12/9/08
Folks, coach Paul Johnson has crashed the automatic BCS bid conference party. His notorious triple option offensive system translated well in a BCS-aligned conference, to the surprise of many. Oh boy, did it work. In his first season at Georgia Tech, he turned this rushing offense up a few notches and into the nations third best in just one campaign. In the process RB Jonathan Dwyer has become a well-known star (2008 ACC Player of the Year), and backfield partners Lucas Cox and Roddy Jones have also demonstrated they can run this system with astounding success. They are all back in the fold. More importantly, coach Johnson ostensibly stresses the mental health of his quarterbacks, given the decision-making process of the triple option. Josh Nesbitt is proving to be the perfect fit in this seemingly unstoppable attack. In their last three regular season games, the Yellow Jackets put up 326, 472 and 409 yards of rushing against North Carolina, Miami and Georgia, respectively. With most all of the puzzle pieces back for 2009 and with another year to learn this system, this team has to be considered the biggest surprise jump into the Top 10 preseason polls. Defensively this bunch is also formidable. They will lose some hefty interior lineman, a facet that made this defense so tough to run against, but the rest remain unchanged. Rover back Morgan Burnett (team leader in tackles and interceptions) is a growing prospect and represents GT’s winning youth movement (only one of the seven returning starters is a senior). They will have to find a few more playmakers to be truly considered one of the better ACC defenses, but they should be well rested as the offense continues to grind out the yards while they also grind down the clock. With clear hindsight, no coaching hire in 2008 turned out to be as successful. The excitement in Atlanta can now be heard loud and clear across the college football landscape.