June Jones v. Paul Johnson

[newshound]

Folks, Paul Johnson is 15-5 at Georgia Tech and 10-1 at home. He beat rival Georgia in Athens in his first season and has his team positioned to contend for a BCS game, perhaps the national championship game even.

If the Jackets beat Virginia this week, they are looking at a possible 11-1 regular-season finish and a berth in the ACC title game with their only loss being at Miami in a game in which their starting running back -- the ACC rushing champ from a year ago -- was injured.

And, you wouldn't trade for that? That must be some good crack you're smoking. Matter of fact, Johnson isn't even doing it with personnel that he recruited for his system. It's only going to get better for them at Ga. Tech.

(And, lest we forget that Paul Johnson's understudy is now 2-0 vs. June Jones).

All that said, June Jones definitely has SMU pointed in the right direction and he is working on a reclamation project. But, is his offense more difficult to defend than Johnson's? I don't think so. Has he achieved the same measure of success at SMU than Johnson has at Ga. Tech? Not by a long shot. But, it's too early to judge his level of success.

Tulsa's loss to UTEP tonight puts SMU in first place in the C-USA West Division and, with an upset Saturday in Houston, the Ponies will control their own destiny toward a possible division title. Is that putting the cart before the horse a little? Sure. But, the point is that SMU has a huge OPPORTUNITY and UH is NOT a physical mismatch. It could happen.

[PonyKai]

Lest we forget that SMU is a very, very special place when it comes to football re-builds...and that's not meant in a good way. It's difficult to compare the job someone is doing here with anywhere else because it's just so damn special here.

[Stallion]

The statement that all Texas High Schools run the spread is not really accurate. Admitedly, the spread has become very popular partly because they can refine the offense during the Texas 7 on 7 tournaments. But Texas is a big state-with 365 Division 1A prospect we dwarf the numbers coming out of Georgia. Admitedly, the SLC, the Lake Travis', Highland Park's have been very successful but there are plenty of ball control running teams too. Look at Trinity, Cedar Hill-plenty of high schools that install a running game behind the best athlete at the school as a running QBl Look at some of the teams SMU recruits WRs at Duncanville, Beaumont Central, and Spring. (actually I think Duncanville may have just switched to spread by hiring Lake Travis' Head Coach). Even Tyler John Tyler might throw 4-5 passes in the first half and then shut it down and run the ball down the throat with a big lead. Some of our recruits go a whole season with less than 10 receptions. Texas is so big there are plenty of styles and offenses to go around. Just hope that GT doesn't hear about Jeremy Johnson.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

"Folks, Paul Johnson is 15-5 at Georgia Tech and 10-1 at home. He beat rival Georgia in Athens in his first season and has his team positioned to contend for a BCS game, perhaps the national championship game even. If the Jackets beat Virginia this week, they are looking at a possible 11-1 regular-season finish and a berth in the ACC title game with their only loss being at Miami in a game in which their starting running back -- the ACC rushing champ from a year ago -- was injured. And, you wouldn't trade for that? That must be some good crack you're smoking"

The better question may be what kind of crack are you smoking? if you think SMU would suddenly be beating the likes of Georgia, looking at 11-1, and "perhaps a national championship game" if Paul Johnson instead of June Jones had come to SMU last year.

[rich59]

Stallion, you are so right. There has to be plenty of high schools in Texas that run the option still but recruiting from schools that run the option is not really necessary. There are plenty of high school QBs who would be capable of running the PJ offense. At many schools the QB is the best athlete but not necessarily a great passer. A lot of those guys are not recruited as QBs and would be glad to go to a school where they could play QB. In addition, there are a lot of high school lineman who don't fit the mold for the pass protection everyone is recruiting for today. The slightly smaller, quicker, shorter guys who could get down in the three point stance and fire out. PJ would have a big advantage recruiting his type player in Texas. Having said all that, we have JJ and, considering his offensive scheme, which, IMO, is not a long term big winner for SMU, I believe he is a huge improvement for SMU and perhaps a good interim step toward putting SMU back to where many of us want them to be, a perennial top 25 program.

[StingStang]

The statement that all Texas High Schools run the spread is not really accurate. Admitedly, the spread has become very popular partly because they can refine the offense during the Texas 7 on 7 tournaments. But Texas is a big state-with 365 Division 1A prospect we dwarf the numbers coming out of Georgia. Admitedly, the SLC, the Lake Travis', Highland Park's have been very successful but there are plenty of ball control running teams too. Look at Trinity, Cedar Hill-plenty of high schools that install a running game behind the best athlete at the school as a running QBl Look at some of the teams SMU recruits WRs at Duncanville, Beaumont Central, and Spring. (actually I think Duncanville may have just switched to spread by hiring Lake Travis' Head Coach). Even Tyler John Tyler might throw 4-5 passes in the first half and then shut it down and run the ball down the throat with a big lead. Some of our recruits go a whole season with less than 10 receptions. Texas is so big there are plenty of styles and offenses to go around. Just hope that GT doesn't hear about Jeremy Johnson.

I was going to question this too. I don't know my Texas HS football, but I just can't believe that there aren't a ton of ball-control oriented teams. Maybe not in DFW, but elsewhere in the hundreds of smaller towns and cities.

You probably don't have to worry about PJ recruiting Texas anymore. He did get Marcus Wright in his first class to play slotback, who is a little 5-8 speedster out of SA (Parade all-america, Texas 5A player of the year). But PJ is trying to lock down Georgia in an attempt to compete against UGA. Every commit so far this year is in-state. Whereas Chan Gailey made it a point to recruit Texas every year.

Now I have to look into this Jeremy Johnson guy.

[StingStang]

I just remembered something. The infamous "BirdDog" has already summed up all the arguments for and against PJ and his offense in one epic blog:

http://thebirddog.wordpress.com/2007/07 ... s-offense/

[Warbow]

Maybe this thread should be titled "Run & Shoot" vs "the Spread".

To be truthful, I can't recall JJ ever beating a team that ran the spread option type of offense. In 1999, JJ's first season at Hawaii 2 of his 4 losses were to TCU and Rice. Both ran that type of offense then.

The believe the spread offense owns JJ.

[newshound]

Yep, that's Paul Johnson's 7-1 team now in first place in the ACC.

They blew out Virginia, 34-9, running for 362 yards and holding the ball for more than 42 minutes.

How about an 18-play, 82-yard drive that took 10:47 on the first possession of the second half. They punted two times, both in the first half.

And, I gotta tell ya, that option thing he runs won't work in a BCS conference. Nah. Never. No way.

Don't look now, but with Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Duke left on the schedule before the season-ender vs. Georgia, the Yellow Jackets could be in the national title hunt (with a little help).

The man can coach.

[rich59]

PJ will continue to have success, especially as long as few other teams adopt his style of offense. Would that SMU had gotten him instead of JJ. We would be much further along.

[jimhagle]

PJ is a damn good coach-period and let's face it-Patterson isn't far behind him.

[KnuckleStang]

The argument that PJ's style of offense only works for 1-AA and service academies, and will never work if you teach it to BCS caliber athletes has always been hilarious to me. He has won everywhere he has been. He will continue to win at GT

[rich59]

Absolutely agree with both statements. I am hoping for a non BCS "National Championship" game between two unbeatens, TCU and Boise State. Not that that will help the poor old Ponies.

[lwedge]

PJ turned down SMU so he could go to Clemson or Ga Tech and have the chance for a National Title. He will have that chance, if not this year, within the next three.

I like JJ and what his offense will bring to the Ponies. Pass blocking lineman wanting a chance in the NFL will pick a spread offense over an option offense every time. Better receivers will do the same.

PJ's toughest games, like most option teams, will be in the first part of any season and a bowl game. Those games are when the opposition teams have time to prepare against the option (note LSU in the Peach Bowl last year).

The saying is true that it always comes down to the Jimmies and the Joes, not the X's and O's (see Pittsbugh against Navy this year - great defense). We'll get to the point of maxing out in JJ's spread, just like Hawaii. More time is needed to learn and grasp the spread than the option.

Two more years - max. Then we can look at 8 - 10 wins a year. It's coming.

[rich59]

Nice to be optimistic. I doubt 8-10 wins a year. More like 7-8. The lineman JJ tries to recruit are the same as almost every other D1 school are trying to recruit and if you are one of those would you rather go to SMU or TU, OU, TCU, OK State, K State, Neb., on and on. Plus the defensive studs we need to get to TCU's level as far as won loss record. We need better people than TCU has on defense because our offensive scheme puts more pressure on the defense than theirs does.