At the ACC Kickoff on Friday in Charlotte, N.C., the AJC asked a series of questions of Georgia Tech’s opponents in the Coastal Division, starting with, “When you think of Georgia Tech, what do you think of?” The next set of answers will run Wednesday morning.
Duke cornerback Bryon Fields
“Ugh — that triple option. Preparing for that is so tough, and from a DB perspective, it’s just so hard not to fall asleep, because you know they will get you on the deep ball. That triple option is just the first thing that comes to your mind. I know it’s a cliché answer, but it’s tough. It’s tough to deal with.”
Miami running back Mark Walton
“When I think of them, I think about that offensively, they run the wing-T, whatever they call it. Triple option, double option, whatever it is. They wear your defense down. Just something that you can’t control. You’re on the offensive side of the ball, and their offense can hide the ball legitimate for eight minutes (straight) in one quarter.”
North Carolina offensive tackle Bentley Spain
“Honestly, the first thing that came to my mind was the golden helmet. But they’re the team that, when you play them, you know you’re not going to get as many possessions as you (normally) would, so you’ve just got to make them most out of them.”
Pittsburgh cornerback Avonte Maddox
“A lot of trickery, eye control. Running the ball, like, 50 times in a game. That’s what I think of when I hear Georgia Tech.”
Pittsburgh offensive tackle Brian O’Neill
“I know what our defense thinks, is that week of practice for them is brutal. But it’s two close games (in the past two years). The only experience I’ve ever had with them have been nail-biters. We played them at home my freshman year (in 2014, a 56-28 Tech win) but I wasn’t playing, I was redshirting, and at that point, I knew I wasn’t going to go in the game, so the only experience I have ever had is a nail-biter, so I get excited for that game because it’s exciting.”
Virginia quarterback Kurt Benkert
“I think of Calvin Johnson, I think of the wing-T and I think of honeycombs (helmets).”
Virginia safety Quin Blanding
“When I think of Georgia Tech, I just know I’m getting ready to either hit the ground or I’m shedding a block. That’s the bottom line, either your legs are getting cut or you’re getting off the ground. Something’s going to happen with Georgia Tech. What makes them unique and special is they run something that teams don’t run and you really have to prepare for it because it can easily slip away from you.”
Virginia Tech linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka
“Hard-nosed, tough offense. Annoying offense, No. 1. That offense is just annoying. It’s a tough offense, though, you’ve got to stop it. You’ve got to be honest. Just hard-nosed, hard, tough guys.”
(Motuapuaka was asked to explain what made it annoying. Was it the cut blocking? “That — they cut. There’s so much going on. It’s annoying because it works. That’s why it’s annoying, and you’ve got to lock in. That’s why I would say it’s annoying.”)
