Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

6B Friday, August 31, 2007 | The Red & Black K ftSHCLs' 4* ■ r^. ; - - - - ' “ . 7: , pK SI " \fO ■Hr * f 9HH. > >7 rj JOHNNY CRAWFORD | Atlanta Journal-Constitution ▲ Georgia Tech wide receiver James Johnson runs a pattern during football practice in Atlanta, Wednesday, Aug. 8. Tech’s season begins Saturday against Notre Dame. AP Poll Top 25 NCAA ranirings Associated Press Top 25 First-place votes in parentheses 1. Southern California (62) 2. LSU (2) 3. West Virginia (1) 4. Texas 5. Michigan 6. Florida 7. Wisconsin 8. Oklahoma 9. Virginia Tech 10. Louisville 11. Ohio State 12. California 13. Georgia 14. UCLA 15. Tennessee 16. Rutgers 17. Penn State 18. Auburn 19. Florida State 20. Nebraska 21. Arkansas 22. TCU 23. Hawaii 24. Boise State 25. Texas A&M Others Receiving Votes Missouri 128, Georgia Tech 94, Boston College 75, Oregon 73, South Carolina 69, Miami (FL) 68, Alabama 66, Oregon State 42, Wake Forest 40, South Florida 28, Arizona State 17, Brigham Young 14, Southern Miss 12, Notre Dame 11, Virginia 7, Clemson 6, Oklahoma State 3, Texas Tech 2, Purdue 1, Houston 1, Kentucky 1, North Carolina State 1. s . O v \\ ■' " \ , \ % ,<< %• - H< 1 * ■ si \‘ f V ' " - ■ J M fjy fTi nfhri &. RESTAURANTE Y CANTINA \, . New Open! GRAND OPENING San. 9/2 - Thar s'. 9/6 BUY 1 DINNER GET THE SECOND FREE! (cwc watch the Dawtjs platj er 4 plusm* TVs Fall Par & Garre Specials 3523 Atlanta Hvvif 706-353-7771 nfoTHtwoRUDS p r Swimming pool with sand volleyball and Clubhouse with TV' Washer and dryer in Anew Johnson strives to sting By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA As James Johnson sits on a couch in the players’ lounge at Bobby Dodd Stadium, a familiar face looms over his left shoulder. It’s another Johnson Calvin, to be specific. And though he’s now earning millions to play in the NFL, he still casts a large shad ow at Georgia Tech. “He’s always checking on me,” said James Johnson, looking back at Calvin’s image painted on the wall. The two Johnsons still talk frequently on the phone, Calvin calling in to make sure James is ready to take over the role of go-to receiver for the Yellow Jackets. “He wants me to be the best I can,” James said. “I’m just not as tall as him or anything like that.” Indeed, it’s ludicrous to expect James, a 6-foot, 190-pound junior, to have the same impact as Calvin, Cal aims to redeem loss against Tenn. By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer BERKELEY, Calif. Every three days or so, Lavelle Hawkins takes a deep breath and pushes “Play.” The film of California’s 35-18 loss at Tennessee last year flickers to life on his television. And the Golden Bears receiver gets through maybe one quarter before turn ing it off, burning with frustration and humiliation. “It hurts me so bad that we played so bad,” Hawkins said. “I was so embar rassed. All that hoopla, and then we played as bad as we played. “That was the most embarrassing loss I’ve played in in my life, and I’ve played a lot of ball. Oh my God, it makes me so mad.” Not many videos outside of a horror movie have caused as much consterna tion as Cal’s football follies on that nightmare Saturday in Knoxville, when the Volunteers took a 35-point lead and coasted to a blowout win over the bewil dered Bears. The rematch finally arrives this weekend in Berkeley, and the 12th-ranked Bears believe it might be their only chance to shake the stigma of a loss that seemed to confirm every negative stereotype of West Coast foot ball while casting doubt on a half-de cade of rebuilding at Cal, which has risen from a perennial loser to a Top 25 fixture. Coach Jeff Tedford acknowledges his Bears looked soft, defensively deficient and mentally weak. Their offense floundered with anew starting quarterback, while their sec- Sunglass Headquarters of Athens all major brands & designer lines X M _ I 1_ Kum's Fashion 115 E. Clayton St. 706.54.6.6945 Across.from the Bank of America FIRST & GOAL a 6-5, 235-pound freak of nature. But it would be a mistake to overlook this pass-catching Johnson when the Yellow Jackets open a season of high hopes at Notre Dame on Saturday. “I’m about as fast as he was,” James said, a hint of confidence creeping into his voice. “(Calvin) just wants me to be a great leader, to continue to do what I do. He’s always tell ing me it’s my show now.” Asa sophomore, James ranked second on the team with 39 catches for 608 yards an impressive average of 15.6 per recep tion —and scored seven times. Still, those numbers paled in comparison to the other Johnson, who hauled in 76 throws for a stagger ing 1,202 yards and 15 TDs. Without their once-in a-generation receiver, the Yellow Jackets plan to diversify the passing game. It will no longer be Calvin and everyone else, as it ondary gave up a handful of big plays mostly against a freshman comer back playing with a cast on his hand and 100,000 people screaming in his ear. “That’s the worst we’ve ever played,” Tedford said. “In my five years, I don’t ever remem ber looking up and being down 35-0. So we deserved it. “It’s not really revenge. If anything, it’s redemption. It wasn’t that we lost the game last year. “I think it was the way we lost the game last year that was the devas tating part of it, that hung with us so long.” “It’s so annoying,” offensive lineman Mike Tepper said. “Just because we lost our first game to a pretty good team doesn’t mean we’re a joke team.” Even after winning 10 games and a Pac-10 co-title and trouncing Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl last season, all California heard about during the summer was its season-opening loss to the Vols. But once the Bears got back to work last spring, they turned their attention to the big clock high on the wall in the comer of their locker room. It counts the days, hours and min utes until Saturday, when the No. 15 Volunteers will be in Memorial Stadium. “In the summer, it hit me in the middle of July,” Tepper said. “Wow, we’ve got Tennessee coming up. I was thinking about it three, four hours a day Tennessee, Tennessee, ‘Rocky Top.’” Though Cal recovered nicely with was a year ago when James was the only other wide out to reach double-figure catches. “I like to think we’ve split (Calvin) up into five people,” Bennett said. ‘They’ve all stepped into some pretty big shoes, and they’re filling them.” No one is more eager to fill those shoes than the Johnson who stayed behind. James had a few dropped balls during Georgia Tech’s late-season swoon, but those slip-ups have only made him more determined to prove he’s ready to take over the No. 1 role. “When you’ve been behind somebody, you want to show everybody what you’re capable of doing,” Johnson said. “I’m looking for my spot.” Coach Chan Gailey is counting on Johnson to have a breakout season, even if he doesn’t come close to matching the numbers put up by Calvin. “Any team that was to lose a Calvin Johnson *• * 1 T WADE PAYNE | Associated Press A Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge rolls out to pass during their game against South Carolina on Oct. 29, 2005 in Knoxville, Tenn. eight straight wins, quarterback Nate Longshore remembers more about his second career start than all of those games combined. He actually, enjoyed stepping onto the field at Neyland Stadium, since “there’s something real cool about 100,000 people booing you.” Cal’s need for redemption extends across graduation boundaries as well. Several Golden Bears who played in last season’s debacle will be back at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, includ ing tailbacks Marshawn Lynch and Marcus O’Keith, who got time off from their NFL clubs. “We see it as our chance to show everybody what we’re all about at Cal,” Hawkins said. “We don’t want another offseason like this one.” Experienced J 9 Defense attorns* DUI • MIP/UPA ALL CRIMES Slider & Gonzalez, LLC 706-353-3303 Athens ’ Sandal Center Since 1975 down tom * 5464014 REEF CROCS CHACO KEEN BIRRS Take an Extra 10 % off our alreadly low pricef Offer good >/ any service until 9.1507 (Bring ad in to receive discount) yourself ai ITirsi Class OOuls |l||p|tß-4655 open Mon-Sat 10 am- Bpm E 4 pfext to Food Lion on the East Side) More 1866-739-2331 .com I would worry about replac ing that type of player,” Gailey said. “But if you don’t have confidence in your own players and what they bring to the table, then you are wrong as well.” The coach provided this scouting report on James “Don’t Call Me Calvin” Johnson: “He is extremely quick. He’s got better speed than I think people give him credit for. He’s able to make the tough catch. I know that he dropped a couple late in the season, but most every great receiver has dropped some at some point.” As that guy on the wall keeps reminding him, Johnson needs to be a leader. “We’ve got a really young receiving corps,” he said. “They can make plays. I’ve seen them in practice. They’re learning very fast. Before you know it, it’s not just me they’re going to be looking at.”