PAUL JOHNSON GEORGIA TECH
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, good morning. I think we've clearly dug ourselves a pretty good hole, and we've got to try to dig out of it, and it's not going to be easy this week. We're probably playing the best team we've played all year, certainly defensively, always year in and year out very good, and you know, disappointed with how we've played to this point. We've got a lot of guys who have been banged up and hurt and out, but we're almost halfway through. You know, we've got to find a way to dig ourselves out against a really good team at a tough place to play.
Q. Every year when you face Clemson, particularly the last three years under Coach Venables, have you noticed that defensively their scheme is about the same just to combat your triple option?
PAUL JOHNSON: Yeah, they've played pretty much the same. They'll have a tweak here and there, but a couple of change-ups, but they've pretty much been the same.
Q. Because your triple option is so unique to pretty much every other offense, would you say that's widespread through most of your opponents, that they just kind of line up the same way or --
PAUL JOHNSON: Not really. I mean, I think you guys make a bigger deal out of it being so unique, and kind of everybody talks about it. But if you really look, what we're doing and what they're doing is not a whole lot different, they're just doing it out of the gun. We don't zone block as much, but the principles are the same, and it's pretty much the same every week. I think that that's a good talking point and it's a misnomer, but I think if you ask Coach Swinney, he'd tell you the same thing; it's not a whole lot different from what everybody else does.
Q. When you talk about getting yourself out of the hole, as you look at this team of yours, do you look and say, okay, well, I think that's fixable if we fix this area, it'll pay off, or if we fix that area?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, we've just got to try to get better. We're not good enough in any facet of the game to carry another facet. You know, in past years, last year we were probably good enough offensively to carry the team. We're not. And so we've got to get contributions from offense, defense and special teams, and we'd like to get them all in the same game. We haven't done that yet. If we get a decent game out of one, the other side seems to collapse, or special teams has been a drain. So you know, you keep playing. We've got a lot of guys hurt, just like everybody else does. We're on our sixth or seventh A-back. We have guys who are playing who probably when we started we didn't think were going to be on the travel squad. Several freshmen, and they've got to grow up. We're in game 6. We put ourselves here. We've had a chance in every game with a play here or a play there, and there's a very fine line between winning and losing. Nobody is riding in to save us, so we've got to save ourselves if we're going to get it done. We've got to come out swinging.
Q. Your defense has given up 30 or more points each of the last three games. What do you do this week to shore that up going into Clemson?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, we've got to play better. I mean, that's disappointing. We knew we had lost a bunch of guys offensively even before the year started, and then we lost a bunch more to injury, and we had eight starters coming back, and we've got to play better. We played a really good half at Duke, and other than that, it's not been up to expectations.
Q. What stands out about Clemson's offense? In what ways will they challenge you?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, I think they've got great athletes. It starts with the quarterback. I mean, he's a tremendous player. The running back, the (Wayne) Gallman kid has really run hard. I've been impressed with their offensive line because they're all new and they've been able to run the ball. You know, and again, I think that's the key. They're always going to have really good athletes, good receivers, and skill people, but it all starts up front. You know, last year we were fortunate enough to -- after the quarterback went out to play one of our better games defensively, and certainly we'll need to do that on Saturday to have a chance.
Q. Clemson and Georgia Tech have a long history of battles against each other. Do you feel that your fan base and your players look at that as a big rivalry? Does that give them some extra motivation when they play Clemson every year?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, I think that clearly we look at it as a very tough, hard-fought game. I think Clemson is always going to be very athletic. Dabo has got them playing at a very high level the last three, four, five years, and it's always a tough game, and there's a lot of familiarity. So in that aspect, I think our people know that it's always going to be a physical, tough game, because they always have good players.
Q. As you mentioned earlier, when Deshaun (Watson) went out, your defense played really probably its best game of the year last year. What made Clemson so different in that game when he went out, and what is so different about him that is that much of a drastic change when he goes out of a game?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, clearly, I mean, he's a great player, but the thing we did last year, they couldn't run the ball. You know, after he went out, he was pretty much their running game early on, and when he went out, they didn't have the success running the ball, and it was a game of not a lot of possessions, and they turned it over a couple times, and we just kind of chipped away at them because they were as good defensively as anybody we've played. So that was just kind of the way the game went. But I think the key to it was they weren't able to run the ball.
Q. Is that what makes them so difficult this year, because as you mentioned before, that offensive line is playing well and they seem to be able to run that football now?
PAUL JOHNSON: Yeah, and he's a big part of that. He's a huge part of their running game. He's a very dangerous runner, and the all man kid is a hard runner, but when last year -- in our game last year when he went out, the other guy wasn't quite the runner he was and enabled us to do some things coverage-wise that made it tougher to throw.
Q. I know you obviously didn't play Deshaun Watson the entire game because he got hurt, but when you watch Deshaun Watson on the film, what stands out the most about him for you?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, I think he's a good athlete, I mean, first and foremost, and then he's a good quarterback to boot. So that's two very good attributes. We knew about Deshaun for a while. He was here at Gainesville High School. We had him in our camp when he was younger, and we know what kind of athlete and what kind of player he is. He's got all the attributes you need to have to be a great quarterback, and certainly he's starting his career that way.
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, good morning. I think we've clearly dug ourselves a pretty good hole, and we've got to try to dig out of it, and it's not going to be easy this week. We're probably playing the best team we've played all year, certainly defensively, always year in and year out very good, and you know, disappointed with how we've played to this point. We've got a lot of guys who have been banged up and hurt and out, but we're almost halfway through. You know, we've got to find a way to dig ourselves out against a really good team at a tough place to play.
Q. Every year when you face Clemson, particularly the last three years under Coach Venables, have you noticed that defensively their scheme is about the same just to combat your triple option?
PAUL JOHNSON: Yeah, they've played pretty much the same. They'll have a tweak here and there, but a couple of change-ups, but they've pretty much been the same.
Q. Because your triple option is so unique to pretty much every other offense, would you say that's widespread through most of your opponents, that they just kind of line up the same way or --
PAUL JOHNSON: Not really. I mean, I think you guys make a bigger deal out of it being so unique, and kind of everybody talks about it. But if you really look, what we're doing and what they're doing is not a whole lot different, they're just doing it out of the gun. We don't zone block as much, but the principles are the same, and it's pretty much the same every week. I think that that's a good talking point and it's a misnomer, but I think if you ask Coach Swinney, he'd tell you the same thing; it's not a whole lot different from what everybody else does.
Q. When you talk about getting yourself out of the hole, as you look at this team of yours, do you look and say, okay, well, I think that's fixable if we fix this area, it'll pay off, or if we fix that area?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, we've just got to try to get better. We're not good enough in any facet of the game to carry another facet. You know, in past years, last year we were probably good enough offensively to carry the team. We're not. And so we've got to get contributions from offense, defense and special teams, and we'd like to get them all in the same game. We haven't done that yet. If we get a decent game out of one, the other side seems to collapse, or special teams has been a drain. So you know, you keep playing. We've got a lot of guys hurt, just like everybody else does. We're on our sixth or seventh A-back. We have guys who are playing who probably when we started we didn't think were going to be on the travel squad. Several freshmen, and they've got to grow up. We're in game 6. We put ourselves here. We've had a chance in every game with a play here or a play there, and there's a very fine line between winning and losing. Nobody is riding in to save us, so we've got to save ourselves if we're going to get it done. We've got to come out swinging.
Q. Your defense has given up 30 or more points each of the last three games. What do you do this week to shore that up going into Clemson?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, we've got to play better. I mean, that's disappointing. We knew we had lost a bunch of guys offensively even before the year started, and then we lost a bunch more to injury, and we had eight starters coming back, and we've got to play better. We played a really good half at Duke, and other than that, it's not been up to expectations.
Q. What stands out about Clemson's offense? In what ways will they challenge you?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, I think they've got great athletes. It starts with the quarterback. I mean, he's a tremendous player. The running back, the (Wayne) Gallman kid has really run hard. I've been impressed with their offensive line because they're all new and they've been able to run the ball. You know, and again, I think that's the key. They're always going to have really good athletes, good receivers, and skill people, but it all starts up front. You know, last year we were fortunate enough to -- after the quarterback went out to play one of our better games defensively, and certainly we'll need to do that on Saturday to have a chance.
Q. Clemson and Georgia Tech have a long history of battles against each other. Do you feel that your fan base and your players look at that as a big rivalry? Does that give them some extra motivation when they play Clemson every year?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, I think that clearly we look at it as a very tough, hard-fought game. I think Clemson is always going to be very athletic. Dabo has got them playing at a very high level the last three, four, five years, and it's always a tough game, and there's a lot of familiarity. So in that aspect, I think our people know that it's always going to be a physical, tough game, because they always have good players.
Q. As you mentioned earlier, when Deshaun (Watson) went out, your defense played really probably its best game of the year last year. What made Clemson so different in that game when he went out, and what is so different about him that is that much of a drastic change when he goes out of a game?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, clearly, I mean, he's a great player, but the thing we did last year, they couldn't run the ball. You know, after he went out, he was pretty much their running game early on, and when he went out, they didn't have the success running the ball, and it was a game of not a lot of possessions, and they turned it over a couple times, and we just kind of chipped away at them because they were as good defensively as anybody we've played. So that was just kind of the way the game went. But I think the key to it was they weren't able to run the ball.
Q. Is that what makes them so difficult this year, because as you mentioned before, that offensive line is playing well and they seem to be able to run that football now?
PAUL JOHNSON: Yeah, and he's a big part of that. He's a huge part of their running game. He's a very dangerous runner, and the all man kid is a hard runner, but when last year -- in our game last year when he went out, the other guy wasn't quite the runner he was and enabled us to do some things coverage-wise that made it tougher to throw.
Q. I know you obviously didn't play Deshaun Watson the entire game because he got hurt, but when you watch Deshaun Watson on the film, what stands out the most about him for you?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, I think he's a good athlete, I mean, first and foremost, and then he's a good quarterback to boot. So that's two very good attributes. We knew about Deshaun for a while. He was here at Gainesville High School. We had him in our camp when he was younger, and we know what kind of athlete and what kind of player he is. He's got all the attributes you need to have to be a great quarterback, and certainly he's starting his career that way.
