When he was the co-offensive coordinator at Cal Poly, Bryan Cook ran a spread-option offense similar to Georgia Tech’s with considerable success.
In 2012, his last season before coming to Tech as quarterbacks and B-backs coach, the Mustangs ranked in the top 15 in total offense and top 10 in scoring offense at the FCS level. Cook’s version differed in at least one aspect from Tech’s, though, in that he ran a no-huddle, up-tempo pace.
“Anytime you get up on the offensive line real quick, you force a defense to operate much quicker and maybe be a little more simple,” Cook said.
If the Yellow Jackets continue the no-huddle experiment that they debuted against North Carolina on Saturday, the next step could be to speed it up. The first chance would be Saturday’s game at No. 6 Clemson.
“Just evaluate and see,” coach Paul Johnson said. “You can always mix it in. More than likely, if we were to do it again, it’d be to go fast.”
Against the Tar Heels, Tech operated its no-huddle at a pace similar to when it has huddled. In the first four games, the Jackets ran 2.45 plays (offensive snaps plus punts and kickoffs) per minute of possession. Against the Tar Heels, the pace was actually slightly slower, 2.22 plays per minute. North Carolina, with one of the more fast-paced offenses in the country, fired off 3.11 plays per minute against the Jackets.
The move to a faster pace would be to counteract the defense. Against North Carolina, Tech signaled in its plays from the sideline, lined up, saw the Tar Heels’ alignment and then, looking again to the sideline, checked out of the original play if necessary. Were Tech to try the same tactic, Johnson said he would expect the defense to switch its alignment after Tech made its check.
Snapping the ball faster would prevent a counter move.
“I think it would work,” center Freddie Burden said. “I think it’d be to our benefit.”
Tech has spent practice time on its no-huddle and up-tempo pace at least as far back as spring practice in 2014, but had not gone no-huddle for long stretches until Saturday.
“I thnk it’s something that complements the spread option well,” guard Trey Braun said.
Johnson was not convinced that the change had much of an effect beyond taking the play-checking responsibility off of quarterback Justin Thomas’ shoulders. The Jackets were far more efficient on a per-play and per-possession basis than they were against Notre Dame and Duke, but both are better on defense than the Tar Heels.
The risk with a high-tempo pace is that it can tax the defense with shorter intervals between possessions, which has been a reason why Johnson has stayed away from it. Johnson has also stuck to shuttling in plays with the A-backs rather than signal them from the sidelines in part out of a concern that the signs could be stolen.
“There’s a benefit to it, but there’s also a flipside,” Cook said.
Against North Carolina, Johnson proved willing to embrace the risk of no-huddle. With the Jackets desperate for victory and facing a top-10 opponent in one of the most formidable home-field advantages in the country, Johnson might be open to taking another gamble.
“If he calls it, we’ll go execute it,” Thomas said.
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