Georgia Tech will once again try to defeat Virginia Tech

Both teams have something to prove. First, a win is a good start on the road to the ACC Championship game. Second, the Jackets need to beat the Hokies to prove they can. It has been five years since their previous victory against them.

“We just have to put a complete game together,” Johnson said. “We’ve shown glimpses. We have to put it all together.”

Virginia Tech doesn’t do anything against the Jackets that they haven’t seen before. The key, according to former Tech quarterbacks coach Brian Bohannon, who is now the head coach at Kennesaw State, is that the Hokies do it very well.

When Bohannon was at Tech from 2008-12, the Hokies played a four-man front with three linebackers, something they likely will do Saturday.

The two defensive tackles are charged with holding their ground to eliminate the dive play, a staple of the option offense, and prevent Tech’s offensive linemen from getting down field to block. The Hokies are dealing with injuries to both starters.

The two outside linebackers will line up close behind the defensive ends. They will then move around between gaps before the snap. The movement prevents the quarterback and offensive linemen from setting the blocking scheme before the play starts.

“They don’t define what they are going to do at the snap. You have to read it as you go,” said former quarterback Tevin Washington, who was 0-2 as starter against Hokies.

The goal for that front four, which becomes a front six after the outside linebackers find their spots, is to free the middle linebacker to find the ball and make the tackle. Two years ago, Jack Tyler had 17 tackles against the Jackets, an example of what happens when the scheme is successful. The starter for the Hokies this year will be senior Chase Williams, who is in his first season as a starter.

Foster said he hasn’t gotten a lot of sleep this week because several of his players, such as Williams, will see Tech’s offense for the first time, which will be a change from the previous three years.

“I think he’s been here long enough and seen it and practiced it and repped it, that he knows what the expectations are …,” Foster said. “It’s going to be a physical contest. He’s going to need some big-boy pads when it’s all said and done.”

Foster’s strategy is why the Jackets have averaged 53.7 rushing yards less per game against the Hokies than their cumulative season average of 303.15 since Johnson took over in 2008, through 2013.

Johnson said Foster’s efforts against him aren’t unique.

“They have success against every offense,” Johnson said. “It’s the same way they’ve had success against Ohio State and most teams they play. They are usually pretty good defensively.”

Tech B-back Zach Laskey and offensive lineman Shaq Mason said the Jackets are working on some new schemes to try to check what Foster may do.

“I feel good with what we’ve done, but I know (Johnson) is going to have a wrinkle,” Foster said. “We’ve got to adjust to it. It’s always a chess match with how he’s trying to attack us a little bit differently, and then how we’re trying to adjust to that.”

Johnson said another key will be to create some big plays, particularly in the passing game. Impact plays are something the Jackets haven’t done consistently well against Virginia Tech.

“They are going to create some negative plays for you, so you have to create some big plays on the other end when they screw it up,” Johnson said. “We haven’t hit enough big plays, truthfully.”

Last year, the Jackets had two plays longer than 20 yards against Virginia Tech, both were passes. But they weren’t enough in a 17-10 loss.

With Justin Thomas — Foster said he’s the fastest Jackets quarterback he’s seen — the Jackets have averaged 161.7 passing yards per game, with six touchdowns.

So, there is potential to crack Virginia Tech’s defense for the first time since the win in 2009.

“It’s a tough place to play and a place we haven’t thad a lot of success at,” Johnson said. “It will be a challenge for us to play much better than we played on Saturday.”