Y'all Call Paul

Paul Johnson’s Georgia Tech teams have beaten Georgia 3 times in 10 years. Tomorrow will be his 11th try. Georgia Tech fans would prefer a higher than 30% success rate against the Bulldogs. However, Johnson’s demonstrated ability to beat the Dogs even occasionally is far superior to his immediate predecessor at Tech, Chan Gailey, who was 0 for 6 vs UGA.
In turn, Gailey’s predecessor was George O’Leary. His Tech teams won over UGA 3 times in succession– in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Bobby Ross pulled off victories over Georgia twice during his tenure at Tech, including 1990, Tech’s national championship year (UPI)

The overall trend over time has been increasingly fewer wins by Tech. Their win totals in this series by decade were 7 in the ’50s, 4 in the ’60s, and 3 in each of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. In the first decade of the 2000’s the total dropped to just 2, the second of which was 2008, Paul Johnson’ s first year on the Flats. Tech came back to win that 2008 game after being down 16 at halftime. Their comeback served as a confirmation of sorts that Johnson’s offense could succeed at the highest levels of Division 1 competition. Tomorrow will be his next chance to gain his 4th win overall over Georgia, which would make him the winningest Tech coach in the series since Bobby Dodd. Dodd won 12 games against the Dogs, losing 9 times.

Just a few weeks back, with the Jackets  at 1-3,  there was significant unrest among Tech fans ranks regarding Johnson’s work results. That sentiment  has calmed quite a bit with the surge that brought Tech 6 wins of their last 7 games. Another win over the Dogs would be a strong endorsement of his offense. Most feel that for Tech to win, the  option offense will have to lead the way with an efficient ball-control style that scores enough while minimizing Bulldog possessions and avoiding turnovers.
The Yellow Jackets are a 17 point underdog against UGA. If Johnson pulls off the win, his detractors will be hard-pressed to elaborate their dissatisfaction.