Georgia Tech fires former UVa. coach Al Groh

Al Groh once said his goal before each game was to game-plan a way to score more points than the other team.

His horrid defense at Georgia Tech didn’t allow coach Paul Johnson to game-plan enough points from his prolific triple-option attack to win, so he decided Monday to let Groh go.

“To me, it was inevitable. I didn’t want to give up on the rest of the season. I still think we can come back and have a good season. That’s why I did it now,” said Johnson, whose Yellow Jackets have dropped three straight, giving up 42, 49 and 47 points in losses to Miami, Middle Tennessee State and Clemson in the process.

Groh’s defense ranks 89th nationally in points allowed per game (30.2) and 90th in total defense (431 yards per game). The D was also the weak link in the second half of what had started as a promising 2011 season as Tech lost five of its last seven games following a 6-0 start.

Johnson hired Groh in 2010 after Groh”s largely unsuccessful nine-year run as the head coach at Virginia had come to an ugly end. Groh brought with him the 3-4 defensive scheme that didn’t work at Virginia.

“Al is very smart man. He understands what’s inside his head. The problem is we weren’t seeing it on the field. For whatever reason, it wasn’t transcending,” Johnson said.