When Paul Johnson was hired at Georgia Tech, he assured fans, players, recruits and the media -- and anyone else who'd list -- that he'd adjust his triple option offense to the ACC and throw the ball. With the departure of yet another Yellow Jacket wide receiver Johnson may not have any choice. Even if he wanted to throw the ball, there's no one to catch it.
The latest pass catcher to leave, James Johnson, didn't blame the new offense as his reason for giving up his final year of eligibility. He simply said he was just tired of football. Tech's depth chart at wide receiver now includes one freshman, two sophomores and one walk-on.
Johnson's offense only averaged 5.6 completions a game last season. Yet, the Middies scored at will averaging 39.9 points per game and more than 440 yards of offense per game. If Johnson can get his new QB and running backs to pick up his system quickly, there is no reason why Georgia Tech can't compete in the ACC without throwing. However, the necessisity of running in Year 1, will probably undermine his ability to recruit WRs and passing QBs down the road. But no one will care if he wins...and beats Georgia.
Two things come to mind when talking about Frank Beamer and Virginia Tech football -- great special teams and turning a blind eye to player misbehavior. With the escapades of the Vick brothers still hovering around the program, the Hokies are starting to change their culture. First example: Beamer declaring the services of leading rusher Branden Ore were no longer needed and the troubled tailback is off the team.
Despite his talent, Ore has been a challenge to the coaching staff for much of his career in Blacksburg. He's had minor discipline problems, been involved in a drug trial and showed up out of shape. Despite all that, Ore always found his way back on the field as one of the team's leading playmakers. Ore, who missed the deadline for the NFL Draft, will now try to catch on with a team through the supplemental draft or through free agency.
One would hope Beamer's decision was about character and not about winning, but it's a little easier to give Ore the boot now than it was last year. The depth chart probably factored into the final say. The Hokies are loaded in the backfield and should still be the favorite to win the ACC.
In an unusual -- and still developing story -- WRAL is reporting that three North Carolina Football players were sexually assaulted this past weekend in a Chapel Hill apartment complex. The players met the accused (three women and one man) in a local bar and then proceeded back to the apartment. Police were later called to the scene and found the players tied and bound, two in their underwear and the other still clothed.
The players names are not being released and the North Carolina Athletic Department is not saying anything beyond, "We're aware of the situation but we don't have enough information yet."
The accused have been arrested and are claiming the encounter was consensual.
For Butch Davis, who saw one of his players murdered while at Miami, this most be a scary reminder to how vulnerable these young athletes are.
According to reports in the Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPaul Johnson has agreed to become the next head football coach at Georgia Tech. The AJC's venerable college football insider Tony Barnhart does hedge in his article that there is always a chance that Johnson could change his mind. (And after a week filled with false alarms on the coaching carousel, can you blame Tony for playing a little CYA?)
When Georgia Tech fired Chan Gailey, they gave lip service to finding a coach to excite their fanbase. Johnson is not Mr. Personality but he is a proven winner and winning games fills seats. Outside of his W-L record the two big pluses for Johnson at Georgia Tech are his familiarity with recruiting in the state of Georgia (he was a head coach at Georgia Southern) and his history of recruiting at a school with challenging admission standards.
The only question mark is what sort of offense will he use. He made his name with Navy's triple option, but has plenty of experience with passing oriented schemes. Jacket fans probably won't care if he throws all day or keeps it on the ground. All he needs to do is beat Georgia.
Arkansas obviously wants to make a splash with their next head coach. Instead, they've just made some ACC football coaches richer. First Butch Davis spurned his alma mater for a lucrative contract extension at North Carolina. A fruitless flirtation with Tommy Tuberville kept them looking and back in ACC Country.
Tommy Bowden almost said yes...only to stay at Clemson with the predictable contract extension. Still coachless, it appears the next thought was "if you can't have Tommy Bowden, how about hiring a coaching who actually won the ACC." Enter Jim Grobe. The Wake Forest coach seemed like the better fit. Grobe is a guy who has won at schools with limited resources. His ground-based scheme would work with the talent Houston Nutt left behind. He was ready to take the next step. Yet, you know how the story ends. Grobe left Arkansas at the alter and is staying at Wake Forest. No immediate announcement on a contract extension but I would guess that part of Wake's plea for him to stay included future compensation.
Where does Arkansas turn now? There are still a few ACC coaches they haven't called on yet. Maybe Ralph Friedgen will listen. Or perhaps Al Groh. Frank Beamer has been known to leverage rumor into dollars. As long as Arkansas keeps searching, ACC ADs need to have their checkbooks open.
One of the bigger names in college football is stepping off of the coaching carousel even before things get going. Butch Davis and North Carolina agreed to an extension to his current deal with the school, making it highly unlikely he will leave for a bigger and better job this offseason.
Davis was the hot name to take the (not yet officially vacant) Arkansas job. Leaving Chapel Hill after one year would have rubbed a some recruits and fans the wrong way but the allure of returning to his alma mater was strong for Davis. However, North Carolina might be a better job than taking over the Razorbacks. UNC offers deep pockets, decent recruiting territories and low expectations. Sure, basketball will always be king in the Triangle, but Mack Brown showed you can win as the head Heel.
Arkansas is a different story. Not only are you trying to win in the ultra-competitive SEC. You're also subject to mega scrutiny. (Remember fans filing petitions to see Houston Nutt's text messages?) It might take a season or two to turn things around, but Davis made the right call.
Clemson didn't finish the job last Saturday against Boston College. The loss kept them out of the ACC Championship game and extended the Tigers conference title drought another year. Needless to say the players took it hard. It took star running back James Davis two days just to leave his house, talk to his team or even watch SportsCenter.
Saturday provides a partial remedy for the BC hangover -- a rivalry game against South Carolina. There is a lot at stake, too. If the Tigers win they will probably land in an attractive bowl (either the Peach Chick-fil-A or Gator). Losing to the Gamecocks would create a whole different set of issues. Gator and Chick-fil-A would be gone...and so might Tommy Bowden. Tommy Bowden seemed to have removed himself from the Hot Seat with the Tigers 8-2 start. But the setback against the Eagles warmed things up a bit. Another loss would make this a true TB meltdown. Throw in the a few well-timed Steve Spurrier quips after a potential loss and you could envision the Hot Seat ablaze. Any good will Bowden has earned over the years would be gone.
Tommy Bowden would be the fall guy but it might not be his fault. The guys at Danny Ford is God have a new theory for Clemson's annual teases and trip ups. If there is a Clemson curse perhaps they can bring back Ford to fix their problems -- football or supernatural.
It has been a long season for Louisville and they are already looking towards next year. One problem though -- they don't have enough games scheduled for 2008 (or 2009 for that matter). How did this happen? The Cardinals are blaming Duke.
It seems that Duke backed out of their four-game series with Louisville and the defending Big East champ cannot find replacement games. These sorts of schedule challenges happen all the time. However, it is very rare that it goes to court.
Maybe Duke is doing Louisville a favor. This season has been a disaster. 2008 should represent a fresh start. The last thing Steve Kragthorpe and company need is a pesky Duke team to hand them another embarrassing loss.
"Survive and advance" is a cliche reserved for playoffs or tournaments. Not for the playoff-less college football. But the notion of winning and staying alive is appropriate for the Clemson-Wake Forest matchup this weekend. Both teams enter the game with two conference losses. The winner will still have a chance to catch Boston College in the standings and win the ACC Atlantic Division. The loser is done.
Of the two contenders Clemson in under much more pressure. They were one of the preseason conference favorites, have one of the most talented backfields in football and a perennially underachieving coach in Tommy Bowden.
If Clemson is facing huge expectations, Wake Forest is playing with house money. Not much was expected of the defending ACC champ, yet the plucky Deacons have proven that last year's run wasn't a fluke.
While the loser of this game has an non-descript December Bowl to look forward to, the winner will still have some work to do (this is where the survive and advance comes in). Winning this game only keeps hope alive. To clinch the division the winner will still have to run the table in ACC games. A tough task but aren't all playoffs?
The Atlanta media can spin Virginia Tech's beatdown of the Yellow Jackets however they want, but reading the comments section of the AJC shows how the majority of Georgia Tech fans feel about their embattled coach. With their fourth conference loss, GT is now assured of another low wattage, third-tier bowl (if they even become bowl eligible). Forget the hot seat. It is now really simple: if Gailey wants to coach Georgia Tech next year he needs to beat Georgia.
Gailey has never been are charmer on the booster circuit and doesn't have enough big wins to offset his lack of charisma. But doing things the right way at Tech will usually go a long way...as long as your beat the Dawgs. Chan the man is now 0-5 against his in-state rivals. Given the hapless effort Thursday night and Georgia sudden resurgence, the Jackets will probably be heavy underdogs at home when the two teams meet at the end of the month.
It doesn't help his cause that Georgia Tech's AD Dan Radakovich did not hire Gailey. The new AD could quickly but his stamp on the program by bringing in his own guy. Rumored replacements include UConn coach Randy Edsall and LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pellini.
Just when things are at their worst, Gailey has a knack for pulling out a win or two. But winning his next two will just frustrate Tech fans who feel he has underachieved during his tenure. The only way to make them forget the Reggie Ball era, last season's meltdown, this year's uneven play is to "beat d'em 'dawgs."
When Paul Johnson was hired at Georgia Tech, he assured fans, players, recruits and the media -- and anyone else who'd list -- that he'd adjust his triple option offense to the ACC and throw the ball. With the departure of yet another Yellow Jacket wide receiver Johnson may not have any choice. Even if he wanted to throw the ball, there's no one to catch it. 
Two things come to mind when talking about Frank Beamer and Virginia Tech football -- great special teams and turning a blind eye to player misbehavior. With the escapades of the Vick brothers still hovering around the program, the Hokies are starting to change their culture. First example: Beamer declaring the services of leading rusher 
In an unusual -- and still developing story -- 
According to 
Arkansas obviously wants to make a splash with their next head coach. Instead, they've just made some ACC football coaches richer. First Butch Davis spurned his alma mater for a lucrative 
One of the bigger names in college football is stepping off of the coaching carousel even before things get going. 
Clemson didn't 
It has been a long season for Louisville and they are already looking towards next year. One problem though -- they don't have enough games scheduled for 2008 (or 2009 for that matter). How did this happen? 
"Survive and advance" is a cliche reserved for playoffs or tournaments. Not for the playoff-less college football. But the notion of winning and staying alive is appropriate for the Clemson-Wake Forest matchup this weekend. Both teams enter the game with two conference losses. The winner will still have a chance to catch Boston College in the standings and win the ACC Atlantic Division. The loser is done.
The Atlanta media can spin Virginia Tech's beatdown of the Yellow Jackets however they want, but reading the comments section of the AJC shows how the majority of 
