CHALK TALK BRYAN DRISKELL
game dramatically increases the unit's
chances at success.
7. HANDLE THE CUT BLOCKS
Georgia Tech and Navy are going to
cut defensive players. These two schools
cut block as well as anyone in the coun-
try, and option offenses are fueled by cut
blocks on every single level; linemen cut
block, slot backs cut block, wide receiv-
ers cut block.
Against traditional offenses the man-
tra is often "stay off the ground." That
is not enough against the option. If a
defender stays off the ground but is
knocked off balance, it's a win for the
offense. Defenders must consistently
take on the cut block and defeat it with
proper hand placement, strength and
good positioning of the feet. Handling
the cut blocks greatly limits the oppor-
tunities for big plays on the perimeter.
8. COVER DEEP
Let's keep this point short and sim-
ple: take away the deep ball. Option
offenses do not throw very often, but
when they do they are looking to hit a
home run.
This puts great stress on the corner-
backs and slot defenders. They must
be able to come up and defend the run,
but they also must limit the big pass
plays downfield.
9. LIMIT BIG PLAYS
Avoiding the big play is always a
must against any offense. The goal
is to force the offense to go on long,
sustained drives. The more plays an
offense runs, the greater the odds the
defense is able to force a mistake or
come up with a stop.
10. GET THE BALL
Over the last five seasons, Georgia
Tech has averaged 29.4 fumbles per
season and lost an average of 13.2 of
them. Watching the Yellow Jackets on
film makes two things obvious: Geor-
gia Tech is going to put the ball on the
ground, and the Yellow Jackets are go-
ing to throw the ball up to a wide re-
ceiver each week.
For a defense to achieve maximum
success against the option, winning the
50-50 balls in the pass game and recov-
ering the ball when it is on the ground is
imperative. ✦
Coming up with a plan his players can execute at a
high level is a key against the triple option for Irish
defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA
Bryan Driskell has been a football
analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated
since April 2015. He can be reached
at bdriskell@blueandgold.com.
