The last time that Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster matched wits and players with outgoing Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, it did not go well at all for the Hokies. In a late October matchup, the Yellow Jackets throttled Virginia Tech, rushing for 465 yards in a 49-28, the most points scored by an Hokies opponent in Lane Stadium since 1974.
It was a significant departure from the taut matchups that Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech have engaged in during Johnson’s 11-year tenure, games defined by the chess matches between him and Foster. After Johnson decided to step down at the end of the season, Foster said that a Virginia Tech graduate assistant guessed that he was disappointed to not get another shot at his rival.
“I said, ‘Hell no. I’m happy he’s gone,’ ” Foster told the AJC.
Johnson will coach his final game for the Jackets Wednesday in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. He'll leave behind peers like Foster whose respect for him is obvious.
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“He’s the best at what he does with that offense,” Foster said. “He’s seen it all. His kids were always disciplined and played tough and we had some great battles.”
“Paul is a fierce competitor and we had some exciting games against his Georgia Tech teams on an annual basis, whether it was at Georgia or Miami,” Miami coach Mark Richt said in a statement. “He’s a great coach and I wish him all the best in whatever comes next.”
“I don’t think there is a coach that I’ve seen in my career that commands, schematically, his offense the way Paul Johnson does,” said Duke coach David Cutcliffe, now in his 36th year of coaching.
Both hired in December 2007 and the the coaches with the longest active tenures, Cutcliffe and Johnson faced off 11 times, with Tech winning the first six and Duke four of the last five. In ACC history, only two sets of head coaches faced each other more frequently while at the same two schools.
“Maybe as consistent a winner over a long period of time as has been there (at Tech) in quite some time,” Cutcliffe said. “I’m not trying to criticize Georgia Tech in any way, but they were very fortunate to have Paul Johnson there.”
Such was Cutcliffe’s respect for the potency of Johnson’s offense (and similar versions at Navy and Army) that he dedicated three days in spring practice and again in the preseason to preparing the defense for it as well as developing a special playbook for it. Cutcliffe did have a tongue-in-cheek explanation for Johnson’s success.
“The reason it was so hard to beat him was because there were 12 people on the field,” Cutcliffe said. “He was the 12th guy. He stood out there. I would say (to officials), ‘What are you guys looking at? He’s six yards on the field when the play’s being run.’ ”
Over the years, Cutcliffe and Johnson got to know each other as competitors, through ACC meetings and, before Tech's switch to Adidas, on Nike-sponsored trips for coaches. Cutcliffe said he was sad to hear of Johnson's decision.
“I’ll miss him,” he said. “I think he’s a guy that made me better.”
Cutcliffe said what he admired most about Johnson is that he maintained balance despite his success – as evidenced by an ACC championship and three ACC title-game appearances, not to mention two FCS national championships at Georgia Southern and five consecutive bowl games at Navy. He noted that he won wherever he went and called him a man of character whose integrity was never questioned. He expects that he'll be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as soon as he's eligible.
“He’s in my hall of fame,” Cutcliffe said. “I can tell you that for sure.”
Cutcliffe appreciated Johnson’s contributions to the league and game beyond his offense. Cutcliffe gave an example of Johnson’s longtime proposal of doing away with signing periods and letting prospects sign letters of intent as soon as they were offered. It would force schools to stand behind their scholarship offers and likewise eliminate the practice of prospects committing to a school while hoping for a better offer.
“That’s one of (the ideas) I can tell you that I think is just brilliant, and I never heard anybody say it before Paul Johnson said it,” Cutcliffe said.
The Foster-Johnson series will end with Virginia Tech holding a 6-5 edge, although the Jackets won out of the final five. He called him an innovator and likened what Johnson did with his offense throughout his career to how Hokies coaching great Frank Beamer won with his emphasis on special teams.
“It’s one thing to maybe do it at a lower level, but to do it at the highest level of college football and being extremely competitive and winning championships and doing those kinds of things, I think it makes a statement that you can play this offense at all levels,” Foster said.
But if the ACC isn’t one of those levels, that’d be OK with Foster.
“I told him that,” Foster said. “I don’t want to see him anymore. On the football field, anyway.”
