Fried Fish

In a continuation of events set into motion last season, UGA replaced its long-time strength and conditioning director on Thursday, addressing an area which some felt to be culpable in their program's recent decline. This follows last December's staff shakeup headlined by the ouster of embattled defensive coordinator Willie Martinez.

As a true GT fan raised on this rivalry, and not a Paul Johnson "moral victory" Kool-Aid slurper, I find such developments painful to watch. Georgia Tech has had every opportunity to shake the foundation of college football in the state of Georgia the last two seasons, and it has done nothing but spit the bit and buy more time for Mark Richt and front-running Wal-Mart Bulldog fans statewide. Slowly but surely the capable Richt has been allowed to correct the deficiencies in his program, and my belief is that they will be back in the national spotlight sooner than later.

To witness the passing of this great opportunity for Georgia Tech football has been excruciating. Georgia has not been this vulnerable for many years, and may not be again for some time. Its fans are calling for heads, attendance and interest is sagging, and the media, both locally and nationally, is actively questioning Richt's employment.

Against the prelude of this rancor, seventh-ranked Georgia Tech entered 2009's edition of Clean Old-Fashioned Hate poised to make a resounding claim to supremacy instate. But instead of embracing the rivalry and challenging Georgia in the media, in the locker room, and ultimately on the field, Johnson publicly downplayed the importance of the game, claiming he had "bigger fish to fry" in the ACC. In fact, beating UGA was no longer even a stated team goal as it had been in 2008.

When gameday arrived, a hungry UGA smacked Tech in the mouth from the beginning, rolling up ungodly rushing statistics in an embarrassing 30-24 defeat, cruelly turning the tables on the nation's second-ranked rushing team. The tables were similarly turned on Georgia Tech's "breakout" season, a grim reaffirmation of its place in the college football world-- the #1 team in the ACC was once again #2 in its own state.

The loss punctured the tires of what had been a special season, and though Tech went on to defeat a mediocre Clemson bunch, who had likewise lost to their 5-loss SEC rival, to win the ACC title, the damage had already been done. Tech would subsequently struggle in perception and recruiting in the southeast, the newly-crowned ACC Champion whiffing on nearly every major recruit it coveted, including all which likewise possessed offers from UGA.

And though Tech entered the 2010 game a humbled 6-5, it did so against an even worse UGA team that attempted to hand it the game with fumbles. Tech promptly returned those giveaways, entirely characteristic of a team dead last in the NCAA in fumbles lost, and was never able to take the lead, choking with every critical opportunity. Despite keeping the game within reach, Tech would ultimately falter in a similar fashion to 2009, Johnson's vaunted offense again being reduced to chaotic ball-chucking when it mattered most.

It's interesting to note that, prior to Paul Johnson, Tech was a robust 14-5-1 against UGA teams that finished with five or more losses, three of those defeats occurring in the black hole that was the Bill Lewis/early George O'Leary era. Coach Johnson is currently 0-2 against such teams.

Take all the time you need Coach Richt. No matter how often Florida beats you, no matter how many other SEC teams win national championships on your watch, Paul Johnson will always be there a few miles down the road, your dependable safety net in turbulent times. In fact one can't help but think Richt roots for Johnson to win the ACC every year-- after all it's never the size of the fish in a fight, but the size of the fight in the fish.