Collegiate Times

Tyrod centerpiece

Making their second trip down to Atlanta in six weeks, the Hokies expect a much different style of play from a No. 19 Georgia Tech team that has been receiving national attention with its triple-option offense.

"We've got a very tough challenge this week," Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer said. "Their quarterback has always been good, and I think they've got some other very skilled players on offense. With it being a different offense, it's really a challenge for us defensively."

Based around the option rule, the triple-option uses three players who may run with the ball instead of two, which are used in the standard option run.

The quarterback alluded to by Beamer is junior Josh Nesbitt, who is seen as the nucleus of the option offense. Like Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Nesbitt is considered to be a threat on the ground and in the air.

"He can run it and throw it," Tech sophomore linebacker Jake Johnson said. "He's a great athlete. We're going to treat him like a running back."

Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer is Nesbitt's main option in the scheme. Despite having carried the ball almost fifty fewer times than his quarterback, Dwyer has rushed for just 46 fewer yards this season and is averaging 6.5 yards per rush.

The Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Player of the Year and a Heisman Trophy candidate before the season's commencement, Dwyer saw limited action in the Yellow Jackets' only loss of the season at Miami in mid-September because of a shoulder injury, carrying the ball five times for seven yards.

"He's a great back," Johnson said. "Very strong, physical. He's one of the best we're going to face all year."

Johnson noted that although they have yet to see an offense like Georgia Tech's this season, they will be prepared come Saturday.

"It is a new offense for us (to face), but over the summer, we went over option principles and stuff like that," Johnson said. "We'll be ready for it on Saturday. ... We only have a week to prepare for it when every other team runs the standard pro offense, but we've gone over our individual option responsibilities throughout the year. Plus, in the past few weeks with Boston College and Miami, we've shown that we can stop the run."

Much like how the Hokie defense knows it will experience a new system of offense, the Yellow Jackets acknowledge that their opponent's defense is of a higher caliber than any other team they've faced this season. Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson believes they can be beaten, however.

"They've played pretty good defense other than the Alabama game where they got worn down toward the end," Johnson said on Georgia Tech's athletics Web site. "They gave up some yards and points to Duke, but if you go back and watch that game, they were never in danger of losing. Duke wasn't exactly lighting them up when the game was in doubt. Until somebody beats them, you have to give them the respect that they're due. Since I've been here, they've been the best team in the league."

Georgia Tech's unique offensive scheme has not only impacted the preparation of the Hokie defense, but the offense as well.

"The main thing coach is preaching this week is ball control," Taylor said. "Just making sure you're controlling the plays and the clock. They take a lot of the time off of the clock with the ball in their hands."

With the recent success of Taylor and the Hokie offense, Paul Johnson is making Virginia Tech's offense an important focal point for his team Saturday.

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