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Home > Mark Bradley > Archives > 2008 > August > 22 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USBy Oct., Tech’s offense will be up and running
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It worked at Georgia Southern, where he had no size. It worked at Navy, where he had no size or speed. Why wouldn’t Paul Johnson’s offense work even better at Georgia Tech, where he has access to both?
The “option-based spread,” as Tech officially dubs the stylized offense, differs from the spread option that is all the rage, and soon enough Tech fans will be saying, “Vive la difference!” One of the great assets of Johnson’s OBS is that nobody else runs the exact same thing, and in college football, novelty is power.
Even if an opponent sees the spread option once or twice — meaning West Virginia’s or Florida’s version thereof — it won’t be seeing Paul Johnson’s. And there can be no real simulation for it in practice: Who else runs the ball as a matter of course but deploys no fullback and no tight ends? Who else has A-backs and B-backs?
“If you’re not disciplined on defense, this offense is difficult to stop,” said Tech defensive tackle Vance Walker, who has viewed the OBS in practice. And how many opposing defenses can develop that much attention to oddball detail in the course of one week’s preparation?
Said offensive tackle Andrew Gardner: “Everything is predicated on running this offense as fast as we can.”
Given a modicum of time — a month, say — that rapidity will become Tech’s ally. At the season’s onset, alas, it should be something less. The first few games will be strewn with missed reads and fumbled pitches. (Remember, the Jackets are new to this thing, too.) Come October, however, the OBS stands to be running at a high rate of RPMs.
Look for Tech to lose three of its first four conference games, with all three losses coming on the road. Then stand back and watch as the transformation takes hold. Look for the same Tech team to win three of its final four ACC tests, to finish .500 in the league and to finish above .500 all told.
As Johnson has said: “In my mind, it’s been proved this offense will work.” We’re about to see further verification. We’re about to see the OBS set up shop in one of the high-falutin’ BCS leagues, and we’re about to see the rest of the ACC scrambling to figure out how to stop it.
(Editor’s note: Want a different take on how Tech’s new offense will fare? Terence Moore says the option offense will drop the ball in ‘08.)
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