Johnson's coaching debut at Tech comes in a Thursday night game

ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech's football team will open the Paul Johnson coaching era with a home game against Jacksonville of Alabama on Thursday, Aug. 28, one of two Thursday night games on the slate.

The other will be an Atlantic Coast Conference test on Nov. 20 at home against the Miami Hurricane.

Other nonconference games on the schedule are Mississippi State on Sept. 20 in Atlanta, the first meeting with the Bulldogs in almost 80 years; Gardner Webb and archrival Georgia, in Athens.

Other ACC games are set at home against Florida State, Virginia and Duke, with the road games at Boston College, Virginia Tech, Clemson and North Carolina.

Tech had a road game at Army on its original 2008 schedule, but the Cadets opted out. Tech replaced them with an extra home game Gardner-Webb.

Athletic Director Dan Radakovich said the Jackets will visit Mississippi State in 2009. He also announced other games against Southeastern Conference teams Mississippi in 2010 and 2011 and a road game at Vanderbilt in 2009. Beyond 2011, Tech has agreements with the SEC's Alabama and Auburn as well as Syracuse of the Big East Conference.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/2/206743