In honor of Paul Johnson being at the game tomorrow... what's your favorite memory from his time as coach?

[AugustaSwarm]

It's funny how a handful of years of inept football makes you miss one of the best college football coaches to walk the sidelines. He called it, too.

There's a lot of great memories from his time here. The OT game vs Wake in 2009 was a classic CPJ moment. The whole stadium was holding their breath!

The 2008 game against Miami was incredible. It was cold that night, the scotch kept us warm, and Jon Dwyer ran all over those fools.

Then in 2008, there was a lot of press coverage about CPJ grabbing a players facemask and yelling at him. I miss those days!

 

[stinger78]

2014 uga was an all time classic. I loved watching the offense and went into every game feeling like we had a chance to pull off a win. I tuned in to every radio show because they were always entertaining, full of humor, endless insights into football, and classic stories. So many funny comments, but my favorite might be his rhetorical question regarding Steak Shapiro: “Why should I care what some B-level radio personality says?”. It was an all time blunder by GT not given more support to a HOF coach who could have taken us even further. He was exactly the kind of coach we need at GT. I wonder if not for our little brother complex if the fan base could have seen past the “gimmick” comments and fully supported a legend in college football. I was a student during O’Leary and I’m a big fan of his too, but CPJ is my all time favorite coach of any sport.

The Bobinski-Stansbury duo will go down as the worst period of GA Tech athletic administration in history. Rad, despite jumping to Clemson, his blunder with the NCAA, and his add-on debt, made the best hire since Homer Rice - Coach Paul Johnson.

 

[DvilleJacket]

I'll play devil's advocate here and say the 2013 ugag game hurt the most! Up 21 points if my memory is accurate and the 4th qtr became the Todd Gurley show

 

[Papa Foxtrot]

The OT game vs Wake in 2009 was a classic CPJ moment.

Oh yeah- Dwyer's righteous block putting a Wake defender on his butt so Josh could walk in for the winning TD!

 

[stinger78]

The Bobinski-Stansbury duo will go down as the worst period of GA Tech athletic administration in history. Rad, despite jumping to Clemson, his blunder with the NCAA, and his add-on debt, made the best hire since Homer Rice - Coach Paul Johnson.

Perhaps I should have typed, "...the best hire since Bobby Cremins." I'd put Boss Ross and Paul Johnson on a nearly even level. CBR won us an MNC, but CPJ won more than one, albeit at GA Sou. Homer predated all of them by a few years.

 

[Southern psu fan]

Mine is when we were playing $pitt in Pittsburgh 2014 and they couldn’t stop us on 4th down. If I remember correctly we went for it on 4th down about 15 times that day lol the $pitt coach was just shaking his head because they could never get the stop. I loved watching CPJ call plays especially on 4th downs when we went for it, he just would have that grin on his face lol

 

[GTweatherguy]

Man I miss the CPJ era! will be cheering loudly for him tonight!

 

[wesgt123]

So many good memories. 2008 UGA was amazing. Such a cold rainy day but God it was glorious.

2009 VT was the best game I've ever attended. I was in section 214 lower level of the upper deck and I couldn't even hear myself yelling. Nesbitt down the sidelines late in the 4th to seal it. Making my mom stay so I could watch the goal posts get torn down. What a night.

 

[patrickr21]

2009 Wake Forest at home. Crowd is rocking! Win and we clinch the division.

OT and wake scores a field goal on their possession. We get the ball and face 4th and 1 inside the 10 yard line. We are 0 for 4 on 4th downs in the game so far.

PJ can kick a field goal and live to get another shot, but instead lines the jackets up and with a QB run (because Nesbitt is not QB that sneaks) we get the 1st down.

One play later Nesbitt busts into the end zone and the jackets clinch the division.

Man I miss those days…

 

[southernhive]

I hope CBK is trying to convince CPJ to become a consultant. That would be an instant upgrade to the coaching staff!

 

[AUFC]

Mine is when we were playing $pitt in Pittsburgh 2014 and they couldn’t stop us on 4th down. If I remember correctly we went for it on 4th down about 15 times that day lol the $pitt coach was just shaking his head because they could never get the stop. I loved watching CPJ call plays especially on 4th downs when we went for it, he just would have that grin on his face lol

I was at a wedding for that game and I remember checking the score on my phone for the first time about 10 minutes after kickoff and it was already 28-0.

 

[Ramble1885]

Maybe not my favorite, but the 2018 VT game with Tobias running QB sweep left and QB sweep right for 400 yards rushing was awesome to watch

another good one was his revenge on Brian VanGorder by blowing out Louisville that year.

 

[jgtengineer]

I'll play devil's advocate here and say the 2013 ugag game hurt the most! Up 21 points if my memory is accurate and the 4th qtr became the Todd Gurley show

That was a VAD special. We couldn't run the option for **** that year our run game was basically godhigh and laskey on designed gives which meant up 21 we couldn't just run the clock and had to throw. As we have become all to aware of... when you have to throw game breaking interceptions happen.

 

[Ramble1885]

I'll play devil's advocate here and say the 2013 ugag game hurt the most! Up 21 points if my memory is accurate and the 4th qtr became the Todd Gurley show

that '09 georgia game still hurts now. If DT catches that and we drive down and score we'd be a one loss ACC champ and might have had a shot at the natty. The state of Georgia looks a lot different now if we win that game.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

that '09 georgia game still hurts now. If DT catches that and we drive down and score we'd be a one loss ACC champ and might have had a shot at the natty. The state of Georgia looks a lot different now if we win that game.

Yep, dropping an easy first down because he was already turning to score a touchdown. Pain was deep on that one.

If he catches it he either scores on that play or the next one and uga is toast.

 

[HurricaneJacket]

My favorite moment was uga 2010... Johnson lets them score and the entire stadium goes quiet realizing we now get the ball with a chance to tie it up. The fear.

I recall that. While a young Tevin threw a pick with ~20 seconds left the fear in that stadium was palpable

 

[cpf2001]

The 2010 game frustrates me because wasn’t that all set up by a missed PAT? And that was just one of many 2004+ snakebite moments in that series of ridiculous close losses.

 

[alagold]

Lots of great ones but the 2 best-
1. 2008 at uga-coming back from 20 down
2. 2014 team at Orange Bowl--a glorious pleasant night ESPECIALLY after FREEZING there vs Iowa at OB before and getting kicked by them.

 

[stinger78]

My 5 favorite in-person games of the CPJ Era:

2008 F$U game (the Miracle on North Avenue)
2009 VPI game (Josh running like a caveman!)
2009 ACC CG (chilly night in Tampa)
2011 Clemson game (their big DT throws his helmet)
2008 Miami game (talk about freezing your butt off!)

There are many, many others via TV. My 5 favorite TV games of the CPJ Era:
2008 UGA game
2012 Sun Bowl
2014 UGA game
2014 Orange Bowl
2016 UGA game

 

[g0lftime]

I wonder if he would tweak his offense now that he has had time to see the changes in the college game. He continued to stick with the way his offense was run even though the rules had changed some of his blocking schemes. He was a great play caller but recruiting and poor defense finally did him in. That last loss to UGA seemed to really drain his energy on the sidelines. He was probably ready to retire. He was very generous by not forcing a contract buyout. I have great respect for him and I am thankful for his years at Tech. He was a helluva coach.