Since falling two points short against an undefeated Florida State team in the ACC Championship and winning the Orange Bowl at the close of an 11-3 2014 season, Georgia Tech has fallen on hard times.
The Yellow Jackets are just 6-11 since the beginning of the 2015 season and 2-9 in ACC play, with wins coming on a blocked field goal return against Florida State in 2015 and a 17-14 triumph over Boston College in Ireland to open this season.
Speaking at his press gathering on Monday -- and referencing his team's 26-7 loss to Clemson two weeks ago -- Paul Johnson stressed that as long as Georgia Tech doesn't invest in its program at a similar level as Clemson, Georgia Tech should foster no illusions of beating Clemson.
Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
“Here’s what has to happen, it’s what I tell our team about playing: commitment has to meet expectations,” he said. “You can’t have expectations with no commitment. It won’t work, no matter what you do.
“So, if you say you want to be on this level, then you have to be committed to be on that level and you have to do what those people are doing. It’s as simple as that.”
When asked if he thinks his Tech program has received that commitment, Johnson said, “I don’t know that anybody gets that. You can ask that about anybody.
“You guys look, you don’t have to ask me. Do you think we have the same things Clemson does?”
He received an answer of, “No.”
Johnson responded: “How can the expectation be to beat them?”
Georgia Tech has a new athletics director in former Ramblin' Wreck football player Todd Stansbury. It seems he and Johnson will have a lot to talk about when Stansbury arrives in Atlanta.