Trotman Takes First at Michigan State Open

(courtesy ASU Sports Information)
EAST LANSING, MICH. - Austin Trotman (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) won the 174 pound weight class to lead Appalachian State University wrestling in the season-opener at the Michigan State Open on Sunday.

ASU had eight wrestlers finish in the top-six in their weight class as the Mountaineers had a solid debut to the 2009-10 season. The tournament featured more than 20 schools, including ranked opponents such as Central Michigan, Indiana and Michigan State.

A redshirt sophomore, Trotman led the way for ASU with his first place finish. He defeated The Citadel’s Jonathan Oddo 14-5 in the first round and followed that with a 7-0 decision over Ian Hinton to reach the finals. In the finals he dominated Findlay’s Justin Shannon 10-1 to take home first place honors.

Frank Celorrio (Miami, Fla./Hialeah) was the Apps’ next highest finisher, taking fourth at 133. He won three match on the day, including a 4-2 decision over Zach Neibert to clinch fourth place.
Three Mountaineers earned fifth place finished in the open division, including Mike Kessler (Bay City, Mich./Bay City Western), Kyle Blevins (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa) and Dylan Temple (Marietta, Ga./Walton).

Kessler won his first match of the day by pinning Ohio’s Heath Allen. After a second round loss, Kessler went 1-1 in the consolation bracket before defeating Ohio’s Darren Boing 10-8 in the fifth place match.

Blevins opened his season with a 2-1 win over Kris Bowser before falling in the next round to Indiana’s Ryan LeBlanc. Blevins, like Kessler, went 1-1 in the consolation round before beating Michigan State’s Ben Boudro 9-4 for fifth.

After falling in the first round, Temple won five-straight matches to capture fifth. The junior defeated North Idaho’s Jacob Burge to capture fifth.

Savva Kostis (Boone, N.C./Watauga) captured sixth place, picking up two wins in the process, beating The Citadel’s Derek Royster 8-1 and Cleveland State’s Collin McCreary 14-5.

Paul Glover (Rochester, N.Y./Spencerport) and Carter Downs (Tequesta, Fla./Jupiter Christian) represented ASU well in the under 21 division, earning fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively.

Also for ASU, Brock Durfee (Sherrills Ford, N.C./Bandys), Jacob Earp (Boone, N.C./Watauga) and Richie Dehnz (Naples, Fla./Palmetto Ridge) picked up two wins apiece while freshmen Brett Boston (Morganton, N.C./Freedom) and Chris Collura (Spencerport, N.Y./Spencerport) picked up a win and sophomore Travis Puckett (Matthews, N.C./David W. Butler) earned a win.

Appalachian is back in action on Sunday, Nov. 22 when they travel to the Keystone Classic in Philadelphia, Pa.

Bobcats Elite Eight Bound! Lees-McRae Tops Brevard in OT

Courtesy of Lees-McRae Sports Information

BANNER ELK, N.C. – Lee Squires scored the golden goal in the 91st minute as the Lees-McRae College Bobcats defeated the Anderson University Trojans 3-2 in the 2009 NCAA Tournament’s Southeast Regional at Tate Field Sunday afternoon in an overtime thriller.

With the win, Lees-McRae improves to 17-2-1 overall and will advance to the Elite Eight of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, which will be held at Tate Field Saturday, November 21st at 7 p.m. against the South Region winner Tampa. The Bobcats made it to the Elite Eight in 2007, but suffered a 2-0 loss. Anderson, who made its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance and Sweet Sixteen appearance, ends their season at 13-4-3 overall.

Anderson’s Lasse Sohrweide opened the scoring in the 17th minute off a corner kick from Paulo Passini to give the Trojans the 1-0 lead, but Lees-McRae’s David Palmer responded in the 22nd minute cross from Jamie Price that Richard Guffens flick onto Palmer’s head for the one-timer and to tie the match at one.

After the intermission, it was Lees-McRae’s Squires that broke the tie with his goal in the 73rd minute. Palmer crossed the ball to Squires, who was all-alone on the back post for the goal to make it 2-1, but Anderson would answer in the 90th minute to the tie the match.

With 29 seconds left in the second half, Anderson took a free kick from just inside midfield that was cleared for a throw-in. On the throw-in, the ball bounced around and was eventually headed in by Anderson’s keeper Lukas Hesse, who had left his net with time running down, to tie the match at two and force overtime.

In overtime, it was the 2009 Southeast Regional Offensive MVP, Lee Squires, who ended the match 59-seconds into the extra period with his second goal of the day and third goal of the regional.

The goal was set up when, Southeast Regional Defensive MVP, Sean Paradise, took a free kick from just outside the Lees-McRae 18-yard box. Luke Perry brought the kick down at the top of the Anderson penalty area and played a through pass to Squires, who struck it near post for the game winner.

Lees-McRae outshot Anderson 16-12, but Anderson held a 6-3 corner kick advantage.

Joining Squires, the offensive MVP, and Paradise, the defensive MVP, on the 2009 Southeast Region All-Tournament Team is Carson-Newman’s Ben Backstrom, Wingate’s Luke Mulholland, Anderson’s Sohrweide, Adrien Moufflet, Hesse and Passini and Lees-McRae’s Guffens, Palmer and Jamie Price.

Mountaineers Clinch Fifth Straight SoCon Title, Playoff Berth

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

ELON, N.C. – Appalachian State University took a 21-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter and cruised to a 27-10 win over No. 6 Elon on Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Stadium that clinch Appalachian's fifth-straight Southern Conference football championship.

In addition to becoming just the second program in SoCon history to win five conference titles in a row, No. 7/8 Appalachian (8-2, 7-0 SoCon) earned the league’s automatic berth in the 2009 NCAA Division I Football Championship. ASU will make its fifth-consecutive postseason appearance when the playoffs begin on Nov. 28.

ASU's 19th-consecutive SoCon win came in convincing fashion. Elon (8-2, 6-1 SoCon) came into the contest with the nation's No. 1-ranked defense and fifth-ranked offense, but the Mountaineers outplayed the Phoenix to the tune of a 486-270 advantage in total yardage. The yards were the most allowed and the second-fewest gained by Elon this season.

Appalachian all but put the game away in the first quarter, thanks in large part to intercepting Elon quarterback Scott Riddle three times in the game's first 14:50. ASU turned the three interceptions into touchdown drives of 50, 90 and 15 yards to take the commanding 21-0 lead on the opening play of the second period. Mark LeGree grabbed two of the three interceptions - giving him a SoCon-leading six on the season - and Armanti Edwards capped the three scoring drives with touchdown runs of 15, six and three yards.

From there, the Mountaineers put the 21-point advantage in the hands of their defense, which responded by forcing the Phoenix to punt on its final three possessions of the first half. In all, the ASU defense forced four punts and three turnovers while limiting Elon to just 110 yards before halftime.

The only bad news of the opening two periods came on ASU's final series of the half when Edwards, who had completed 12-of-14 passes to that point, was hit by Elon's Andre Campbell on an incomplete pass late in the second quarter and headed to the locker room early with an injury to his right knee.

With Edwards still out of action, Elon forced Appalachian's only three-and-out of the day on the first series of the second half. Buoyed by the stop, the Phoenix drove inside the ASU five yard line on its ensuing possession. However, the Mountaineer defense held its ground and the Phoenix had to settle for a 23-yard field goal that cut the Apps' advantage to 21-3.

Edwards returned to the game on the following series and led the Mountaineers on a nine-play, 50-yard drive that milked 4:53 off the clock and culminated with a 35-yard field goal by Jason Vitaris that extended the ASU lead back to 21 points at 24-3.

That would be more than enough for the Black-and-Gold defense, which forced two more three-and-outs before Elon finally found the end zone on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Riddle to Aaron Mellette with 4:48 left to play. With that score, the Phoenix avoided its lowest scoring output of the season and Riddle dodged being held without a touchdown pass for just the second time in his stellar three-year career.

Despite Elon's late score, the story of the day was the Mountaineer defense. ASU held the Phoenix to 25 points, 97 rushing yards, 88 passing yards and 185 total yards below its season averages while forcing six punts and three turnovers in 12 defensive series.

Linebacker D.J. Smith led the way with a game-high 15 tackles. Defensive linemen Anthony Williams, Jabari Fletcher and Lanston Tanyi combined to sack Riddle five times and cornerback Ed Gainey had the second of ASU's three first-quarter interceptions.

Offensively, Edwards rushed for 73 yards and all three Mountaineer touchdowns and completed 21-of-24 passes for 281 yards despite sustaining the knee injury near the end of the first half. He is listed as questionable by ASU's medical staff for next week's regular-season finale versus Western Carolina.

Matt Cline caught eight of Edwards' passes for 104 yards and Brian Quick fell just short of the century mark with 99 yards on six catches.

Appalachian looks to wrap up a third undefeated SoCon slate in four years and claim the outright conference crown next Saturday when it hosts archrival WCU in the annual Battle for the Old Mountain Jug at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

NOTES: Appalachian joins Georgia Southern, which won six-straight titles from 1997-2002, as the only SoCon programs to ever win as many as five-consecutive league championships ... ASU's 19-straight SoCon wins are the fourth-most in the league's 88-year football history and the most since West Virginia's record 30 wins in a row from 1952-59... Edwards is the first starting quarterback to ever lead a squad to four-straight SoCon championships ... ASU's SoCon title is its 10th overall and its FCS postseason berth is its 17th ... the Mountaineers stretched their winning streak over Elon to 14, with Elon's last win in the series coming in 1964 ... with a season of eligibility still remaining, LeGree became the FCS active leader with 16 interceptions in his career ... Vitaris (2-for-4) missed two field goals in a game for the first time in his career ... Riddle's three interceptions matched a career high ... prior to Saturday, Elon's largest deficit in a SoCon game this season was three points.

Lees-McRae Moves On to Southeast Regional With 6-3 Win Over Wingate

LMC Sports Information
11/13/2009

NEWLAND, N.C. - The Lees-McRae College Bobcats used four first half goals to advance to the finals of the NCAA men' soccer Southeast Regional hosted by Lees-McRae with a 6-3 win over the Wingate University Bulldogs Friday at Avery High School.

With the win, Lees-McRae is 16-2-1 overall and will play Anderson in the regional finals Sunday at 2 p.m. back at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk. Wingate's season ends with a 13-5-1 record.

Wingate scored the first goal of the match when Jack Vundum scored in ninth minute to give the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead. Jamie McKenna served a cross that Vundum headed the ball into the net past the Bobcat keeper.

Jamie Bladen answered for Lees-McRae in the 13th minute to tie the match. Jamie Price played a cross that was brought down by Richard Guffens to the feet of Bladen, who struck it for the volley and the goal.

In the 14th minute, Lees-McRae got a break on a Wingate own goal to make it 2-1, but scored again in the 38th when Luke Perry found David Palmer on the back post. Palmer slammed home the goal to give the Bobcats, 3-1 lead.

Three minutes later Bladen scored his second goal of the match on a broken play off a corner kick. Bladen corralled the ball put it away for the game to give Lees-McRae a 4-1 lead heading into the half.

The Bobcats tallied their fifth goal 46 seconds into the second half when Wingate scored another own to make it 5-1, and tallied their sixth and final goal of the match in 47th minute when Lee Squires knock home a penalty kick.

Wingate fought back and scored three minutes later when Corey McCollom scored on a Felippe Imperatriz assists.

The Bulldogs scored the final goal of the match in the 56 minute when Luke Mulholland collected a blasted a shot from just outside the 18-yard box for the goal to give the game the final of 6-3.

Sean Paradise earned the win between the pipes for the Bobcats with four saves, and Joey Calandra made four saves for the Bulldogs.

Wingate outshot Lees-McRae 17-14, but Lees-McRae ten shots on goal compared to Wingate's seven.

Wingate held a 9-2 corner kick advantage.

Photo Gallery

Related Item: Box Score

Florida State and Wake Forest Tangle in ACC Division Clash

11:45 a.m. -- It's a special edition of LIVE FROM..... today, as we are live at Wake Forest University's BB&T Field for coverage of today's Senior Day ACC Atlantic Division matchup between the Florida State Seminoles and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Both teams need to win to keep their dim postseason hopes alive going down the stretch in the regular season. Following the injury last week to quarterback Christian Ponder, the Seminoles will rely on E.J. Manuel as signal-caller in his first collegiate start.

Wake lost an overtime heartbreaker to Avery County native Paul Johnson and his Georgia Tech squad 30-27 last week and hopes to take some frustration out on the 'Noles this afternoon.

Added intrigue to today's game is the job status of legendary Seminoles head football coach Bobby Bowden. The icon has roamed the FSU sideline since 1976, and rumors have swirled that this may very well be his last season as head coach, hence his final trip to North Carolina as head coach.

We'll be bringing periodic updates throughout the afternoon here on the Blog! Thanks for reading! Below is a brief video of Jamie interrupting Matt Laws' pregame meal to offer a quick preview of today's contest.




Update #1: The teams are preparing to come out onto the field. Wake Forest wins the coin toss and defers. FSU will receive the opening kickoff as we prepare to get underway from Winston-Salem!

Update #2: Florida State strikes first, utilizing a strong running game and a short pass attack to compile an 81-yard drive that consumed 12 plays in 5:36 of clock time. Ty Jones rushes 9 yards for a touchdown to stake FSU the early 7-0 advantage with 9:24 left in the first period. Wake will look to knot it up on its next series.

Update #3: Wake Forest answers the Florida State score with its own long touchdown-scoring drive. Wake took 6:41 off the clock to drive 70 yards over 13 plays. QB Riley Skinner kept the drive alive with a great duck of a FSU rusher on third down and scrambled for a first down. A short time later the Deacons decided to go for it on fourth and 1 from the FSU 3, and Josh Adams rambled in off an option pitch right, crossing the ball over the plane of the goal line. The Jimmy Newman PAT was good, and the score is tied at 7-7 with 2:43 left in the first period.

Update #4: Florida State is deep in WFU territory with its second offensive series of the game. A big third down pitch and catch from Manuel to #80 Jarmon Fortson covers 30 yards to the WFU 6. On the next play, halfback Jermaine Thomas runs it in off the left side from six yards out to help FSU regain the lead. The 6 play, 68-yard scoring drive takes only 2:24 off the clock, and the Seminoles lead it 14-7 with 0:19 left in the first quarter. Wake runs one final play to close out the quarter on offense before time expires. One quarter in the books and FSU leads 14-7!

Update #5: Wake QB Riley Skinner is picked off by Florida State, who returns it back to the WFU 27. Great chance for the Seminoles to pad their lead. FSU capitalizes as Manuel and Fortson connect on a 23-yd pass play to set up first and goal at the Wake 1. EJ Manuel dives over the pile for a one-yard touchdown run. 12:48 remains in the quarter, and the Seminoles have upped the advantage to 21-7.

Update #6: Wake drives to the FSU 41, but its drive stalls and the Demon Deacons have to punt. The kick pins Florida State at its own 4-yard line. 10:17 to go in the half and the Seminoles still lead it 21-7.

Update #7. FSU drives 10 plays and 68 yards over 5:25. The drive stalls, but a 47 yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins further adds to the Seminole lead as FSU now leads 24-7.

Update #8: Wake is held to a three-and-out and punt the football away. The ball is caught at the 32-yard line by FSU's Greg Reid, who totes it 68 yards through the Wake special teams for a touchdown. FSU leads it big 31-7 with 3:40 left before halftime.

Update #9: Josh Adams caps a much-needed touchdown drive for the Demon Deacons with a 20-yard TD run to cap a 5-play, 79-yard scoring drive. The PAT is good and Wake now trails 31-14 with 2:12 to play in the second quarter.

Update #10: FSU's short passing game is a thing of beauty in this half. A slip screen to Bert Reed gains around 40 yards up to the Wake 10-yard line as the clock ticks down to 35 seconds to play in the half. EJ Manuel's pass play on second and goal was intercepted by Kyle Quarrels at the tw0-yard line. Quarrles had his bell rung on the return and was down on the field for a short time. Wake turns Florida State away with 0:07 left in the half. Wake takes a knee to close the half. Temperatures rose a bit on both sides after that last vicious hit, but the Seminoles lead it nonetheless 31-14 at halftime.

The 31 first-half points are the most that FSU has scored in a half against Wake Forest since 42 in teh 2001 game in Tallahassee, and the most in Winston-Salem since hanging 42 on the Demon Deacons at the half in 1994. The 31 is the most this season since a 35 point first-half effort against Georgia Tech.

Update #11: Wake's first drive of the third quarter consumes, but stalls as the Deacons boot an eight-yard punt to the FSU 29. 10:17 left in the third quarter and the Seminoles still lead it by 17. The Deacon defense makes its best stand of the game so far as FSU is forced to punt.

Update #12: WFU marches 79 yards over four plays and get on the scoreboard with a 13 yard touchdown run by Kevin Harris, set up by a 48-yard scamper by Brandon Pendergrass. Wake Forest has narrowed the margin to 31-21 with 6:57 left in the third quarter.

Update #13: FSU hits the upright on a 42-yard field goal attempt by Hopkins and it ricochets in to complete a 6-play, 43-yard drive that consumed 2:56. Lights are on in the stadium as shadows begin to encapsulate the playing field. FSU boosts its lead back to 13 points at 34-21 with 4:01 to play in the third quarter.

Update #14: Wake is stopped inside its own territory and punts the ball back to FSU. The Seminoles run for a first down to close out the final seconds of the third period of play. One quarter left to go from BB&T Field and and Florida State leads Wake Forest 34-21.

Update #15: FSU appears to have taken control as a 7-yard pass from Manuel to Fortson adds to the Seminole lead. The PAT caps the 10 play, 79 yard drive that elapsed 4:41 off the clock. 11:04 remains in the game and Wake Forest trails Florida State 41-21. Florida State has looked strong today offensively. Wake has also looked good at times, but with the exception of a couple of possessions, FSU has executed its game plan very well today in Winston-Salem.

Update #16: Wake Forest refuses to fold as it drives 59 yards to the 1-yard line, but s Skinner pass in intercepted by Florida State in the end zone to stall the drive. The visitors stands are rocking with the Tomahawk Chop as Florida State gets the ball at its own 20-yard line. 41-21 Wake Forest trails with 7:57 left to play.

Update #17: Wake puts together another scoring drive after FSU had to punt the ball away. A pass from Skinner to Chris Givens that covers 4 yards caps a 9 play, 79 yard scoring drive that took 2:37 off the clock. Exactly 3:01 remains to play and the Demon Deacons have narrowed its deficit to 41-28.

FSU recovers the onside kick, forces Wake to burn all its timeouts, and gets a first down before running out the clock. Florida State wins it 41-28.

Wake Forest falls to 4-7 on the season, while Florida State improves to an even 5-5 on the year. The Seminoles can become bowl eligible with a win against Maryland next week or against #1 Florida in two weeks in Gainesville.

Thanks for reading the Blog! We'll be posting photos in the next while. Thanks again to the gracious staff at BB&T Field for their hospitality. Our next Live Blogcast will likely be ASU basketball, and you're invited to follow along with us then!

Southeast Regional Moved To Avery High School In Newland Due to Field Conditions

courtesy LMC Sports Information
November 12, 2009

BANNER ELK, N.C. -- The Lees-McRae College men's soccer team will host the NCAA Tournament's Southeast Regional at Avery High School Friday, November 13th and Sunday, November 15th. The matches have been moved due to field conditions caused by the amount of rain in the area.

The Bobcats earned the top seed in the region with a 15-2-1 overall record and will play fourth seed Wingate, who defeated Flagler, 4-0 Wednesday. The match will be at 7 p.m. at Avery High School in Newland, N.C.

On the other side of the bracket, Conference Carolinas foe, Anderson, will play Carson-Newman Friday at 4 p.m. at Avery High School

The final round location is to be determined at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Ramblin' Wreck's gamblin' man winning more than games

The following story written by CBS Sports' Tony Barnhart discusses the great season had by Avery County native and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head football coach Paul Johnson, whose team is ranked #7 in this week's BCS Standings. A good read that we thought was worth passing along. Enjoy!

It was Saturday night at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium and, as they say down South, it was gettin' late. Georgia Tech was in overtime with Wake Forest and everything -- and I do mean everything -- was on the line.

Wake Forest had scored first in the overtime to take a 27-24 lead. A Georgia Tech loss would have been beyond devastating. It would have probably cost the Yellow Jackets a Coastal Division championship, a shot at the ACC championship and the opportunity to at least be in the BCS title discussion come late November.

Georgia Tech faced fourth down and a little less than a yard. The ball was straining to reach the 5-yard line. The Coaching 101 manual for this situation reads as follows: "You're at home. Your offense is playing well. Be smart. Be conservative. Kick the field goal and go to the second overtime."

Paul Johnson has never read that coaching manual. He doesn't even own one. He sent his offense back on the field and first tried to draw Wake Forest into an offside penalty. Didn't work. Johnson called timeout.

During the timeout, Johnson looked at his quarterback, Josh Nesbitt.

"Whaddaya think?" asked the coach.

"I can make it, coach," said the player.

"I know you can," said the coach.

So Johnson sent his quarterback onto the field. Nesbitt ran for the first down. On the next play he ran for the touchdown. Ballgame.

"I really didn't think it was that tough a call," Johnson said Sunday afternoon. "You have a bunch of options on a play like that. I just thought our offense against the defense they were running was our best option."

Because Johnson dared to fail, a trait not often seen in the coaching fraternity, Georgia Tech has won big. The Yellow Jackets are 9-1, ranked No. 7 in the BCS, and are one win (Saturday at Duke) from locking up the ACC's Coastal Division championship. Georgia Tech has not won an ACC championship since 1990, when Bobby Ross led the Yellow Jackets to the UPI national title.

But understand that Johnson didn't just win a big game with his boldness last Saturday. He sent a message to his current players and to those who will come to play for Georgia Tech from this point forward.

"If I expect my players to play to win, then I have to be willing to play to win," Johnson said. "The easiest thing to do in that situation is to kick the field goal. If he misses it, you can just blame the player. My job is to put our guys into the best position to win every week."

The message has been received by the Georgia Tech players, who are now feeding off Johnson's confidence.

"He believes in us," said running back Jonathan Dwyer, the 2008 ACC Player of the Year. "Who doesn't want to play for a coach like that? It makes us go out there and play harder for him and harder for each other."

Georgia Tech's players are not the only ones who have bought in to the boldness of their second-year head coach. The Georgia Tech fans are absolutely giddy.

"Our fans love the guy because he is confident in his ability. In that respect he has some Steve Spurrier and some Barry Switzer in him," said Wes Durham, the longtime radio voice at Georgia Tech. "He doesn't need a script. He doesn't need a play sheet. He sees the game and makes the adjustments he needs to make. And he is competitive. Man is this guy competitive."

To understand Paul Johnson you have to go all the way back to his home in Newland, N.C. He didn't play college football but looked at the game and had the audacity to think he could coach it. More than once he heard that he needed to limit his vision and his ambition.

"When somebody told me I couldn't do something, that made me want to do it more," he said.

Johnson began his coaching career at his alma mater, Avery County High School, as the offensive coordinator and line coach. Johnson got his first college job at Lees-McRae Junior College in Banner Elk, N.C. When Erk Russell began building his Division I-AA national championship program at Georgia Southern, he hired Paul Johnson in 1983 as the defensive line coach.

Russell saw something he liked in the kid from western North Carolina. Johnson was coaching the defense, but he was also watching and learning the Georgia Southern offensive attack. It was a version of the wishbone/option and, from time to time, Johnson would offer some good ideas. In 1985 Russell promoted Johnson to offensive coordinator. In 1985 and 1986 Georgia Southern averaged 435 yards and 36 points per game and won a pair of Division I-AA national championships.

After stints at Hawaii (1987-94) and Navy as an assistant coach (1995-96), Johnson came back to Georgia Southern as head coach in 1997. The program had struggled since Russell's retirement after the 1989 season. Don't go there, people said. You can never match what Erk did.

Johnson immediately turned Georgia Southern around, winning 62 games and making three trips to the Division I-AA national championship game (two titles) in only five years.

Then he answered the call from Navy, which had just gone through the worst two-year period (1-20) in the history of the academy. Don't go there, Johnson's coaching friends told him. It's a graveyard. You can't get enough players. Too many restrictions.

"Call me dumb, but I thought our offense would work there," Johnson said.

It did. After a 2-10 record his first season (2002), Johnson's Navy teams won 43 games and made five consecutive bowl trips.

When Georgia Tech began looking for a coach to replace Chan Gailey, the thought of bringing Johnson's option offense to the ACC was considered to be a huge gamble. Don't go there, people told Johnson. The option may work at Georgia Southern and at Navy, but it will never work in a BCS conference. Too much speed.

"We played fast teams at Navy," Johnson said. "We didn't win every game but I knew if the offense was run correctly, it would work."

Georgia Tech went 9-4 in Johnson's first season, which included a memorable 45-42 win over archrival Georgia in Athens. The game was memorable because of the way Georgia Tech won it. Georgia led 28-12 at halftime and appeared to have total control of the game behind quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno. In the Georgia Tech locker room, Johnson didn't scream. He didn't implore his team to do something extraordinary.

"He just showed us a couple of adjustments he thought would help," Nesbitt said last summer. "He just told us that if we settled down and executed the offense just a little bit better, we'd be fine."

In the span of just over seven minutes in the third quarter, Georgia Tech wiped out the deficit and took a 35-28 lead.

Since then Johnson has earned a reputation as the King of Adjustments. After Georgia Tech lost at Miami on Sept. 17, he simplified the defense and changed a couple of things on offense.

"We were terrible at Miami. We basically didn't block anybody on the perimeter all night long," Johnson said. "But we changed a couple of things and started having some success. Then the kids really bought in."

Now Georgia Tech has a chance to win its 10th game, something it has not done since 1998. The Yellow Jackets have a chance to go to their second ACC Championship Game. (The first was in 2006, a most forgettable 9-6 loss to Wake Forest). They have a chance to beat Georgia for the second straight year, which hasn't been done at Georgia Tech since George O'Leary beat the Bulldogs three straight from 1998 to 2000. And with Georgia struggling at 5-4, there are rumblings that the balance of power has shifted in the state, an unthinkable thing just a few years ago when Mark Richt's Bulldogs were winning SEC championships.

In short, life is good at Georgia Tech and the rest of the country is finally starting to discover that Johnson isn't a pretty good coach with a gimmick offense. This guy is a helluva coach with an offense, when run correctly, is just about impossible to stop.

"He's a ball coach," Durham said. "He's won every where he's ever been. That is not a coincidence."

Zach Johnson Interview Excerpt following Mars Hill College's Season Finale

Mars Hill Lions linebacker and former Avery Vikings standout Zach Johnson talks about what the support of Avery County coaches and fans means to he and his his team on the field.