GT/VY preview from a local paper
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Bobby Johnson's latest undertaking may also be his most daunting.
Johnson is trying to do the one thing the past five Vanderbilt coaches were unable to do, something many think impossible in the football-rich SEC: Turn around a moribund Commodores program, but do so within the framework of the school's rigid academic restraints.
Johnson debuts as Vanderbilt's coach on Saturday against host Georgia Tech. He sounds excited, not worried, about his new job.
"If I were going to go anywhere, it was going to be a place where there are true student-athletes," said Johnson, who spent the past eight years as Furman's head coach and 24 of the previous 26 with the Paladins. "We believe you can be good in the classroom and good on the football field at the same time. We're not going to use [academics] as an excuse but a positive."
Johnson resurrected Furman's program, but matching that feat at the SEC's only private school could prove considerably more challenging.
Vanderbilt went 2-9 last fall, the school's 19th consecutive losing season. The Commodores' last winning season came when Georgia last won an SEC championship; Vanderbilt went 8-4 and played in the Hall of Fame Bowl in 1982.
"Everybody knows we're not playing on a level playing field in the SEC," said starting guard and Parkview High graduate Jim May. "It makes it a challenge, but it makes it all more rewarding when you win."
While an assistant at his alma mater, Clemson, in 1980, Johnson served as an academic adviser and admissions office liaison. He seems just as proud if not more so of Furman's high graduation rate -- 99 percent of its players who used all four years of eligibility -- as he was of the sterling 60-36 record and two Southern Conference titles he accumulated while there.
The Paladins were the Division I-AA national runners-up last year and made three other NCAA playoff appearances under Johnson. So how will the Commodores fare?
"I don't think any coach before has had the backing I will have the next four years," he said, "or the next 20 that I'm coaching here. How's that for confidence?"
On offense: Johnson chose Jay Cutler over Benji Walker as starting quarterback. Wide receiver Dan Stricker is within striking distance of the SEC record for career receiving yardage.
On defense: The normally reliable Vanderbilt defense crumbled last season, ranking last in the SEC in total defense after being beset by injuries. The Commodores are hoping a change from a 3-4 alignment to a 4-3 can change their fortunes.
On special teams: Freshman Greg Johnson, a former Parkview High standout, has assumed the punting duties and remains in the mix for the kicking chores, too. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">ATTABOY COACH! Let us at 'em! <img border="0" alt="[Saber]" title="" src="graemlins/saber.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Saber]" title="" src="graemlins/saber.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Saber]" title="" src="graemlins/saber.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Saber]" title="" src="graemlins/saber.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Saber]" title="" src="graemlins/saber.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Saber]" title="" src="graemlins/saber.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Saber]" title="" src="graemlins/saber.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Saber]" title="" src="graemlins/saber.gif" />
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