Alumni Magazine - Fall 2008 - (Page 39) O JOHNSON’S FACE MOSTLY CARRIES an aw-shucks smile, and he comes off like a straight-talking, friendly neighbor. As he steps onto the turf, leading players through warm-ups in the north end zone, that demeanor is long gone. Now he’s furious over each minor mistake in a drill that’s a step above stretching. This is Johnson the coach, the always-at-boiling-point perfectionist. As the crowd trickles in, the fans watch closely, trying to figure him out. They know he has a young team and few players recruited to run his system. Give him a year or two, they say. What then? What if three years go by and there’s still no big win over Georgia or a conference championship? “We’ll see.” FF THE FIELD, A STATE PUNT, Georgia Tech takes the ball. There’s a collective hush; everyone is waiting to see what this crazy, run-heavy offense of Johnson’s looks like. Sophomore quarterback Josh Nesbitt takes the snap and — surprise — steps back to throw, tossing the ball 30-some yards down the field and just past the fingertips of his intended receiver. Incomplete. Second down. But it’s much more than a missed catch. It’s a statement from Johnson, a declaration that he’s willing to do the unexpected, that the triple option has more wrinkles than most people think, that this Tech team is going to take chances. He hammers the point home a few plays later, when the Yellow Jackets push the ball deep but stall at fourth and one — normally a punting situation. The crowd buzzes as Johnson sends the offense back out, and they bruise to a first down. Slowly, the fans’ faith is building. But then the possession dead-ends and Tech is forced to punt after all. FTER FORCING A JACKSONVILLE I INTERCEPTION BY TECH. B-Back Jonathan Dwyer springing loose outside the tackle, zipping 21 yards to the end zone. A couple of minutes later, it’s Nesbitt for two yards and another touchdown, 14-0. Among the faces in the stands, the look of uncertainty recedes, replaced with grins. “Maybe.” As the second quarter starts, the Yellow Jackets are on the verge of putting the game away, driving to the Jacksonville State goal line. Twice, Tech backs slam the ball into the defense, and T HAPPENS IN A FLASH. both times are held out of the end zone. On the sideline, Johnson is red-faced mad, screaming instructions. Next play, Nesbitt dives in, 21-0. The game may as well be over, with Tech’s experienced defense turning back the Gamecocks on every possession. But as the offense jogs back to the sideline, Johnson looks ready to boil over. He pulls Nesbitt aside, gesturing and yelling. After the game, Nesbitt will explain what happened after his touchdown. Johnson was mad at the offensive line for not blocking well enough, for not making it easier to get in the end zone. Is that the angriest Nesbitt has seen Johnson? He laughs. “No.” What if three years go by and there’s still no big win over Georgia or a conference championship? I F THERE’S ANY SURPRISE TONIGHT, IT’S HOW LITTLE Johnson uses his bread and butter, the triple option. It’s the signature play of his offense, a play designed on uncertainty, no one on either side of the ball knowing whether it will succeed or fail until the play has ended. Just before the half, Nesbitt runs an option right and the defense reads it perfectly, seals him off. But he spins out of their grasp, runs Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine • Fall 2008 39
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