Technical Tidbits 9/14: Johnson calls for heightened defensive line play, remarks on physicality of Vanderbilt

Following the example set by every fan in attendance at every game over the past half-decade, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson has made the call for more negative plays from his defense. As it stands, this team just never forces opponents into third-and-long situations, regardless of the other team's caliber or available personnel. They didn't do it against Mercer and they didn't do it against Boston College, leaving no indication that they're going to be up to the task against Vanderbilt this weekend. Pass-rushing and defensive line play is possibly the deadest of all the dead horses as far as Georgia Tech football is concerned, but it just never gets better. It has been years at this point, a time period including plenty of capable players but no improvement whatsoever. Johnson may need to consider his coaching options if nothing changes soon.

Paul Johnson held his weekly press conference yesterday, remarking on his team's performance versus Mercer and the physicality of week three opponent Vanderbilt. The Commodores are nothing if not physical, but that physicality seems to come at the expense of actually moving the ball on offense. They managed to put up 47 points on Middle Tennessee State -- a team that Johnson is all too familiar with -- but could muster only 10 points in week one against an absolutely horrendous South Carolina team.

Regardless, the Commodores could be the best team Tech has played so far. They are certainly better than Mercer and are likely better offensively than Boston College, though their defense doesn't quite match up with the speed we saw from the Eagles in Ireland. It will be interesting to see how well-prepared Tech is.

The Paul Johnson radio show, meanwhile, received a very interesting call from Tech alumnus Shane Kimbrough, a NASA astronaut who is currently preparing for a trip to the International Space Station. Kimbrough, who is one of fourteen Tech graduates to make it into space so far, remarked on his ability to stream ESPN in space -- at Paul Johnson's request, of course -- as well as a few other topics. He apparently gets to watch sports games a day late, meaning that he should at least be able to catch the tail end of one of Paul Johnson's death marches in real time. Perhaps that will serve as some type of strange inspiration for the team this week.

Have a great Wednesday!