Johnson appeals to self-motivation vs. Ala. A&M

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson won’t try to build up Saturday’s opponent to his team. Alabama A&M, an FCS team, is 4-7 and a 51 1/2-point underdog to the Yellow Jackets, the widest point spread for a Tech game under Johnson.

Further, Tech has Georgia on the schedule in a week and a half. It’s an ideal recipe for mentally taking the week off. Johnson has avoided talking and thinking about expectations for a blowout.

“I know I don’t have that mindset, and I hope our guys don’t,” Johnson said. “I’ve challenged our players this week. This is as much about Georgia Tech as it is about who we’re playing. Let’s focus and dial in and try to make sure that we play up to our capabilities.”

Johnson said that the Bulldogs have a strong defensive front and noted that the SWAC, Alabama A&M’s conference, has produced a number of NFL players over the years. That said, “is it a game we should win?” Johnson asked Monday. “Probably, yes.”

Rather than try to convince his team that nothing less than its best will be necessary to defeat the Bulldogs, Johnson has sought to tap into players’ internal motivation.

“When they turn the tape on Monday, what do they want to see when they look up there and see themselves playing?” Johnson asked at his Tuesday news conference.

Injury report: Long snapper Sean Tobin is out for the season after breaking his leg in Thursday night's game against Clemson. Tobin will be replaced by Trevor Stroebel, a freshman walk-on. Stroebel also played against Virginia Tech and Miami, subbing for Tobin.

Strongside linebacker Brandon Watts, who left Thursday’s game with an injury, did not practice Tuesday. He will not be rushed to play against Alabama A&M, Johnson said. Tyler Marcordes and Tremayne McNair are possibilities to fill in for Watts.

Offensive tackle Morgan Bailey is not likely to play with an undisclosed injury, and Johnson said Tuesday that he didn’t think he would be available for the Georgia game Nov. 30.

A-back Charles Perkins, who suffered a concussion against Clemson, is probable to play Saturday. Johnson said on his Monday night radio show that he “would highly doubt” that offensive tackle Chase Roberts will be available after also suffering a concussion.

Clemson review: Speaking for the first time since the team's 55-31 loss to Clemson, defensive coordinator Ted Roof said the team's plan was to withstand the Tigers' first offensive surge and then move to the next phase of the game.

Tech managed to limit Clemson to two field goals on the Tigers’ first three possessions, but then surrendered 21 points in the second quarter, swamped by a barrage of big plays.

“We gave up some explosive plays, and some of that was them,” Roof said. “They made some great throws. We got early pressure on (quarterback Tajh Boyd), which was a goal. He made some great throws, but we had guys in position (in pass coverage). We’ve just got to find a way to make a play. We’ve all got to do better.”

Quotable: Quarterbacks and B-backs coach Bryan Cook on quarterback Vad Lee's improvement over the year:

“I think when we look back, there’s probably things that he’s doing better now in the option game than in Week 1, 2 and 3 that he didn’t have a grasp of yet. I think he would probably be the first one to tell you, could he be further along? Probably. Does he want to be? Yeah. But we try to just, one day at a time, get better with whatever it is that we feel we need to work on.”

Early preparation: A year ago, Georgia was able to prep for Tech by playing Georgia Southern, which runs a similar offense to the Jackets, a week before the annual meeting. Tech has managed something similar. The Alabama A&M offense has some schematic similarities with Georgia's offense.

Said Roof, “Anytime there’s carryover, that’s a help.”