The seeds for Georgia Tech’s defeat to Virginia Tech were sown on the Alexander-Rose Bowl practice fields. Quarterback Vad Lee said that after the team’s 3-0 start had affected its psyche.
“The main thing I take from (the loss) is I felt like we got a little complacent with 3-0 and being undefeated and stuff like that,” Lee said. “It really starts in practice. We had a great practice (Monday). We had one of the best practices (of the season).”
Lee was referring specifically to the offense, noting that the “defense always flies around.” It was a notion affirmed by coach Paul Johnson on his Monday night radio show on 680 the Fan. Against Virginia Tech, Johnson said, attention to detail and focus were lacking.
“We hadn’t played well all year, truthfully, offensively,” Johnson said. “We scored a lot of points and sometimes it gets masked sometimes. It’s hard for those guys to believe you when you’re telling them something and they’re winning and they’re still scoring. I think we’ve got their attention now.”
As a result, Johnson said, the game plan for the Jackets’ game against Miami will be narrowed down on the offense. Johnson had said last week that the offense was trying to do too many things and wasn’t doing any of them well.
“We’re going to have about four packages off some different formations, starting as of (Monday),” Johnson said. “We ran five or six plays out of each one. My goal for Saturday is for us to not beat ourselves, to know where we’re going and go play fast.”
Tailback J.J. Green said he can’t say for sure how many times he has heard “you’re one play away from playing” from Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and running backs coach Bryan McClendon.
Here is a clue that your trip to sunny south Florida may not be a carefree vacation: You’re a football team, and you lose one of your starters during warm-ups.
If nothing else, Georgia has ensured at least one thing about its season. Regardless of where the rest of the schedule takes them, whether its to an SEC championship, a BCS bowl bid or a national title, there will be no claims from outsiders that this team received too many breaks and escaped health issues, no suggestions that the road to success was lined with lollipops and unicorns.
Having been at Georgia four seasons now, soccer coach Steve Holeman doesn’t weird out nearly as much as he once did about playing Ole Miss, where he coached for 15 years.
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