Virginia Tech was able to escape Durham, North Carolina last Saturday with a close win against Duke. Head coach David Cutcliffe always has his team well-prepared and dialed in whenever they’re facing the Hokies. There were some concerns after watching that game, seeing how successful Duke was able to orchestrate the read option for positive yards. Quarterback Daniel Jones was making the correct reads all game long against Virginia Tech’s defensive ends. Those reads ultimately resulted in Duke outgaining Virginia Tech with 227 to 207 in rushing yards, and Jones was the leading rusher with 18 carries for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers don’t bode well against a run heavy Georgia Tech team whose entire offensive philosophy revolves around the triple-option.

Whatever issues or holes Duke exploited last weekend must be a resolved before facing Georgia Tech’s unusual offense. Head coach Paul Johnson’s offense is designed to expose missed assignments on defense, which can result in numerous big plays. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster will have to get his defense mentally and physically prepared to face such a unique offense.

Last year when Virginia Tech faced Georgia Tech, the defense struggled right out of the gate. They were quickly down 14-0 in the first quarter, but were able to regroup and find ways to end drives. The defense forced four fumbles, recovering three of them, in last year’s win in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets were only able to score a total of 14 points all game, and were kept out of the end zone after the first quarter (with the exception of an interception returned for a touchdown). The turnovers were a major reason why they were unable to score the rest of the game.

Triple-Option Offense 

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