Georgia Tech Football: Paul Johnson's First 4 Seasons by the Numbers
Georgia Tech Football: Paul Johnson's First 4 Seasons by the Numbers
Coaches new to any college program will often talk about the future and what they hope to accomplish going forward.
When a system change is required, especially on offense, having my players is a common talking point, whether the task is to rebuild, or simply maintain a level of success.
When coach Paul Johnson brought his option offense to the BCS, a certain period of adjustment to the big time was expected; however, he found a way to make it work with others' players, and immediately saw more success than most pundits had predicted.
With his fourth year on the Flats complete, here's a look back at Johnson's time in Atlanta so far.
2008
By the Numbers:
9-4 overall, 5-3 ACC (T-1st Coastal), Lost Chick-Fil-A Bowl to LSU
Final Rankings: 22 in Coaches, 22 AP
2008 could have been a 3-9 season, and that would have been about what was expected as the Yellow Jackets tackled the huge learning curve of the ancient triple-option offense.
Instead of believing the doubters, Chan Gailey's former players decided it was time to break through and prove the world wrong.
Paul Johnson smacked the ACC in the mouth and stole a seat at the table by beating Bobby Bowden for the first time since the 70's, tying for the Coastal Division title (lost the tie breaker to Virginia Tech), and taking down Georgia on the road, which was the first time the Jackets had beat the Dogs since 2000.
2009
By the Numbers:
11-3 overall, 7-1 ACC (1st in Coastal Division), Lost Orange Bowl to Iowa
Final Rankings: 13 Coaches, 13 AP
After the over-achieving 2008 squad shocked the world with a nine-win season, 2009 was still a bit of an unknown for Jackets fans.
Once again, Georgia Tech had a lot to prove and, despite an early let down to Miami on the road, was able to carry an eight-game win streak all the way to the Georgia game.
Johnson's Jackets would drop a heart-breaker to the Bulldogs at home to end the regular season, but won the ACC title the very next week in a re-match with Clemson to sweep the Tigers for the year.
Another bowl let-down ended Tech's only 11-win season since the 1990 National Championship team.
2010
By the Numbers:
6-7 overall, 4-4 ACC (T-3rd Coastal), Lost Independence Bowl to Air Force
Final Rankings: N/R
2010 was a tough season all around for Paul Johnson's squad with his first losing record since his first season at Navy.
The 2010 NFL Draft depleted the championship team from the previous season pretty heavily, losing four starting All-ACC juniors, two of which went in the first round. After the pros were done killing the Yellow Jacket roster, bad luck cost them their all-conference quarterback when Joshua Nesbitt broke his arm at Blacksburg midway through the year.
With two unexpectedly good season already behind him, Paul Johnson's ahead-of-schedule rebuild worked against him little, as fans weren't left smiling after Tech's first losing season in a good while, along with yet another bowl loss.
2011
By the Numbers:
8-5 overall, 5-3 ACC (T-2nd Coastal), Lost Sun Bowl to Utah
Final Rankings: N/R
2011 opened with a ton of unknowns at many positions including quarterback.
Tevin Washington had seen some unexpected experience to finish off the 2010 season after Nesbitt went down against Virginia Tech, but had seemed timid and lacked the grit the fans were used to.
The Jackets got off to a 6-0 start and had a carload of gigantic plays and video game type numbers early on, but that would all turn to mediocrity as Tech struggled down the stretch.
Though Johnson figured out a way to take down #5 Clemson in Atlanta, they lost to Georgia for the third-straight season, and once again... lost their bowl.