ACC Coach of the Week: Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech

Paul Johnson had his team ready and a game plan that buried Virginia early. (US Presswire)

ACC Coach of the Week: Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech

Already 0-1 in the conference, Georgia Tech hosted Virginia in an early-season must-win.

“We dug ourselves a hole (in a season-opening loss at Virginia Tech), and we have to take it one week at a time and see if we can dig ourselves out,” coach Paul Johnson told the Yellow Jackets. “It's a long year. So we just have to take it one week at a time and get better.”

Tech was ready to play against Virginia, but the Cavaliers weren't ready for what they were about to see.

Johnson's run-first flexbone offense came out firing the ball. On the first play from scrimmage, QB Tevin Washington found Zach Laskey for a 70-yard touchdown pass.

“That was just luck,” Johnson claimed afterward. “It's the matchup. You get the guy on the linebacker. He played the out route, and we ran the wheel route.

Tech went back to a ground attack, and scored on the third play of the game with a 77-yard Orwin Smith run. On the Jackets' fourth offensive snap, Washington ran 60 yards to set up another touchdown.

Four plays into the game, Georgia Tech had 210 yards. It would take Virginia until the fourth quarter to gain as many.

“They ran their style of offense, and they came out ready to play,” Virginia coach Mike London said of Johnson's game plan. “We got too far of a hole dug to get out of, and they continued to play well.”

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.