PAUL JOHNSON GEORGIA TECH COACH JOHNSON: Good morning. I tell you, we're excited to be back home playing again. I was proud of our guys, the way they came out in the opening game, focused, dialed in for the most part. Look forward to teeing it up and playing again. We've got a lot of things we can get better at.
Q. I know you said in your opening statement there's a lot to improve on. Obviously the team offensively came out striking and never let up. Are there any areas that you're focusing in on specifically on the offense despite such a strong start out of the gate?
COACH JOHNSON: Well, we had some missed assignments offensively. We made a couple poor decisions at quarterback actually. But other than that I thought the first group played pretty well. A lot of things we can do better special teams-wise, I'm sure.
Q. When you look at the play of Marcus Marshall specifically, what can you say about what he was able to do in this game, almost 200 yards on the ground?
COACH JOHNSON: Well, he had some huge plays. He had eight carries for 164 yards. You have to credit the offensive line for a lot of that. Marcus is a really good athlete with good feet. While he might not be a blazer, he's got enough speed to get to where he needs to be.
Q. Anything stand out on film about this Tulane team? Anything in particular stand out?
COACH JOHNSON: Well, I think they've got two guys defensively that really stand out. No. 20 at linebacker, really good player. Plays with a high motor. And the safety, No. 2, Monroe, a very good player. He's actually a guy we tried to recruit. Both those guys are good players. Offensively they were a little out of sync in the last game. I think they've got good skill guys, good running backs and receivers. We just hope they don't put it together this week.
Q. Talk about the three things for you guys, the keys to win this weekend against Tulane.
COACH JOHNSON: Well, I think we need to take care of the ball. We need to win the turnover battle. A year ago down there we were terrible in that aspect, turning the ball over. Be better in the kicking game. Try not to give up the big plays defensively. I think if we do those three things, we'll be okay.
Q. Last week when you won pretty big, what did you see from that game that will help you in the future going down the road with all the tough games you have ahead of you?
COACH JOHNSON: Well, we have to play a lot of folks. We got a lot of young guys especially in the skill positions offensively. It was good to get them a lot of reps. The first team only played the first quarter. We were able to give a lot of guys a lot of rest.
Q. It's interesting to me that Tulane is playing back-to-back Duke and then you guys, then you will be playing Duke in a couple weeks. Is that at all a help as a coach in preparing? You see Tulane against a team you've seen a lot, you see Duke against a team you're playing the next week, does that help preparation at all?
COACH JOHNSON: Not really. I mean, I think you're just kind of breaking down the team you're playing. Maybe a little bit in that you know some of the better players on Duke. When they create some mismatches, some things, you understand why. But, you know, I thought Duke played really well against Tulane, especially defensively. They really got after them.
Q. You mentioned about how many people you were able to play. It's hard to gauge when you're winning that big that early, are you going to be trying to use two quarterbacks in most games?
COACH JOHNSON: Just really depends on the games and the situations. Justin Thomas is our quarterback. But if we feel like there's a situation or a spot where one of the other guys can fit, certainly we'll play him.
Q. The young running backs. The young guys that have to fill in for some veteran guys that are gone. Can you talk about your evaluation of how they played.
COACH JOHNSON: Yeah. I thought they did well. (Marcus) Marshall played well. He did some good things. Qua Searcy, Clinton Lynch, all those guys that are freshmen or redshirt freshmen played well. As the competition level increases, we'll see how that matches up.
Q. I know you said in your opening statement there's a lot to improve on. Obviously the team offensively came out striking and never let up. Are there any areas that you're focusing in on specifically on the offense despite such a strong start out of the gate?
COACH JOHNSON: Well, we had some missed assignments offensively. We made a couple poor decisions at quarterback actually. But other than that I thought the first group played pretty well. A lot of things we can do better special teams-wise, I'm sure.
Q. When you look at the play of Marcus Marshall specifically, what can you say about what he was able to do in this game, almost 200 yards on the ground?
COACH JOHNSON: Well, he had some huge plays. He had eight carries for 164 yards. You have to credit the offensive line for a lot of that. Marcus is a really good athlete with good feet. While he might not be a blazer, he's got enough speed to get to where he needs to be.
Q. Anything stand out on film about this Tulane team? Anything in particular stand out?
COACH JOHNSON: Well, I think they've got two guys defensively that really stand out. No. 20 at linebacker, really good player. Plays with a high motor. And the safety, No. 2, Monroe, a very good player. He's actually a guy we tried to recruit. Both those guys are good players. Offensively they were a little out of sync in the last game. I think they've got good skill guys, good running backs and receivers. We just hope they don't put it together this week.
Q. Talk about the three things for you guys, the keys to win this weekend against Tulane.
COACH JOHNSON: Well, I think we need to take care of the ball. We need to win the turnover battle. A year ago down there we were terrible in that aspect, turning the ball over. Be better in the kicking game. Try not to give up the big plays defensively. I think if we do those three things, we'll be okay.
Q. Last week when you won pretty big, what did you see from that game that will help you in the future going down the road with all the tough games you have ahead of you?
COACH JOHNSON: Well, we have to play a lot of folks. We got a lot of young guys especially in the skill positions offensively. It was good to get them a lot of reps. The first team only played the first quarter. We were able to give a lot of guys a lot of rest.
Q. It's interesting to me that Tulane is playing back-to-back Duke and then you guys, then you will be playing Duke in a couple weeks. Is that at all a help as a coach in preparing? You see Tulane against a team you've seen a lot, you see Duke against a team you're playing the next week, does that help preparation at all?
COACH JOHNSON: Not really. I mean, I think you're just kind of breaking down the team you're playing. Maybe a little bit in that you know some of the better players on Duke. When they create some mismatches, some things, you understand why. But, you know, I thought Duke played really well against Tulane, especially defensively. They really got after them.
Q. You mentioned about how many people you were able to play. It's hard to gauge when you're winning that big that early, are you going to be trying to use two quarterbacks in most games?
COACH JOHNSON: Just really depends on the games and the situations. Justin Thomas is our quarterback. But if we feel like there's a situation or a spot where one of the other guys can fit, certainly we'll play him.
Q. The young running backs. The young guys that have to fill in for some veteran guys that are gone. Can you talk about your evaluation of how they played.
COACH JOHNSON: Yeah. I thought they did well. (Marcus) Marshall played well. He did some good things. Qua Searcy, Clinton Lynch, all those guys that are freshmen or redshirt freshmen played well. As the competition level increases, we'll see how that matches up.
