Annoyed by UGA fans? Tech's Johnson says go ahead and punch them

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia Tech football coach Paul Johnson went on the radio Tuesday morning hoping to downplay the significance of Saturday's loss to UGA. Instead he stirred up a tempest on fan blogs and message boards with some pointed remarks about Tech's in-state rival.

"Why would the University of Georgia define Georgia Tech?" Johnson said during an appearance on 790 The Zone's Brandon and Woolvey program. "What have they done to be the mark for Georgia Tech  football? What's the last thing they won? 1980?"

Actually, the Bulldogs have won two SEC championships since Mark Richt took over as head coach in 2001. Richt is 8-1 vs. the Jackets -- the sole loss coming last year in Athens.

"I understand rival games. I understand in-state games," said Johnson, 19-6 in two years as Tech's coach. "We're not going anywhere. We'll be here for awhile. It's not the be all, end all. We're 1-1."

When asked about the psyche of Jackets fans in the wake of Saturday's loss, Johnson didn't skip a beat.

"Get a thick skin. Guy giving you a hard time and you get tired of it, punch him in the face," he said, tongue-in-cheek.

Bulldog backers were not amused.

"I didnt look it up but I am pretty sure we have won 20+ games against the nerds since 1980," wrote one fan on the DawgPost forum.

"What a buffoon!!!" wrote another UGA fan. "Can you imagine [Alabama Coach Nick] Saban or [Auburn Coach Gene] Chizic (sic) saying that about the Iron Bowl??"

Not surprisingly, Tech fans liked what they heard from Johnson, who was named ACC coach of the year today for the second year in a row.

"I was feeling bad all week and was having a hard time getting over the loss until he spoke," wrote one fan on the Hive Sports Center forum.

"Great point by a great coach," opined another.