Countdown to ACC Kickoff, No. 21: Georgia Tech’s option offense
The ACC Kickoff (aka media days) is fast approaching. I’ll be using the blog to count down to what we media members consider the unofficial start of the football season. This isn’t a list of the 25 best players on Virginia Tech’s roster. It’s a list of 25 things/people that will determine whether the Hokies’ 2012 season is a success or not. That includes players and coaches from both Virginia Tech and, occasionally, a few of its opponents.
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No. 21: Georgia Tech’s option offense
It’s easy to forget now, but Georgia Tech had Virginia Tech on the ropes for a moment last year. The Yellow Jackets went 74 and 84 yards on their first two drives of the second half in Atlanta, capping each with a touchdown run by quarterback Tevin Washington to take a 26-21 lead.
On the ensuing drive, Logan Thomas was about to be sacked on third-and-long deep in Virginia Tech territory. But he wouldn’t go down, frustrating linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu into taking a slug at the quarterback, a 15-yard personal foul penalty that moved the chains. The Hokies would score, then stop the Yellow Jackets on fourth-and-one, then score again, taking a big enough lead that Georgia Tech had to go to the air, not its strong suit.
So despite the 37-26 final score, there was a fine line in the game, much like every year with Georgia Tech, whose methodical, a-few-yards-at-a-time, spread option offense is a nuisance to play against.
The Hokies have historically fared OK defensively against Paul Johnson‘s spread option offense. In Johnson’s four years, Virginia Tech is 3-1 against Georgia Tech, having held the Yellow Jackets to less than their season average in total yards on two of those occasions.
Last season, the Yellow Jackets finished with 340 yards, a total stunted by a fourth quarter in which the Hokies held Georgia Tech to negative 16 yards. (Read that again.)
But Georgia Tech has the principal players in its running game returning. Washington is back for his second year as a starter. He accounted for 2,638 yards and 25 touchdowns last year, 14 on the ground. Running backs Orwin Smith (615 yards, 11 TD) and David Sims (698 yards, 7 TD) return, in addition to an experienced offensive line that returns players at all five spots who have started.
The only big knock on Georgia Tech’s offense is that its top receivers, notably Stephen Hill, are gone. That could minimize the passing threat that helps the Yellow Jackets keep defenses honest.
Regardless, they’re going to pound the run, over and over and over. They know it. The defense knows it. The people in the stadium know it. Ultimately, it boils down to execution. And whichever side does that better, will probably come out on top.
There will be no lack of time for Bud Foster to get his defense ready. With the game on Labor Day night, the Hokies could devote a good chunk of August to scouting the Yellow Jackets. Given Virginia Tech’s propensity for starting the season slow, that preparation becomes paramount.
And if you think this is overstating the importance of a season opener, remember: the winner of Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech has represented the Coastal Division in every one of the league’s title games.
Coming Monday: They don’t shake hands.
Previous entries:
- No. 25: Randall Dunn, senior tight end
- No. 24: Donaldven Manning, freshman cornerback
- No. 23: Pick a punter
- No. 22: J.C. Coleman, freshman running back
July 1, 2012 - 10:53 AM
Georgia Tech blocks below the waist and chop blocks, both of which are illegal. Just ask John Graves, a former defensive player for the Hokies.
He knows all about the GT blocking, and so do we Hokie fans.
Below the waist is not illegal as long as the player you’re blocking is not engaged. Then it becomes a chop block.
What Georgia Tech does is within the rules. Defenses just don’t like it.
Fine. It’s legal. Let’s go out and break a couple of legs in September and see how happy the atlanta crowd is. Johnson thinks he can intimidate by putting players careers on the line. It will stop when a couple of the GT players find themselves in slings. We know the game, will we pay the price? How long will the ACC and the NCAA let this go on?
Time of possession is going to be critical as it was last year. If I’m not mistaken, VT edged GT in the TOP category last time they met, and it was one of the factors that helped Tech win. Of course, the Hokies was handed a gift courtesy of the boneheaded play by that linebacker.
In your comments, Bitter, you said “What Georgia Tech does is withing the rules. Defenses just don’t like it.”
Often that is the case, but too many of those blocks are WHEN THE DEFENDER IS ENGAGED – until Beamer complained to conference about it, THERE WERE LOTS MORE CHOP BLOCKS, SIR.
Georgia Tech does do a fair amount of chop blocking, whether intentional or not, and it was called once or twice last time we played them. However, blocking below the waist (cut blocking) is completely legal in college. Watch our offense, we do plenty of cut blocking too (it’s usually very effective). But Georgia Tech does seem to take cut blocks to the extreme in a dangerous way.
Actually, the Hokie linemen are lucky if they can perform any kind of block with the poor coaching they get from Newsome. As I have said before, he is the weak link in our coaching staff and the weak link to having a successful offense against a high caliber team.
GT’s OL blocking technique walks the line of legality (in between legal cut blocks and illegal chop blocks) about as finely as it can be walked. Often a GT OL is firing out, trying to brush by or briefly contact a DL on his way to block an opposing LB. Another GT OL is coming for the legs of the same DL a half-beat later, and the aim is for that 2nd OL to cut the DL just above the knees just after the first OL has cleared him, making what would have been an illegal chop block a technically legal cut block. But it’s just as dangerous to the DL’s knees, and the technique results in lots of illegal chop blocks as opposing DL’s will tie up the first GT OL, trying to prevent them from getting to the LB level, and still get hit in the knees by the second GT OL. Paul Johnson takes the position that the DL and the OL aren’t “engaged” if the first OL is trying to get by the DL and not actively engaging him – even if the first OL has brushed and distracted the DL or if the DL is trying to engage the first OL.
Also, the outside blockers for GT (their wing backs and WR’s) cut block a ton. This is also legal if done within a certain distance from the line of scrimmage. But it’s illegal if it’s done from the outside in as a crackback, coming from the defender’s blind side. Again, GT walks an extremely fine line here and while they “teach” the legal technique many of their outside blocks also end up being dangerous and illegal. Kam Chancellor nearly had his career ended by an illegal crackback cut block that wasn’t flagged and that had Frank Beamer livid.
By this time, VT and other ACC teams know what they are going up against. PJ’s scheme is what it is, and while defenses do hate it, it is legal as taught. It’s up to the refs to watch those grey areas closely and throw the flag each and every time GT executes an illegal chop or crackback block. It’s a very effective scheme when run by players who have been in the system long enough to execute it at high speed and can really wear a defense down. The key IMO is for the VT D to get some early stops while they are still fresh and for VT’s offense to get a two-score lead and hold it. In some previous matchups against GT the VT defense has done a good job early in the game only to see the VT offense sputter also and blow the chance to open up a sizable lead that would push GT out of its comfort zone.
You Hokies are really scared of Georgia Tech’s rushing attack.
There’s a lot of whining going on here. Blocking below the waist is perfectly legal. Furthermore, it is merely an extension of “staying low”, something all offensive linemen should strive to do when they run-block. Don’t like offensive linemen firing off low at your legs, then stay low yourself and keep your legs behind your hands and shoulder pads. Defensive linemen don’t like it because they can’t be lazy and just stand straight up. Tons of unjustified whining going on here. People don’t get hurt playing against GTs offense anymore than they do against any other. I like VT too, but sometimes the whiny fans make it difficult.