Dwyer back on top, feeling fine

By Doug Roberson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia Tech B-back Jonathan Dwyer said he was just trying to get hit his team fired up, but after he flattened Virginia defensive back Chris Cook in Saturday's 34-9 win, it may have signaled that physically, he may finally be 100 percent.

Dwyer sustained a stinger in his shoulder against Miami in the third week of the season that forced him to sit out the second half of that loss. Before the Virginia Tech game Oct. 17, Dwyer said that he felt he was back to performing without being worried about his shoulder. He finished Saturday's game in Charlottesville, Va., with 125 yards on 25 carries. He now leads the team in rushing (718 yards) for the first time since the season-opening win against Jacksonville State.

"I guess a lot of guys on the team were challenging me to go full speed and go all out throughout this whole game and take every opportunity that's given to me," Dwyer said. "I was trying to make a play to get the team fired up."

The play was a draw call. Dwyer took the handoff and headed upfield toward the left sideline. Cook squared up to make the tackle, but then lowered his head at the last second. Dwyer, who at 235 pounds held a 25-pound advantage, dropped his shoulder and flattened Cook before stepping out of bounds a few yards later.

"When he gets in the open field, he's a load," Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. "When he gets on a corner, he's going to tank some defensive backs if they don't go low."

More for Roddy?

Roddy Jones didn't have a carry on Saturday, and, yes, Johnson said he's aware.

"It's not by design," Johnson said. "It's just kind of happened. It's not anything we've consciously done."

Johnson said that he discussed on Sunday how Anthony Allen, who starts at the A-back position opposite of Jones, has gotten the majority of carries this season for that position.

"It's just kind of worked out that way," Johnson said.

It's working well. Anthony has 43 carries for 470 yards and five touchdowns. Jones has the second-most carries (25) among the rest of the A-backs, for 93 yards and two touchdowns.

Jefferson's performance

Middle linebacker Brad Jefferson had his best game of the season against Virginia, Johnson said.

Jefferson led the team with six tackles, including two for loss.

Jefferson and Johnson agreed that the sleeker playbook has helped him relax on the field.

"It makes you more comfortable with the simplified schemes," Jefferson said. "It's also motivation that a lot of people have been putting down our ‘D'. We just want to go out and show our improvement level and go out and play like the ‘D' that we know that we can play like. That's what we've been doing."

In his last two games, Jefferson has 14 tackles and now leads the team with 50.

"[The changes] made it easier for the linebackers," Johnson said. "But Brad's more comfortable. He knows where he fits on the run. Still got some work to do on the passing game."

Johnson and Johnson

Johnson has a healthy history with Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson, the next opponent, that goes back several years when the two coached against each other in the Southern Conference. The Yellow Jackets and Commodores will play Saturday night in Nashville.

Paul Johnson was the head coach at Georgia Southern from 1997-2001 and Bobby Johnson was the head coach at Furman from 1994-2001. Paul Johnson has a 4-2 record against Bobby Johnson, with one of those defeats coming in the national semifinals.

"The one thing you know about Bobby's team is they are going to be well-coached," Paul Johnson said. "I've got a lot of respect for Bobby and those guys. I think they do a great job."