Georgia Tech’s season has come to the point that coach Paul Johnson’s playcalling is even getting questioned by his wife.
At his weekly news conference Monday, Johnson said that after the Yellow Jackets’ 23-21 loss to Virginia Tech last Thursday, he was queried by his wife Susan.
“She asked me after the game, she goes, ‘On third down and long, how come you hand it up the middle?’” Johnson said.
The play in question was apparently a run by B-back Marcus Allen in third quarter on a third-and-12. Allen gained six yards and the Jackets punted on the next play. Johnson’s explanation was that the play was designed to beat the blitz look that Virginia Tech showed. It does appear that had center Freddie Burden been able to turn Hokies defensive tackle Woody Baron to Burden’s left – Baron lined up on Burden’s left shoulder – Allen would have had a lane to run with a good chance at a first down.
Instead, Baron beat Burden off the snap and made the tackle, turning a potential big play into something of a head scratcher. It has been a near constant in the Jackets' fall from preseason top-20 team into last place in the ACC Coastal Division. A year ago, Tech tied an NCAA record for third-down efficiency (57.9 percent), in part because it converted third-and-10 situations with triple-option plays. This year, Tech has converted 34.7 percent and is 107th in the country.
“That’s the thin line between winning and losing,” Johnson said. “I get it. She’s the biggest fan we’ve got. She doesn’t know why we hand off on third-and-12. There’s always more to it than meets the eye most of the time.”
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