At Georgia Tech, the spread option has sprouted more options
Ninety-five yards and a cloud of dust. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
We know Paul Johnson’s offense, right? A-backs go in motion. B-back gets the bulk of the carries. Quarterback throws passes that can’t be caught by man or bird.
OK, scratch that. We knew Paul Johnson’s offense. But the spread option as currently deployed by Georgia Tech is forcing us to reassess.
Option football is based on the triple option, wherein a quarterback keeps the ball and runs himself, hands it to the back bursting up the middle or pitches it to a man on the flank. With Joshua Nesbitt as on-field administrator, options were essentially reduced to two: He’d keep the ball or hand it to his up-the-gut B-back.
In 2009, Nesbitt and B-back Jonathan Dwyer carried 514 times; the top four A-backs carried 181 times. Last season Nesbitt and backup quarterback Tevin Washington — Nesbitt broke his arm in November, you’ll recall — and B-back Anthony Allen rushed 512 times; the top three A-backs rushed 151 times.
It’s not as if that way was a bust. In its first three seasons under Johnson, Tech finished fourth, second and first among FBS schools in rushing. But that was a different sort of rushing, and here’s how you can tell: The B-back has always been the featured ballcarrier in Johnson’s offense — Dwyer had consecutive 1,300-yard seasons, and Allen topped 1,200 last year — but in 2011 the starting B-back hasn’t yet had a 100-yard game. David Sims has carried 30 times, which matches the number of carries allotted to the A-back crew of Orwin Smith, Embry Peeples and Roddy Jones.
Granted, this could be a function of opposition. Western Carolina, Middle Tennessee and Kansas might not have had anybody capable of defending the perimeter. It could also be that, in Washington, Tech has a quarterback whose favored option isn’t to run it himself.
This isn’t a knock on Nesbitt. He was a tremendous college player who would take any dare. But Washington isn’t as powerful as Nesbitt, and the new man is less apt to carry four defenders five yards for a needed first down. When in doubt, Nesbitt trusted himself to make a play. Washington seems to trust his mates a bit more.
As a consequence, we’re seeing a rushing attack predicated less on power than on speed and deception, and the results have been breathtaking. (Indeed, Tech has trotted out a T-shirt bearing the pertinent numbers from the Jackets’ destruction of Kansas.) It’s tempting to call this a true triple option, except that Washington has added a viable fourth way.
The forward pass is no longer a forlorn hope. Nesbitt left Tech having completed 43.1 percent of his passes as a starting quarterback, and without Demaryius Thomas to outfight defenders that percentage would have been far worse. Washington completed four passes against Kansas — for a total of 164 yards.
The Jayhawks cheated toward the line to try to stop the run, and the A-backs ran past them. And — key difference — Washington hit them in stride. Said Johnson: “Those are the plays we haven’t completed the past couple of years. He’s throwing them where they can catch them. That’s the idea.”
Well, yes. And now a defense has to defend not only the keep and the handoff, but the pitch and the throw. In sum, it has become a spread option in the fullest sense.
On sheer talent, there’s no current Jacket who’s a match for Nesbitt or Dwyer or Allen or Thomas, but that’s not the point. This is a crew that fits a specific scheme — and the line, it must be noted, is doing some road-grading — and that scheme has worked wherever Johnson has taken it.
We shouldn’t expect it to keep working quite so well. (Through three games, Tech leads the nation in total offense – by 74 yards a game over No. 2 Oklahoma State.) Neither should we expect it to stop working. Johnson knows his business, and he recruited these players for a specific purpose. Tech’s not going to average 675 yards over 12 games, but it’s clear the Jackets are onto something. And that something, if not exactly new, is more than a bit different.
By Mark Bradley
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296 comments Add your comment
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:00 pm
JB, it’s obvious that you care something about Tech, or you wouldn’t be on here posting.
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:00 pm
Chan, don’t think our fan base is spouting greatness at this time. I’m just keeping myself busy reading all the old post from Chan’s last year….You know, staying above the fray with class.
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:02 pm
Supersize, I care very much about Tech, being a Georgia native. The fishing is to good here not to cast a time or two,,,LOL
BamaFan
September 21st, 2011
3:02 pm
I love the triple option, and I have been following Tech football since Coach PJ got the job and installed the offense. The biggest difference I see this year is the improvement in the OLine blocking.
I think Tech will score plenty of points in bowl games as the players master the offense. But Tech cannot expect to simply outscore quality bowl opponents (or good conference teams like VT and FSU). It needs a solid defense, which it does not appear to have.
Too much
September 21st, 2011
3:02 pm
JB
Quit embarassing yourself and go back to your redneck chip blog
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:04 pm
JB, well, while you’re watching old game replays, why don’t you look at the 2008 Tech – GA game, or the 2010 GA – UCF game. If you enjoy looking at low points of other schools, then you should enjoy your own low points also. And you might even thrown in just about every GA – Florida game and that awesome “black out” game against Bama.
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:04 pm
What time do you guys play Thursday?
bob
September 21st, 2011
3:04 pm
Techs wins were against teams that could not beat Buford High School.
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:05 pm
Quit Supersize, I’m tearing up.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:05 pm
bob, so were Boise State’s and USC’s
PerimeterCenterJacket
September 21st, 2011
3:06 pm
BamaFan, we’ll know more after we take on UNC, sure enough, but the defense bowed up BIG TIME after the half against Kansas. Coming into the game they had a pretty balanced attack, but we stuffed their runs and made them pass…which we then began to disrupt with a better rush and a lot of swatted balls. I think those swats need to become INT’s, but scheme and execution are coming along as the young defensemen get more game experience, it would seem.
Robert Barron
September 21st, 2011
3:07 pm
Let this be a lesson to some of you willing to toss Tevin under the bus after the spring game.
Synjin is the better runner.
But he cannot run the offense nearly as good as Tevin.
This explains why Paul Johnson is the coach and you “expert evaluators” are watching from the stands.
Synjin does make a very good 2nd string QB.
Chan Gailey
September 21st, 2011
3:07 pm
JB
*fishing is TOO good here. Get off of your moms couch and get a job.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:07 pm
JB, you make fun of the Thursday games Tech plays (and forget the WC game; who knows why that one was on a Thursday), but do you also make fun of LSU for playing Miss State on a Thursday? Or any of the other national powers who DO play occasional Thursday games? Why do the mutts REFUSE to play on Thursdays? Is it because all those tractor drivers don’t like driving at night?
RAMBLE ON!!!
September 21st, 2011
3:07 pm
JB is obsessed with GT.
How else do you explain recording a GT game and watching it 2 years later?!?
…or you’re just talking trash, cause that is all you can do.
Brad
September 21st, 2011
3:07 pm
bama
the biggest difference is being able to throw a pass. that’s a big reason for the difference. blocking has been good but passing is key. it streches the field and if the secondary comes in for a run, the a back blows past him like whats happened all season. unc has a new coach in the past 2 momths. they gave up 468 yards to va, 170 rushing. so you can more than double what they did and that gives us 400 rushing and another 125 passing for 525 and a 20 point win
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:09 pm
Chan, ya’ll hiring?
Ol'JacketFan
September 21st, 2011
3:09 pm
@BamaFan, I agree with you, but a great defense can take a mediocre offense a long way and I think the reverse is also true. I would love to see Tech be able to pair a top 10 offense with a top 10 defense. The O line is really playing well and add in the blocking being done by the back/recievers one can see why this offense is clicking. In the 2nd half of the KS game last week I think we started to see signs the D is coming together. So far CAG has kept the D very vanilla and yet it’s easy to see the athleticism of the LBs and DBs. As the season progresses we’ll know more about where the D is going to be. I do know we have only 5 seniors on the starting 22 so the future is also looking real good!
Go Jackets
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:09 pm
JB, when are the mutts ever going to play a Thursday night game. Every other school in the country does except UGA. Did you mock LSU for playing Miss State last Thursday? Why are the mutts afraid of Thursday games?
Gibbs
September 21st, 2011
3:09 pm
Wow JB do you not realize who played last Thursday you idiot? You must be some loser 17 year old Ga fan.
GT45
September 21st, 2011
3:09 pm
Bradley, a somewhat positive article about Tech? What is your angle? Can’t find anything negative to say so far? Was it not you who were one of the many saying Tech was doomed, because all of Chan’s recruits were gone? I want to see what you write if Tech slips. You just don’t have anything to write positive about your beloved dogs. Like most gagger fans, you probably have a hard time finding a reason to get up out of bed in the morning!
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:10 pm
What is with these damn filters?
Chan Gailey
September 21st, 2011
3:10 pm
JB
We arent hiring, but I head UGA is looking for some coaches. Try the school up 316.
Tommy
September 21st, 2011
3:10 pm
hey jb, lsu miss st last thursday idiot!!!
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:10 pm
JB, why won’t the mutts play Thursday night games? All those farmers don’t like driving their tractors at night or something like that?
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:11 pm
Can anybody say “wrapped tight”. You guy get to play a football team Saturday. Is the game there? If so, I know Johnson will be concerned with crowd noise for a change.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:11 pm
JB, what’s wrong with playing on Thursdays?
Chan Gailey
September 21st, 2011
3:11 pm
*heard
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:12 pm
Why won’t the mutts play on Thursdays? Every other school in the SEC does
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:12 pm
I kind of like them Super. I wish the Dawgs would try it sometime. I think it’s good for recruiting.
Chan Gailey
September 21st, 2011
3:12 pm
LSU played last Thursday. Are they any good?
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:13 pm
UGA is the only SEC school to refuse to play them
Jackets 2011
September 21st, 2011
3:13 pm
I think all Jacket fans are feeling much more confident about our team’s capabilities than we were to start the season.
I’m hoping also that our D can provide more help than in 2009 and 2010 when we always had to outscore the other team and got few stops.
The 2009 UNC game was one of the few where the D came through: two picks by Morgan Bennett and a fumble recovery.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:15 pm
I guess it’s part of that “we are so much better than anybody else we can do what we want” attitude. And it’s that very attitude that causes the fans from every other school to hate the mutts so much.
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:15 pm
You sure about that Supersize?
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:16 pm
sure about what, JB?
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:16 pm
LOL supersize…….We are so much better….LOL….. Pot, meet kettle.
juvenal
September 21st, 2011
3:17 pm
Super, Navy quip was at least witty, got to avoid the reflexive use of real life comparisons, as a lot of dauugs lack one….JB, you usually avoid the neener-neener playground school of debate as well, thanks…but didn’t LSU just play last Thursday?
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:17 pm
That Dawgs are the ONLY SEC team that won’t play on Thursday’s.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:18 pm
JB, it’s not Tech who thinks every running back we have is Herschel Walker 2, 3, 4, whatever. And it’s not Tech who claims year after year that we are going to win it all. That’s the mutts who do both those things year after year after year after year.
George P. Burdell
September 21st, 2011
3:19 pm
Yeah reality we know. At least ours will come in late September/early October rather than at 9:15 p.m on September 2nd.
Jackets 2011
September 21st, 2011
3:19 pm
The Dawg’s game vs Ole Miss could be like our game vs Kansas last year.
Houston nutt is under the gun to produce.
They’ll probably go all out to try and save their season.
Georgia should win but you never know what a desperate team like Ole Miss might do.
juvenal
September 21st, 2011
3:19 pm
get a good team, win a good game on a thursday, a lot of kids watching-hate being up past my bedtime on a school/work night, but the ATL has a beautiful skyline at night……
PerimeterCenterJacket
September 21st, 2011
3:20 pm
Oh I see what’s up on now…georgie beat somebody and now it’s cool to make fun of Tech again, huh? So cute. See you in November…if your coaching staff makes it that long.
NiquePhotog
September 21st, 2011
3:20 pm
I think UGA was too scared to schedule a Thursday game because it might end their sold-out streak. Now that the mutt fans have given up on their team and broken that streak, I believe it’s a possibility next year.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:21 pm
Well, JB, all I know is that LSU, Auburn, Bama, Miss State, Ole Miss, USC HAVE played Thursday games. I THINK Florida has too, but I’m not sure. I honestly don’t remember if UT has or not, and Vandy and KY? Well, who really cares anyway? I DID read somewhere 2 or 3 years ago, that the UGA powers that be said they would not schedule any Thursday night games in Athens.
reebok
September 21st, 2011
3:21 pm
please quit telling me that the 3-0 start doesn’t mean anything because we beat weak teams. first, MTSU vs G-Tech was a lot of people’s trendy upset pick of the week in week 2. 2nd, Kansas beat us last year and we CRUSHED them this year. Tech might not beat North Carolina…that’s a good, big, physical team…but Tech is off to a great start and doing exactly wahat a good program should do in the soft part of the schedule…and I am looking forward to being at Bobby Dodd on Saturday…GO JACKETS!
JB
September 21st, 2011
3:21 pm
juvenal, I usually do. If fact, supersize and I had a special moment on here about a week ago ( sorry supersize, I know, not in front of my buds on here), but got attacked pretty early, just messing with this board…. The testosterone is a little higher than usual on here because of your 3 big wins.
Jackets 2011
September 21st, 2011
3:22 pm
Georgia won’t play on Thrusday because they do not want to put their drunk fans on the road at night.
On Saturdays, they can sober up a little before hitting the road.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 21st, 2011
3:22 pm
JB, Auburn, Bama, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss State, and USC HAVE played on Thursdays. I THINK Florida has, but I am not sure. Not sure about UT, Vandy, or UK either. And I’m getting sick of these stupid filters blocking this response