Alumni Magazine - Spring 2008 - (Page 39) Tech’s new gridiron general, a master of the triple option, hammers home his strategy Run the Ball, Stop the Run, By John Dunn Win the Game Photography: Michael Schwarz “Are we going to do something different than they’ve been doing here? Sure. The defense will be similar, but the offense will be much different.” here’s no secret to winning football games, says Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech’s 12th head football coach. “In a nutshell, to win football games you have to be able to run the ball and stop the run. I think that has always been true and it’s never changed.” Johnson draws from his strategy about the game. “Teams that consistently win can run the ball and stop the run. Does that mean that they are not a team that throws the ball? Not at all. But it means that when they have to run the football, they can. When they have to stop the run, they can. If you look at the stats at most football games, the team that rushes for the most yardage usually wins the game.” It’s a strategy Johnson has already put cleats on. Before taking the wheel of Georgia Tech’s Ramblin’ Wreck football program, Johnson spent six years at the helm of the U.S. Naval Academy, where his Midshipmen made waves last year by leading the nation in rushing for an unprecedented third consecutive year, averaging more than 350 yards per game. “Are we going to do something different than they’ve been doing here? Sure. The defense will be similar, but the offense will be much different,” he says. Johnson, who won the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year award in 2004, occupies a glass-enclosed office suite above the North Stands that overlooks the lush turf of Grant Field, where Dodd’s gridiron genius vaulted him into a legend. Johnson bears the bona fide credentials to bring his own brand of football heroics to Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The “something different” that will be most apparent next fall will be Johnson’s version of T the triple option offense. He described his style of offense to veteran Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports columnist Furman Bisher as “a combination of the old wishbone, the run-and-shoot and some of our own ingredients.” Scout.com observed, “There’s no question that Johnson’s calling card is his offensive wizardry, a potent combination of schematic precision and play-calling feel that won a boatload of ball games at Georgia Southern and Navy.” Johnson’s mastery of the option offense and a staunch defense was notable. The Naval Academy called his transformation of its football program an accomplishment of “historic proportions.” Johnson took over a program in 2002 that had seen only two winning seasons in 20 years. During the 2000 and 2001 seasons, Navy sank to one win and 20 losses — its worst two-year span in the 123-year-old program. In Johnson’s first year, the Middies won only two games and lost 10. At the end of six years, however, Johnson was 45-29 at Navy, including five straight bowl seasons. He coached Navy to an unprecedented six straight wins against Army. Last season, Navy ranked among the nation’s highestscoring teams, averaging 39.92 points per game. The team also ranked in the top 10 nationally in kickoff returns and in fewest sacks allowed. Feats Thought Not Possible ech noticed. Johnson was hired to replace Chan Gailey, who had six winning seasons at the flats but was 0-6 against Georgia. Athletics Director Dan Radakovich noted that Johnson “accomplished feats at a service academy that many thought were not possible” and signed him to a seven-year contract worth “a little north of $11 million.” At a Dec. 7 press conference announc- >>> Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine • Spring 2008 T 39 http://Scout.com
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