutes Sunday. Walk-on Nick Foreman is playing critical minutes (and stepping up — he hit a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left to cut the deficit to two).
Bell isn’t coming back this season, but it would be nice to see what this team looks like with Clinch and a healthy Miller in the lineup. That would give Shumpert, who’s leading the team in minutes, an occasional breather.
Lawal and Alade Aminu had been very consistent until subpar outings on Sunday. Zachery Peacock showed a nice mid-range touch Sunday, and Lance Storrs continues to shoot well from behind the arc. Shumpert earned ACC rookie honors a week ago. So there are some reasons for optimism.
Do you think the Jackets can put it together in time for conference play?
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Johnson, Clinch and a question
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hope all are well. A few things I’ll toss out:
1) As far as Paul Johnson-Auburn rumors go, I’d still be very surprised if something happens. I’m not sure Dan Radakovich or Jack Reale not commenting on negotiations is necessarily evidence that something is happening. For one thing, Radakovich has said, through a Tech spokesman, that he’s not going to comment.
For another, and I don’t entirely get this, but coaches don’t seem to come out and say, “I’m staying and I have no interest in job X.” I guess one reason would be that it would reduce their leverage if they were doing something like, say, renegotiating a contract.
And just because Auburn is reaching out doesn’t mean that Johnson is listening.
Tech begins bowl practice Saturday. (It was supposed to be today, but there are still players finishing exams.) I’m sure the matter will come up then when Johnson talks to reporters.
2) Basketball guard Lewis Clinch could return from academic ineligibility as early as Sunday’s game against Illinois-Chicago, although it’s not certain. It sounds like his grades would have to be posted earlier than required by his professors and, of course, he’d have to make the appropriate grades. We should know more by Saturday.
3) Here’s my question, which I guess was spurred by all of the Heisman talk about Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford. If you had the choice between Jonathan Dwyer winning the Heisman, Tech going to the Orange Bowl or another win over Georgia, what would you choose?
My guess is most of you would pick beating Georgia, and might in the process call me an idiot for even asking, and if that’s the case, I’ve underestimated the fervor of the rivalry.
The case for the Orange Bowl - Tech hasn’t won the ACC in the two-division format and has only won the ACC outright once, in 1990. Tech hasn’t played in the Orange Bowl since 1967. It would mean a strong overall season, presumably a pretty high ranking and the showcase of a BCS bowl. (although Virginia Tech-Cincinnati is one game I might miss)
The case for Dwyer winning the Heisman - It’s never happened at Tech. Joe Hamilton (1999) and Billy Lothridge (1963) both finished second. If Dwyer won, it would almost certainly mean Tech did well, as Heisman winners invariably come from teams in the top 15. So I guess that would mean, like, Tech went 10-2 and lost one division game that kept them out of the ACC title game or lost the title game and also lost to Georgia.
(The three options are mutually exclusive. You can’t say, well, if Dwyer were to win the Heisman, that probably means Tech beat Georgia.)
The thing about a Heisman is, think about how much attention and buzz Bradford and Tebow have brought to their school. It’s a whole lot more than a win over Georgia or a spot in the Orange Bowl would (although ultimately it’s the player getting the attention, not the school). But it gives a school cachet that few other things can.
And it would mean you’d have great memories for a long, long time. And think about what sort of recruiting clout Tech would have with anyone it recruited at B-back.
What do you think? (other than that I’m an an idiot)
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Some more kudos for Johnson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings, all-
Not a lot of news I can share with you, so I found some links that you might find interesting if you haven’t come upon them already.
Stewart Mandel of si.com gave Paul Johnson a nod in a season recap, naming him his coach of the year. I think the AP coach of the year doesn’t come out for another week or so. I’d have to think Nick Saban is the favorite, but I wonder if his losing to Florida might hurt his candidacy a little.
Heather Dinich of espn.com, who writes a blog about the ACC, named Jonathan Dwyer the offensive player of the year and Johnson coach of the year.
Mark Schlabach ranked the Chick-fil-A game as the No. 11 bowl game for this year.
I might bump it up a little higher, but you have to remember that LSU is unranked and kind of backing into the game. The Tigers have lost their last four SEC games. However, the Chick-fil-A has a remarkable history of producing close finishes. Further, it does well in the ratings, thanks in no small part to being unopposed in its time slot on ESPN.
LSU may change out its co-defensive coordinators, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate. This can’t be a good thing for the Tigers in preparation for Tech, either tactically and from a morale perspective. Further, the story said that two assistants could be hired away to be head coaches elsewhere.
I’m wondering if you’d rather face LSU in this state or get a team that’s totally focused on Tech.
Apparently, a Tech fan and Auburn fan were going back and forth yesterday editing Johnson’s wikipedia page. The Auburn fan added that it was recently announced that Johnson was going to Auburn and the Tech fan changed that out and declared Johnson “invincible.” To see it, go to the page and click on the page history link, which is at the top.
As you probably know, Dan Radakovich is meeting today with Jack Reale, Johnson’s agent. I don’t know if a new contract will get done today. If there’s news today, we’ll post it as soon as we find out.
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Crunching the coaches’ poll
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A lot of you might have already seen this, but the final coaches ballot for the USA Today poll is made public. The USA Today website did a great job with the ballot; it’s interactive and allows you to look at the voting in a couple different ways. You can see it here.
I’ll give you some stuff I found interesting. Tech finished 15th, the third-highest team with three losses after No. 13 Oregon and No. 14 Oklahoma State.
Most coaches had them in the 14-15-16 range. Here are the outliers (I limited it to the coaches who slotted them four or more spots away from No. 15)
No. 9 Gary Pinkel, Missouri
No. 10 Tommy Bowden, Clemson
No. 11 Bret Bielema, Wisconsin
No. 19 Rich Rodriguez, Michigan; Jim Tressel, Ohio State
No. 20 Joe Glenn, Wyoming; Pat Hill, Fresno State
As best I could tell, out of the 61 coaches, 57 selected the Jackets as the top ACC team.
The four that didn’t -
Jeff Genyk, Eastern Michigan (Virginia Tech 15, Georgia Tech 16)
Pat Hill, Fresno State (Virginia Tech 12, Georgia Tech 20)
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina (Virginia Tech 16, Georgia Tech 18)
Jim Tressel, Ohio State (Virginia Tech 15, Georgia Tech 19)
Coaches who faced Tech, other ACC coaches, Les Miles and George O’Leary
Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech - 13 (Virginia Tech 23, Boston College 25)
Tommy Bowden, Clemson (formerly) - 10 (Virginia Tech 13, Boston College 16, North Carolina 25)
Bobby Bowden, Florida State - 16 (Virginia Tech 20, Boston College 23)
Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State (formerly) - 15 (Virginia Tech 19, Boston College 23)
Butch Davis, North Carolina - 14 (Virginia Tech 17, North Carolina 24)
Jim Grobe, Wake Forest - 14 (Virginia Tech 20, Boston College 25)
Les Miles, LSU - 12 (Virginia Tech 23, Boston College 24)
Tom O’Brien, N.C. State - 15 (Virginia Tech 20, Boston College 24)
George O’Leary, Central Florida - 13 (Virginia Tech 17, Boston College 22)
Mark Richt, Georgia - 15 (Georgia 16, Virginia Tech 23, Boston College 24)
The six ACC coaches with ballots ranked Tech an average of 13.7. The seven SEC coaches ranked Tech an average of 14.4.
I’m wondering, but are you more bothered by the coaches who ranked Tech lower than the average than you are pleased about the ones who ranked them higher?
I’m asking more out of curiosity and because I suspect that is the case. This is going way outside the realm of football, but I think that fans, and people in general, are more aware of when they think they’ve gotten worse than they think they deserve than they are of when they think they’ve gotten better than they think they deserve.
For instance, you often hear fans (or coaches or players) say, “The referees stole the game from us,” but you rarely hear, “Wow, we really got some lucky breaks.”
But, anyway, enough dime-store psychology. What do you think about the rest of the stuff?
P.S. this is totally non sequitur, but an answer to a question that was asked in the last blog and that I’d seen posed elsewhere. Tech will be the home team and, as such, will be allowed to choose its uniform (presumably white). Home-team status alternates between the SEC and ACC teams.
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Tech’s toughest opponents this season
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sorry for the delay. Computer issues.
Anyway, Tech is not practicing until Friday of this week, but Dean Buchan, the sports information director, was nice enough to bring in a few players to the office to talk to some other reporters and myself. Among them were Josh Nesbitt, Morgan Burnett and Dan Voss.
Before I forget, Voss said that he is having an MRI on his left shoulder on Thursday. He said it had popped out of the socket against Mississippi State and then subluxed (a partial dislocation) another time. But it hasn’t come out again, so he’s played with it. But after the MRI, he said he’ll decide (with the help of doctors and his parents) whether or not to have surgery or to let it heal naturally.
Anyway, the question came up to Burnett and Voss about the best players they’d faced this season, which I thought was interesting.
Voss said Boston College defensive tackles B.J. Raji and Ron Brace. If you don’t remember, they’re the two stout tackles (647 pounds combined officially and probably more than that). Raji was first-team all-ACC (along with Vance Walker) and Brace was second team (with Darryl Richard).
“Those two, because they’re such similar players,” he said. “I didn’t get a break going from one side to the other, as opposed to one of them was good, one of them wasn’t. They just wear you down.”
He also mentioned Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran, saying that he was athletic and hard to get to the ground with cut blocks.
Burnett mentioned a lot of players — Florida State wide receiver Greg Carr, Clemson running back James Davis, Virginia running back Cedric Peerman and three players from Georgia, quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Knowshon Moreno and wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi.
I asked him to pick one or two, and naturally he said Josh Nesbitt and Jonathan Dwyer. Then I asked him to pick players he’d played on Saturday. He picked Stafford.
“He did some big things against us, throwing for 407 yards,” he said. “He was just clicking, making the right throws and the right reads, and then we just caught him on one play, we got good pressure from Brad Jefferson up the middle and I got the interception and was lucky enough to score. But he was making good reads and it was like he was throwing the ball right on the money, perfect timing.”
Interesting thoughts from both, I thought.
Personally, I’d say Cedric Peerman had the best game against Tech this season. He was hard to bring down and made a lot of big plays. I don’t think I can remember anyone hurting Georgia Tech like he did this season.
Who would you say was the best player Tech faced this season?
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Paul Johnson at the bargaining table
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tech athletics director Dan Radakovich did a smart thing last week. Tuesday, the day that Paul Johnson was named ACC coach of the year and, notably, a day before Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville resigned/was forced out, Radakovich set up a meeting with Johnson’s agent to talk about his contract.
This wasn’t a reaction to the possibility that Johnson could leave for Auburn or somewhere else; it was a move to keep him from becoming one.
They’ll meet Thursday to try to figure out what Johnson’s value is. A year ago, when Johnson left Navy to come to Tech, he signed for seven years and a minimum of $11.225 million, an average of about $1.6 million. Interviewed also by SMU and Duke, Johnson likely gave up more money to come to Tech.
Today, of course, Johnson is ACC coach of the year and is in the conversation for national coach of the year awards. The Jackets tied for the ACC Coastal Division title and, you may have heard, beat Georgia for the first time in eight years. More than that, he has obviously got fans excited and has represented the institute well.
So, again, what’s that worth? Obviously, to a lot of people, particularly with the economy as it is, there is a sentiment that Johnson should just be happy he’s making what he’s making and not ask for a cent more.
For example, I just finished reading “War as They Knew It” by Michael Rosenberg, a great book about the rivalry between Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes. (Full disclosure: Mike is a very good friend of mine. Regardless, it’s a great book and I promise I’m making a point and not just plugging the book.) Anyway, according to the book and my recollection, Hayes never asked for a raise the whole time he was at Ohio State.
But here’s the argument for why he deserves to get a raise. First, his employer apparently thinks so. Second, if he’s the best coach in the ACC, or among the best in the country, as I’m going to guess a lot of you think he is, shouldn’t he be paid accordingly?
And, perhaps the most important factor, and the one that Radakovich was likely considering -while $1.6 million is a crazy amount of money, Tech fans don’t want him to leave if another school tempts him with an even crazier amount.
I don’t get the sense that Johnson is the type to jump jobs, or is seeking the fattest contract in football, or would be be one who would let himself get wooed just to get a raise. But you could argue that that’s a reason to give him a raise, to reward loyalty.
All this to say, let me give you some salaries of some of those peers. Some may not be completely up to date; it took a bit of scouring to come up with the figures. At any rate:
Mark Richt, UGA, $2.8 million
Bobby Bowden, FSU, $2.4 million
Tommy Bowden, Clemson (before he resigned/was fired), $2.2 million
Butch Davis, UNC, $2.1 million
Al Groh, UVa, $1.875 million
Ralph Friedgen, Maryland, $1.75 million
Tom O’Brien, N.C. State, $1.1 million
If you were Radakovich, or Johnson, what do you think is a reasonable figure?
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The underrated Derrick Morgan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When the All-ACC teams came out earlier this week, Georgia Tech was well represented.
But CPJ thought a few players deserved more recognition than they got. S Morgan Burnett made the second team, DE Derrick Morgan got honorable mention and WR Demaryius Thomas was left off completely.
Burnett tied for the lead nationally with seven interceptions and led the Jackets with 79 tackles. Morgan led all Tech defensive linemen with 48 tackles. He had seven sacks (tied for the team lead with Michael Johnson, tied for fourth in the ACC), played the run well and drew several holding penalties that killed drives. Thomas caught 36 balls for 595 yards and three touchdowns.
“Derrick Morgan had a great year,” CPJ said. “He may have been one of our best players on the whole team all year. Morgan Burnett jumped out, but there’s a lot of guys that are deserving. Bay-Bay Thomas had a good year. He’s not going to have the 75 catches but he had 35 catches and blocked his tail off and was a big part of us winning. But you start singling guys out, you’re going to miss somebody.”
Morgan, a sophomore, will be the only returning starter on the D-Line next year. Tech also loses top backup Elris Anyaibe.
But throughout this season, coaches have expressed a lot of confidence in the backups, which bodes well for next season. The backups got a lot of playing time, enabling Michael Johnson and company to stay fresh. D-Line was one of the few areas where Tech was blessed with depth.
DE Robert Hall, a redshirt sophomore, played in all 12 games. He had 11 tackles, 1.5 for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. DE Jason Peters, a redshirt freshman, had two sacks and three tackles for loss. DT Ben Anderson, a redshirt sophomore, played in every game but one.
Replacing Michael Johnson, Vance Walker and Darryl Richard will be difficult, if not impossible. Morgan will see plenty of double teams, just like Johnson did this year.
Do you think Morgan and the guys waiting their turn can continue the outstanding D-Line play? Or do you think we’ll see a big dropoff?
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Replacing Ole Miss
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tech’s football schedules in 2010 and 2011 have an opening.
Ole Miss recently asked to delay the scheduled home-and-home series. Ole Miss was supposed to come to Bobby Dodd in 2010, with the Jackets going to Oxford in 2011. Now the series won’t happen until late in the decade.
Tech AD Dan Radakovich said he’ll replace Ole Miss with another bigtime opponent, probably from the SEC or Big East. He said this situation is nothing like the quandary he faced when Army pulled out of its game set for Oct. 11 of this year.
That was a single game, no return trip, and Radakovich could only find a I-AA opponent willing to do that on short notice. Gardner-Webb didn’t turn out to be a pushover, but that’s another story.
Radakovich said there’s plenty of time to find a BCS conference opponent for the home-and-home series. He said he might have it scheduled by February or March.
It’s a shame the series has been delayed: Ole Miss-Tech is an intriguing matchup. Both programs had terrific seasons under first-year coaches, coaches who are offensive innovators.
But who would you like to see on the schedule instead?
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Looking ahead
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tech’s football team is poised for a pretty nice run over the next few years.
As you all know, 16 of 22 starters are freshmen and sophomores.
Let’s look at the backfield. On Tuesday, CPJ was talking about why B-back Jon Dwyer deserves to be named the ACC’s Offensive Player of the Year. (The winner will be announced today).
He said Dwyer’s durability was critical because backup Quincy Kelly was unavailable much of the time and Richard Watson was redshirted.
So think about 2009: Dwyer and Kelly will be juniors. They’ll be joined by Watson, a 6-1, 225-pounder from Tallahassee who was the third or fourth-best fullback recruit coming out of high school.
Roddy Jones, Lucas Cox, Embry Peeples and Marcus Wright return as A-backs (Greg Smith didn’t see any action the last couple games).
Throw in Louisville transfer Anthony Allen, another combo of power and speed. The 6-foot, 225-pounder played in all 12 games last year for the Cardinals, running for nearly 700 yards and seven TDs. He averaged 4.8 yards a carry and caught 21 passes.
That’s a loaded backfield.
Here’s what CPJ said Tuesday about the state of his offense:
“We can get a whole lot better. We can get better at almost every area offensively in terms of execution. We can get better at our reads, our steps and fundamentals. We will get more of it in and understand our schemes better. We have to be able to throw the ball better, and that goes back to protection and route-running. We will have a spring to work on that stuff. I would love to get some of the run-and- shoot stuff in that we didn’t have a chance to get in. So, as you can see, there are a lot of things we can get better at. I feel like we have only scratched the surface on offense. I didn’t think we were very good on offense this year from my standards and I think we can do better.”
Georgia Tech averaged 26.2 points this year, which ranked fifth in the ACC.
What do you expect in 2009?
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Big week in hoops
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The preliminaries are over.
After going 4-0 against Winston-Salem State, Mercer, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Jacksonville, the Jackets step up in class to face Penn State at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. Saturday. Both games are at AMC.
Beating the 6-1 Nittany Lions would even Tech’s record at 5-5 in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge.
We’re going to find out a lot about the Jackets this week.
Gani Lawal and Alade Aminu have been dominant inside. Can they keep that up against bigger and better competition?
The Jackets are shooting 58 percent on free throws. Do they find their stroke, or does this cost the Jackets a close game?
Iman Shumpert, the freshman, has been solid and at times outstanding. He’s third in the ACC with 2.5 steals a game. Tech has needed him to play a lot of point guard because of Moe Miller’s concussion. Shumpert is playing major minutes because of how thin the backcourt is; he committed six turnovers against Jacksonville. (But also had five assists, four steals and 12 points.) How will he fare when the opposition gets tougher?
Based on what you’ve seen so far, what do you think we’ll learn this week?
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Awards, bowls and hedges
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech is the ACC’s highest-ranked team (15th in the BCS), so the Jackets should collect some hardware this week.
All-ACC Teams will be announced today, followed by Coach and Rookie of the Year on Tuesday and Players of the Year on Wednesday.
For Coach of the Year, it likely comes down to CPJ, UNC’s Butch Davis and B.C.’s Jeff Jagodzinski. Tech and B.C. each was picked to finish fourth in its division.
For Offensive Player of the Year, it probably comes down to the ACC’s leading rusher, Jonathan Dwyer (1,328 yards, 13 TDs), and its leading receiver, Hakeem Nicks of UNC (60 catches, 1,005 yards, 9 TDs).
Which Jackets do you think deserve ACC honors?
On the bowl front, we might not know until Sunday because everything depends on the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
That bowl gets first pick of ACC teams (after the champion goes to the Orange) and might want Virginia Tech should it lose in Tampa.
The fact that Georgia Tech will be the highest-ranked team available is just one factor. Virginia Tech would be better for downtown hotels.
The Gator Bowl in Jacksonville picks next, followed by the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando.
CBS Sportsline projects Tech will play LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. (Also, Boston College to the Orange, FSU to the Gator, and Va. Tech to the Champs Sports).
Scout.com projects Tech will face Minnesota in the Champs Sports Bowl. (B.C. to the Orange, Va. Tech to the Chick-fil-A and FSU to the Gator).
ESPN’s Bruce Feldman and Mark Schlabach have Tech playing Nebraska in the Gator Bowl. Both have B.C. in the Orange, Va. Tech in the Chick-fil-A and FSU in the Champs Sports.
Which of those three bowls do you prefer? And which matchup do you like best: LSU, Minnesota or Nebraska?
Finally, a few readers have written to complain about the Tech players taking branches from the hedges in Sanford Stadium after the 45-42 win.
I had a chance to talk to junior center Dan Voss on Sunday, and here’s what he said:
“I don’t think taking part of those hedges — it’s the last home game, everything is going to grow back by the time they play again. I don’t think it’s disrespecting the field there. I don’t see us grabbing it as any sort of disrespect.
“Georgia played a great game. It wasn’t any slight at Georgia or the players and coaches. Everybody was so happy and wanted a memento of the game. Everybody grabbed themselves a little bit of history to keep.”
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