ATLANTA – Contrary to rumor, Paul Johnson’s office overlooking Bobby Dodd Stadium is not hewn out of rock.

There are no cave drawings on the walls. He does not come to work at Georgia Tech wearing a Fred Flintstone animal skin.

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In clear refutation of perception, Johnson actually has a desktop computer. And an iPhone sits in front of him – albeit one that looks like a dated model, maybe an iPhone 4.

But amid the trappings of fancy modern offices, the Yellow Jackets’ facility is permeated with the smell of sweat. Nice furniture and carpet can’t hide that. It’s football’s ancient ingredient, and Johnson is right at home with ancient stuff.

As long as it keeps working. And it is.

The Yellow Jackets went 11-3 last year, winning both the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division and the Orange Bowl, and they could be every bit as good in 2015 if a new crop of backs and receivers step up. Despite the alleged antiquity of the man in charge.

Johnson may be the last college football coach to send in plays by word of mouth – his mouth into a player’s ear, who runs onto the field and relays it to the quarterback, who then calls it to the team in the huddle. Yes, they still huddle at Georgia Tech.

In the modern, hurry-up game, it seems so dial-up of Johnson.

The vast majority of teams communicate plays through multiple quarterbacks or coaches signaling. Or they hold up big cardboard signs with a smorgasbord of pictures and numbers on them. They rush to the line of scrimmage, then halt and peer at the sidelines, waiting for the mimes and the signs to tell them what to do next.

Johnson does it his way. Of course. The 58-year-old is as trendy as a Greyhound bus, as cutting-edge as a newspaper, and perfectly OK with that.

Because he’s still winning – three ACC division titles, one ACC overall title, and 12 straight bowl appearances at Navy and Georgia Tech. With a style that would make Woody Hayes smile.

“We used to signal plays in and we still could, but when I was at the Naval Academy (1995-96 as offensive coordinator and 2002-07 as head coach), our kids could steal signals pretty easily,” Johnson said with a smile. “I figured if they can do it, other people can do it. And a lot of times by sending them in, I can dictate – I might say, ‘312 Switch, look for Z.’ Or ‘Curl/out, it’s going to be the curl.’ I can help the quarterback out a little bit."

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