But as Johnson has pointed out this week, his Yellow Jackets had better not forget about their opponents even though they come into Thursday night’s 7:30 kickoff at Bobby Dodd Stadium as heavy favorites against the Division I-AA Gamecocks.
When asked during his weekly press conference Monday whether he will empty his bench if the game gets out of hand, Johnson was quite blunt with his answer.
“I’m just going to try to win the game,” Johnson said. “Having coached on that (I-AA) level, I know how excited those guys are going to play. You’re going to have part of the (JSU) team, like (starting quarterback Ryan) Perrilloux or the starting tailback (Tremayne Coger) that was at Alabama or some of the other guys that have played in front of big crowds, and the other part of the team will come in with a chip on their shoulders because they may not have been recruited by some of the bigger schools.
They have a point to prove — they are going to prove that the rest of (the schools) messed up because, ‘I’m better than that guy and you should’ve taken me.’
“So, we have to be ready to play from an effort standpoint because I’m sure that they are going to come in here and play hard. ... I think people that think there is the intimidation factor and awe of some sort — when you’re at the other school, it doesn’t work like that. I promise you, they are coming in with the mindset that they are going to win that game, and you have to break their will a little bit.”
That may not be as easy as it sounds given some of the high profile players Jacksonville State features, especially Perrilloux.
Just under nine months ago the 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior from LaPlace, La., was leading LSU to a victory over Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome, and stood with the Tigers as they hoisted the BCS National Championship trophy about a month later.
But after multiple suspensions, Perrilloux was kicked off LSU’s team and eventually landed in Jacksonville, where he is eager at his second chance.
Johnson knows he certainly won’t be intimidated by the atmosphere at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
“The last time he was in town (in Atlanta), he was winning the MVP of the SEC Championship Game,” Johnson said of Perrilloux’s 20 of 25, 298-yard, three-touchdown performance in LSU’s that day. “I guarantee you he doesn’t think he’s mismatched (against Tech).”
It isn’t Perrilloux that JSU coach Jack Crowe is worried about being overmatched.
Crowe, no stranger to big-time Division I football himself after coaching two seasons at Arkansas, is more concerned about protecting Perrilloux against a strong Jackets defensive line that includes Sports Illustrated preseason All-American Vance Walker and preseason All-ACC selection Michael Johnson.
“We certainly have what I think is a premier thrower,” Crowe said. “So, the protection of the quarterback and the ability at receiver is really going to define to what extent we can use (him). Those are big questions to me, particularly when you look at our front four.
“There’s no doubt in my mind when I say there may not be four better defensive linemen on one football team in America than they’ve got on the field at Georgia Tech. Now, ... you ... have to protect your quarterback.
We’re starting some very young players and at one position, we really don’t know who our starter is against that kind of front. ... So, that’s an enormous challenge for us.”