Virginia Tech Football: 5 Things to Watch for When Georgia Tech Has the Ball

On Thursday night in front of a national audience, Georgia Tech will showcase their triple-option flexbone attack.

This will be a rare occasion for people across the country to witness a true option offense, as such offenses are usually designated for much smaller schools and service academies.

Bud Foster and the Hokies' defense will be faced with the difficult task of slowing down Paul Johnson's pride and joy, a challenge made even tougher considering the number of key injuries in the Hokies' front seven.

Virginia Tech has fared better than most at stopping Georgia Tech's offense since Johnson's arrival in Atlanta, but has still been wildly inconsistent. Hokie fans saw this last year when the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 14-0 lead.

Some background on myself perhaps will be necessary.

I played football in high school and we also ran the Navy double-wing offense (poorly). Here are five things Virginia Tech fans should look for on Thursday night when the Hokies' defense is on the field.

I would not be surprised if Paul Johnson goes with some sort of play-action deep bomb on the first play. He's been known to try it before, and has actually tried it against the Hokies.

The Yellow Jackets rarely throw, but when they do it's usually a big play. Bud Foster is very aggressive with his defense, and Georgia Tech knows it.

Even though quarterback Tevin Washington has only completed 49 passes this season, ten have gone for touchdowns and he averages an unbelievable 24.5 yards per completion. Last time the Jackets beat the Hokies, they completed only one pass for 51 yards.

Safeties Antone Exum and Eddie Whitley need to be on their toes and make sure to not be overzealous in run support, even though as much as 90 percent of the plays could be runs.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that an option offense is going to run a lot of option, and Georgia Tech is going to do just that.

They run triple option, mid-line QB option, speed option and even the occasional option pass. That's enough to give defensive coordinators headaches, and Bud Foster has decided to go with a smaller, quicker unit this week to counteract the quick-hitting option plays.

Your double-wing triple option is confusing to the typical fan because the offense will intentionally leave the two play-side defensive linemen unblocked. The quarterback will either give, keep or pitch depending on what those two linemen do.

It can be difficult, especially on television, to see who even has the ball.

The best way to keep up, cameraman permitting, is to see if the unblocked defender goes after the fullback or not. Usually the ball will go wherever that defender didn't go, assuming the quarterback makes the proper read.

The best way to defend an option is from the inside out. The best way to keep a defense from stacking the middle too much is by getting the ball to the outside, and in a hurry.

The sweeps Georgia Tech runs do exactly that. The ball-carrier gets a running start by going in motion, and normally catches the ball well-wide of the offensive line.

Expect the Yellow Jackets to test the tackling of Cris Hill and Jayron Hosley early and often by getting the ball outside and trying to break some big plays.

Bud Foster had better make sure his players are ready to wrap up and bring guys to the ground, or the offense may have to do what they did in the Miami game and carry the team.

Paul Johnson loves going for it on fourth down, and who can blame the guy? His offense is perfect for picking up those short yards, and after three different option plays, the fourth-down yardage to gain is exactly that.

The Yellow Jackets won't hesitate to keep the offense on the field for fourth downs, and that goes for just about any spot on the field.

Preventing Paul Johnson's offense from gaining ten yards in three plays is a challenge. Johnson knows doing it in four is nearly impossible.

Chances are that the Hokies' defense will be faced with at least one fourth down that can make a huge difference in the game.

One stop could make the difference between a win and a loss, as getting off the field against this offense is a huge momentum boost for a defense and it usually sets the stage for a short scoring drive.

Seems odd that an offense based on wrinkles and misdirection could add any wrinkles.

However, the winner of this game has played for the ACC Championship every year since ACC expansion, and Paul Johnson knows that will likely be the case this year as well.

Clemson was a huge game for the Yellow Jackets, but Virginia Tech is bigger and Georgia Tech will likely empty the playbook on the Hokies. Georgia Tech is also sure to be bitter about the heartbreaking loss they suffered last year in Blacksburg.

But what could a wrinkle possibly mean in an offense from which defenses should already expect anything?

It could be a halfback pass or some sort of reverse, But Georgia Tech could also go unconventional by going conventional.

Paul Johnson loves his offense, but he knows what will catch a defense off-guard. This will be the fourth time he faces Bud Foster, and he may need to throw Foster a huge curveball in order to gain the edge this time around.