It's not like we were losing to Fresno

Paul Johnson football in 2010:

• Georgia Tech's first losing season since 1996
  
• A 6-7 record overall, which in the ACC is essentially a 3-9 record in a real conference
• 3rd consecutive bowl loss under Johnson
  
• 3rd consecutive bowl scoring 7 or less offensive points
  
• 2nd consecutive loss to a 5+ loss UGA team
  
• 1 win against a team with a winning record(7-5 UNC with most of its playmakers suspended)
  
• Other wins over SC State, Wake Forest, Middle Tennessee, Duke, and Virginia
  
• Loss to Sagarin #105, 3-9 Kansas(pictured above)
  
• Combined conference record of ACC foes beaten, 7-25(.219)
  
• 67th in the Sagarin ratings, behind two FCS teams, and only 4 spots ahead of Georgia Southern
  
• 99th in red zone scoring percentage
  
• 119th passing offense
  
• 120th in fumbles lost
  
• 3rd to last in players on the postseason All-ACC 1st, 2nd, and 3rd teams, ahead of only Virginia and Wake. Only one of these players is returning next season.
  
• Disastrous recruiting class following an ACC championship season
  

No Comebacks For You

As previously covered, Georgia Tech under Paul Johnson seems to have serious problems in mounting late-game comebacks. Here is the updated chart following the bowl:  

Games under Paul Johnson where GT gained possession of the football inside of 5 minutes remaining while trailing by 8 points or less:

Year	Opponent	Time left	Deficit	Result	Final score
2008	Virginia Tech	4:37	3	Downs	(L) 17-20
-	-	0:25	3	End Gm	-
2008	Virginia	3:29	7	INT	(L) 17-24
2009	Georgia	3:30	6	Downs	(L) 24-30
2010	Kansas	4:22	3	Downs	(L) 25-28
2010	Wake Forest	2:21	3	TD	(W) 24-20
2010	Virginia Tech	2:23	7	INT	(L) 21-28
2010	Georgia	2:53	1	Downs	(L) 34-42
-	-	1:22	8	INT	-
2010	Air Force	1:37	7	INT	(L) 7-14

Misnomer Myth

Tech's "offensive" performance in Shreveport continued a trend of poor play in the post-season. Paul Johnson insists that this inadequacy in bowl games is a "misnomer" about his offense. You take a look at the stats and be the judge:

Season	Opponent	Off. Yards	Off. Points	Turnovers	3rd down eff.	Final score
2008	LSU	314	3	3	3-15	3-38
2009	Iowa	155	7	1	4-12	14-24
2010	Air Force	320	7	4	8-18	7-14

Out-geniused

Air Force 14, Georgia Tech 7

During its customary pre-game flight, the Air Force falcon mascot desperately escaped from Independence Stadium, seemingly privy to the stinkfest which was about to ensue.

Special teams miscues, red zone blunders, a late-game meltdown. Basically everything we've come to expect from Paul Johnson football in 2010. The "genius" of option football was out-optioned by a program he used to beat regularly with service academy athletes. Of course who's to say at this point how much of Tech's roster would actually start at Johnson's former school.

I do know one thing. Chan Gailey never lost seven games.

Quick post-game notes:

No comebacks allowed

Joe knew comebacks

Paul Johnson won 20 games in his first two seasons at Georgia Tech. A large component of that success was his team's ability to build leads which it could protect in the final quarter of the game. This leverages the team's strength, which is running the football.

Unfortunately for Paul Johnson, there is virtue in balance, and when you play at the highest level of college football, you will often find yourself needing to make offensive plays late in a game. This proves difficult when you are pressured to score in a time-sensitive situation and all you know how to do is possess the football and run clock.

In order to accomplish a truly special season, a team must be flexible enough to adapt to any game situation, and Paul Johnson's one-trick offense will always hamstring Georgia Tech from reaching the upper crust of college football.

Oh, but 2009 was a special season you say? Sorry, but winning a sorry ACC, with a loss to UGA, and a middle-of-the-pack ranking is NOT a special season. And how was that loss to UGA achieved? By failing to score in a time-sensitive situation late in the game.

Games under Paul Johnson where GT gained possession of the football inside of 5 minutes remaining while trailing by 8 points or less: (note: Clemson in the 2009 ACC Title Game does not meet the criteria, as GT gained possession at 6:11 remaining)

Year	Opponent	Time left	Deficit	Result	Final score
2008	Virginia Tech	4:37	3	Downs	(L) 17-20
-	-	0:25	3	End Gm	-
2008	Virginia	3:29	7	INT	(L) 17-24
2009	Georgia	3:30	6	Downs	(L) 24-30
2010	Kansas	4:22	3	Downs	(L) 25-28
2010	Wake Forest	2:21	3	TD	(W) 24-20
2010	Virginia Tech	2:23	7	INT	(L) 21-28
2010	Georgia	2:53	1	Downs	(L) 34-42
-	-	1:22	8	INT	-

Conclusion: In the Paul Johnson era, Georgia Tech is 1-6 in games where it possesses the football late with the game within reach. The lone win came against a 3-9 Wake Forest with the 102nd ranked defense whose only ACC win came against Duke.

Facts about Paul Johnson and UGA

- Paul Johnson has blown as golden an opportunity as Tech will EVER have to overtake UGA as the premier program in the state, all by losing to a 6-5, and then a 5-6 team. This game is enormous for recruiting in our talent rich state, and we’ve seen the fruits of that with this year’s mediocre “post-ACC Championship” recruiting class.

- I take ZERO heart in the fact we were more competitive in the game than expected. First of all, they are a 5-6 team and tried to give us the game with fumbles, which we promptly returned. Second, we should not be so poor in the first place as to where we are a 14 point dog to a 5-6 team, particularly in the 3rd year of a coach’s regime.

- If Paul Johnson had beaten the two worst UGA teams since Ray Goff, Mark Richt would be OUT OF WORK today.