Johnson will take a look at defense after season

By Doug Roberson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said Tuesday that he will "take a good, long hard look" at his defense after the season.

Asked if that meant jobs are at stake, Johnson said no, and repeated he would "take a good, long hard look."

Until then, the team will use the remaining 12 practices before the Orange Bowl to work on improving consistency on the defensive side of the ball.

"Been a frustrating year but we can see how much better we can be in the future," defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said.

During Tech's last two games, Georgia and Clemson ripped the Yellow Jackets for 64 points and more than 800 yards, including 662 rushing.

Tech players said the biggest issue in both games was accountability and maintaining gap discipline. As Wommack explained, once one player is out of position, then a linebacker's out of his gap and then a safety is out of his gap. Such a shift can give an opposing running back a clear path.

Wommack said the Jackets must improve because, "Iowa's a good running team, a physical team that can run well."

The Hawkeyes average 109.4 yards on the ground. Wommack said the Hawkeyes run a fairly basic offense, but do it well.

Defensive end Derrick Morgan, one of the team's captains, said he has been talking with his teammates about playing more assignment-sound football.

"Let's have a perfect practice, stuff like that," Morgan said.

Middle linebacker Brad Jefferson said he now understands how Tech's opponents feel when the Jackets' offense is clicking. But he and safety Morgan Burnett said they will learn from watching film, will make the required fixes and handle their gaps better.

It hasn't been all bad news for the defense, which has allowed 357 yards a game this season. Wommack said the unit has played hard throughout the year. Most importantly, Johnson pointed out the team has won 11 games and that the defense has made stops when it needed to, including one against Clemson that secured the ACC championship.

"It doesn't matter if you win 7-6 or 47-46," Johnson said. "You all win or you all lose. You don't break it up. We are all on the same page. Whatever it takes to win, they've done and we've won 11 games."

Night life

Johnson said the team won't likely have a curfew for the first couple of nights in Miami so that player can go see the sights. But a curfew will be put in place as the game draws closer. If a player breaks the rules, Johnson said he will be sent home.

The coach did not seem concerned about the temptations of South Beach and other south Florida hot-spots.

"Can't be much different than Atlanta," Johnson said. "Plenty of stuff they can get into in Atlanta if they want."

Graduation

Among the Tech players and former players who graduated last weekend: Jason Hill, Matt Braman, Shane Bowen, Jason Davis, Donnie Davis, Dan Voss, Brad Sellers and Will Miller.