In 1987, current BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae, then a Hawaii graduate assistant, helped his new offensive coordinator learn his way around the island. In exchange, Paul Johnson helped start Anae’s career and influenced his offensive philosophy.
Anae spent only the 1987 season with Johnson, as well as current Georgia Tech assistants Mike Sewak and Buzz Preston, before moving on. But he watched and assisted as Johnson taught his offense, cutting and splicing 16 mm game film that Johnson brought with him from Georgia Southern.
“You could tell he was probably going to end up being a good coach,” said Johnson, now Tech’s coach.
Anae said it was fascinating to watch Johnson install the offense and said he continues to lean on the training he received that year. Anae, who played for the Cougars’ national-championship team in 1984, is in the first season of his second stint as BYU offensive coordinator. In that way, he is not unlike the man he’ll match wits against Saturday, Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof.
Anae has remade the BYU offense, installing a zone-read option scheme. BYU ranks No. 13 in FBS in rushing at 277.8 yards per game. Tech ranks seventh at 300.0.
One of Johnson’s bigger influences on Anae was the use of perimeter blocking. Having played at pass-happy BYU, Anae conceived of blocking as done by linemen and occasionally by a running back.
“Oh, boy, that’s something that we take very seriously here and try to emulate that style of team effort in terms of blocking,” Anae said. “Boy, that was a gift for me to see how the perimeter sets itself up for blocking, just as important as the interior.”
Johnson, Sewak, Preston and Anae have stayed in touch over the years.
“I look at those guys as an opportunity of a lifetime to work with them,” Anae said.
Lineup matters: Offensive tackle Ray Beno (foot) did not practice Wednesday, though offensive tackle Morgan Bailey practiced after suffering a neck injury Saturday.
Asked if backup quarterback Justin Thomas will play, Johnson replied, “We’ll see how it goes. Possibly.” Last week, Johnson’s response to the same question was “more than likely,” and Thomas played two possessions against Miami.
“I think we want to try to get him in the games if we can,” he said. “It’s just (finding) the right spot.”
DeAndre Smelter will stay on punt-return duty, but may be taken off kickoff returns to cut back on his workload. Dennis Andrews, Lynn Griffin and Broderick Snoddy are possibilities, along with David Sims.
Johnson was non-committal about taking the redshirt off freshman guard Shamire Devine, which offensive line coach Sewak raised as a possibility earlier in the week.
“Just got to see if he can help us win,” Johnson said.
Snapper back: Long snapper Sean Tobin expects to play Saturday after missing the Miami game with a back injury suffered against Virginia Tech on Sept. 26. On Tuesday, Tobin said he was to receive a cortisone shot Wednesday and then another before the game. It was the first game that Tobin has not dressed for a game at Tech.
“It was tough watching from my couch,” he said. “I never want to do that again.”
Had Trevor Stroebel, who subbed for Tobin in Miami, gotten hurt, his replacement would have been nose tackle Adam Gotsis.
Said Tobin, “He’s not bad at all, actually.”
Weather: For the 5 p.m. MDT kickoff Saturday in Provo, Utah, is expected to be around 60 degrees, dipping into the 50s by the end of the game. Sunset is at 6:51 p.m. Just in case, equipment manager Tom Conner is packing cold-weather gear, including tights, hand warmers and toboggans for players and sweatshirts and Gore-Tex jackets for coaches and staff.
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