LSU played defense by putting up points on offense

There was blood in the water, Michael Johnson said, and Les Miles sent in the sharks.

Johnson used that analogy when asked about LSU’s decision to fake a punt leading 38-3 with less than 10 minutes remaining. Tech’s senior defensive end said he didn’t necessarily disagree with it, either.

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Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Coach Paul Johnson said the Jackets’ performance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl should not diminish his team’s accomplished this season. ‘I’m disappointed I didn’t do a better job getting them ready to play better.’

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“They’re the offense, we’re the defense and if he feels like it’s his job to try to keep putting points on the board, then it’s our job to try to stop ‘em,” Johnson said. “Some guys were mad, thought it was classless, but I’m a competitor just like he is and I guess I would have done the same thing.

“When there’s blood in the water, the sharks come out and he was sending the sharks.”

On fourth and 5 from the LSU 46, punter Brady Dalfrey passed to Chad Jones for 21 yards.

Miles explained the call this way:

“We have some pretty nifty special teams guys. We felt like we needed to steal some possessions and keep the ball away from their offense.”

Miles noted Tech had erased a 28-12 halftime deficit at Georgia, though the situations were hardly comparable. Miles said LSU kept throwing the ball well into the fourth quarter because the Jackets were loading up the box to stop the run. He described it as an automatic offensive adjustment.

Tech coach Paul Johnson had this reaction to the fake punt:

“I can only coach one team. That stuff usually comes back to get you. I don’t worry about that, I just coach one, he coaches the other. It was a nice fake, it worked.”

What the loss means

Coach Paul Johnson said his team’s poor performance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl should not diminish what the Jackets accomplished this season.

Little was expected, yet Tech finished 9-4, tied for the Coastal Division title and beat Georgia for the first time in eight years.

“I’m not going to let this put a damper on the season that we had and that the seniors had,” Johnson said. “I’m disappointed in the way we played. I’m disappointed I didn’t do a better job getting them ready to play better.”

B-back Jonathan Dwyer was crestfallen that the team let down a huge turnout of Tech fans. But he said one loss doesn’t spoil a season.

“We proved the country wrong, we proved everybody wrong,” he said. “This was supposed to be a three-win team.”

A-back Roddy Jones agreed.

“It kind of makes the ending a little sour, but I don’t think it takes away from what we did and what these seniors did,” Jones said. “We would have liked to send them out with a win, but it wasn’t in the cards.”