Johnson says Jackets are not afraid of Clemson
By: will-vandervort July 29, 2016

No one is afraid of Clemson and Florida State.

That’s what Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said on the David Glenn Show in a recent radio interview. The ACC Sports.com reported on Friday morning that Johnson says no one in the ACC is  afraid of Clemson and Florida State, despite the fact the two programs have won every ACC Championship since 2010 and have won and played for the national championship in two of the last three years.

Clemson is 27-1 against ACC competition not named Florida State since 2012, while the Seminoles are 26-2 against ACC teams not named Clemson.

“Certainly they’re good programs and they’re very deserving of all the accolades, but I don’t think anyone in our conference is afraid of them,” Johnson said to David Glenn.

Last year, Tech went 3-9 thanks in large part to a ton of injuries. The Yellow Jackets won just one ACC game all season, and that came against Florida State in Atlanta when the Seminoles were undefeated and ranked in the top 10.

But against Clemson the Yellow Jackets did not fair quite as well. The Tigers held Tech’s potent rushing attack, which led the ACC and ranked eighth nationally last year, to a season-low 71 yards on 41 carries. It was the lowest rushing total ever for a Paul Johnson coached football team.

Clemson won the game 43-24, but it really wasn’t even that close. The Tigers led 40-10 late in the third quarter after a 35-yard Zac Brooks touchdown run. However, what happened last year does not seem to bother Johnson at all.

“We’re 5-4 against Clemson since I’ve been at Georgia Tech and 3-2 against Florida State,” he said. “We have a much harder time against Virginia Tech and Miami.”

Johnson is right, he is 5-4 against Clemson, but what he did not mention is that he is 2-4 against Clemson in the last six meetings. The Tigers have won three of the last four against Tech as well.

The Yellow Jackets will host Clemson on Thursday, Sept. 22 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Tigers will be looking for their first win in Atlanta since 2003. Knowing the Yellow Jackets are not afraid of them will probably help the Tigers be even more focused on their quest to end that streak.