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Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

Tech’s Johnson in defense of officials

Officials in this part of the country have been the focus of complaints and concerns lately, and some, like Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson, believe it is unfair.

“I’ve said before, I wouldn’t want to do their job,” Johnson said. “I mean, as a general rule, I think most of those guys do a great job, but they’re human. Just like as coaches. We don’t call the perfect play every time, and the players don’t play perfectly every time.”

In recent weeks, SEC officials have been singled out by coaches, fans and critics for having missed key calls, including making an apparent mistake by calling a celebration penalty that helped lead to a Georgia loss.

That whole crew was suspended after blowing another call in a game two weeks ago.

Earlier this week, Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen were reprimanded by the SEC for publicly criticizing the officiating in their respective games.

Officials in the ACC have not been immune from criticisms, including allegations this week from Virginia Tech that officials missed illegal blocking penalties in the Hokies’ game against Georgia Tech. Those charges came nearly a month after Johnson stood at midfield and argued with an official at the start of halftime of a game about a perceived missed call on the previous sequence.

“You know, there’s more publicity to all this stuff, and there’s more exposure. I don’t think the officiating has changed a whole lot,” Johnson said. “I think it’s the same as it’s been.”

Johnson chalks it up to the nature of the current sports culture.

“Now, because of all the TV coverage and the Internet and with all the stuff going on and all the photos, boy, if they miss one, it’s documented. And it’s played over and over again,” Johnson said. “So there’s a lot of scrutiny put on them. It’s not going to change anything. They’re not going to go back and change a game because they missed something.”

VANDY’S LOCAL TIES

When Georgia Tech travels to Vanderbilt on Saturday, a total of 19 native Georgians will be suiting up against the Yellow Jackets.

Of those from the Peach State, four hail from Middle Georgia: linebacker Bo Baggarley (Stratford/Forsyth), punter Brett Upson (Spalding County/Griffin), cornerback Casey Hayward (Perry/Elko) and receiver Udom Umoh (Peach Count/Fort Valley).

Umoh, Upson and Hayward have all started this season.

A sophomore, Umoh has 15 catches for 190 yards as one of the Commodores’ primary passing options. Upson has been a strong and steady punter, booting 58 kicks for 2,500 yards this season. He averages 43.1 yards per punt, and has had 28 either land inside the 20, or result in touchbacks and fair catches.

On defense, Hayward, a sophomore recruited largely as an athlete, ranks among Vanderbilt’s top five tacklers with 43 total. He also has a team-leading 7.5 tackles for loss, and has secured two interceptions. Georgia Tech only has one player from Tennessee — true freshman Will Jackson. The offensive lineman is from Knoxville.

THOMAS BILETNIKOFF FINALIST

Georgia Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas was named a national semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award earlier this week.

The Biletnikoff goes to the nation’s top receiver at season’s end.

Joining the former West Laurens standout is Georgia receiver A.J. Green and eight other receivers from colleges across the country.

Through eight games, Thomas has 30 receptions for 747 yards and four touchdowns. With 93.4 yards receiving per game, Thomas leads the ACC in that category and is just nine catches shy of his 2008 total.

“I was happy to see that Demaryius Thomas is a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, because there goes a lot of the opposing thoughts of ‘Why would you go there, you can never get any notoriety as a receiver,’ ” said Johnson, who coaches a run-heavy option offense. “But I’m just happy for him because he’s worked so hard, and he’s earned it.”

QUICK HITS

The Yellow Jackets rank second nationally in rushing with 291.6 yards per game. … Georgia Tech leads the ACC in scoring average at 32.6 points per game, while Vanderbilt is holding opponents to just 17.75. ... In its past four games, Georgia Tech has averaged 321.2 yards rushing and 454.5 yards of total offense. During that same span, quarterback Josh Nesbitt has rushed for 344 yards and eight touchdowns.