Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said that defensive coordinator Ted Roof is a good football coach, but acknowledged that his future with the team will be evaluated. While the Tech defense made strides in certain respects this season, the unit also had trouble in many areas that have characterized Roof’s five-season tenure.
“I think Ted Roof’s coached a long time,” Johnson said after Tech’s 38-7 loss to Georgia on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. “He’s a good football coach. He’s coached at places that have won a lot of games. Just like everything else, we’ll look at it all and evaluate it. We didn’t exactly set the woods on fire on offense in the second half.”
A senior-dominated unit, the Tech defense entered the game ranked seventh nationally in third-down efficiency (28.5 percent) after ranking 126th (49.2 percent) last season. Opponent yards-per-carry average dropped from 4.73 last season to 4.53, Tech’s best rate since Roof’s first season in 2013 (3.57).
However, the Jackets were again weak in pass rush (94th before Saturday in sacks per game at 1.7) and creating turnovers (tie for 119th before Saturday with 10 takeaways). The Jackets were repeatedly scored on in the final drives of the first half and regulation.
“I think like any season, when you finish, you have to take a long, hard look at everything,” Johnson said. “You have to go back and look at everything, no question. Especially when we have a disappointing season like this. This was disappointing to me. This season, we had a chance – woulda, coulda, shoulda; can’t play that game – but we had a chance for this to be a much better year than it turned out.”
Johnson’s frustration with Roof showed Saturday during his halftime interview coming off the field, after the Bulldogs had gained 50 yards in four plays to set up a half-ending field goal. On Tech’s preceding possession, the lone touchdown drive of the game, Johnson had run down the clock to 48 seconds.
“I tried to run the clock all the way down,” Johnson told sideline reporter Wiley Ballard. “I guess 40 seconds was too long.”
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