Tuesday, July 7, 2009

GT's Triple Option Attack Will Create A Buzz.


There are alot of great stories popping up for the 2009 NCAA College Football season. None stick out more than Coach Jeff Millhimes and the Georgia Tech "Triple Option Attack". The attack did not win a bowl game last year but did cause a stir in the ACC.

Unlike a shotgun spread attack utilized by such teams as Oregon, West Virginia and Florida where the option to pass the ball as well as run is a threat on every play, at Georgia Tech the options will be whether the QB hands off up the middle, keeps the ball off tackle or pitches it to the outside.

Not saying the option to pass won't be there at all, but, like Oklahoma and Alabama in the 70's and 80's, the more successful the offense is, the less passes they will throw. Navy threw the ball less than 10 times in more than half of its games last year and the more the Midshipmen were in control of the game, the less they threw the ball. Only once did they throw the ball over 15 times.

Many compare Georgia Tech's offense to that of Mike Leach at Texas Tech, and that is true to the extent they are the exact opposites. Each of these two teams represent the truest and most successful form of one-dimensional offense in football's top division. If you look at last year's NCAA statistics, Navy was first in rushing with 349 yards per game and last in passing with 93. On the other hand, Texas Tech was first in passing with 470 yards per game and last in rushing with 59.

The important thing to remember is that the key to success in both of these offenses is not to distribute the ball equally between runs and passes, but to distribute it equally among the eligible ballcarriers and/or receivers.

More specifically:

• The triple option is a unique system that other teams will not see week in and week out making it much harder to prepare for.

• Because this is a system that is based upon creating as many third-and-short yardage situations as possible, they are in their comfort zone when it comes to executing critical short yardage and goal-line plays.

• Since you win championships with defense, no offense in the country has the ability to control the clock better than the triple option. The more you control the clock with your offense, the more your defense is resting on the bench.

• This is a true TEAM concept where every player on the offense understands that they must all work together to make it work. No running back will get all the carries and receivers must learn how to block.

We are not ready to say Georgia Tech will win an ACC Championship this season. However, they will be in contending for sometime to come.

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