At his Tuesday news conference, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson could have barely paid a higher compliment to Georgia running back Todd Gurley.
Asked if the star Bulldogs running back reminded him of anyone, Johnson paused to mull over the question.
“I didn’t coach a team that played him, but Herschel Walker?” Johnson asked, more suggesting than stating. “Big guy, runs through people, fast. He’s a good player. He’s going to be a good player for a long time if he doesn’t get hurt.”
The comparison of Gurley with perhaps the greatest college football running back of all-time has been drawn previously, though perhaps not by any opposing coaches. Johnson also said Gurley may be the top running back in college football. The Yellow Jackets, ranked No. 10 in the country in rushing defense, will find out Saturday if they are as adept at tackling as they are at flattery.
The unsurprising plan for Gurley, who this season has rushed for 781 yards on 124 carries and last year dinged Tech for 97 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, is to bring as many defenders to him as possible.
“You don’t want to get into to many single-tackle situations,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “You want to pursue and you want to gang tackle. That means disengaging from blocks; it means fitting properly; it means taking proper angles; it means reading what you’re supposed to read.”
Richt on Attaochu: Johnson's counterpart at Georgia couldn't quite return fire by comparing Tech defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu with Bruce Smith, but he did say Attaochu is as good as any edge rusher that Georgia has faced this season, which includes South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney and Clemson's Vic Beasley.
“Very quick, very agile,” Richt said. “Just a great football player. I’m very, very impressed with him.”
Attaochu has had one sack in each of his three Tech-Georgia games, including last year’s when he played with the flu and needed two IV bags before the game to play.
Injury report: Strongside linebacker Brandon Watts returned to practice Tuesday after sitting out the Alabama A&M game with a hamstring injury that he first suffered against Pittsburgh and aggravated against Clemson.
Watts, who is Tech’s second leading tackler with 52 total stops, said his body felt great with the rest and that he ran better than he expected in practice.
Communication strategy: B-back David Sims said that Johnson's message to the team this week is that no team member has beaten Georgia, "and we're going to have to do everything in our power to change that." Sims, one of three team captains along with Attaochu and safety Jemea Thomas, said he was considering saying a few more words than normal to the team this week and also asking a few former players to speak with the team.
Practice report: With rain falling, Tech practiced Tuesday in its indoor practice facility. Roof's assessment: "A lot of enthusiasm, a lot of intensity and was pleased with the way we came out and the way we worked (Tuesday)."
