Paul Johnson expects better from his defense

ATLANTA -- On the outside it appeared that Georgia Tech's defense had played well enough to win. They limited Georgia to 13 points and came up some big plays on third and fourth downs to keep the game from getting out of hand.

Wrong, coach Paul Johnson said.

"You've got to get better expectations," Johnson said to the media after the game. "For whatever reason, if the offense doesn't score every time, they stink. And if we can make them punt four times, that's great. We've got to have the expectations for both sides."

There were a couple of poor defensive efforts that stood out. One led to Georgia's first touchdown, the second enabled the Bulldogs to escape a deep hole and hurt Georgia Tech's chances for a comeback.

On fourth-and-1 on Georgia's opening possession, the defense allowed Sony Michel to get outside and run for a 34-yard touchdown. That turned out to be the only touchdown of the game for Georgia.

The other instance came on the kickoff after Georgia Tech scored to cut the lead to 13-7. Kicker Harrison Butker pooched the ball into an open zone and it was downed at the 7 by Georgia's Reggie Davis with 3:24 remaining. But the momentum shifted when the defense allowed tight end Jeb Blazevich to get loose for a 25-yard reception and give the Dogs some breathing room.

"We still had a chance," Johnson said. "We get them on the 6-yard line and whenever we need a stop, we can't get one."

But there were plenty of good moments, too.

The defense stopped Georgia at the 12 on back-to-back runs to open the second quarter and deny the Bulldogs points. Demond Smith stopped Sony Michel for no gain on third down and Smith and Pat Gamble corralled Quayvon Hicks for no gain on fourth down.

The defense rose up again in the third period when Georgia had first-and-goal at the 8. The third-down pass to Terry Godwin was well-defended by D.J. White.

In the fourth quarter the defense stopped the Dogs after they had reached the 29. Michel ran three straight times and was wrestled down by White just short of the markers. That forced a field goal attempt, which was missed, and kept the score 13-0.

Smith and Jamal Golden led the team with eight tackles apiece. Tyler Marcordes had seven tackles, one for loss, and Gamble had six tackles.

But the defense could not force a turnover for the second straight game.

"They did a good job protecting the ball," White said. "They didn't put their quarterback in too many situations to make a mistake, as far as passing the ball. Running back-wise, they've got some guys that can carry the ball pretty well, so those guys did a good job of protecting the ball. I mean, we were going for the ball all game because we knew we needed a turnover, but we just couldn't get one."

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Paul Johnson expects better from his defense ."