UNC Football Ready For Its Annual Triple Option Exam Against Georgia Tech

Each year, the UNC football team is scheduled to play one game that’s never like the others—a flashback to a time when leather helmets were in and facemasks were out.

That time is now in 2016, as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bring their old-school triple option offense to Chapel Hill this Saturday for a homecoming matchup against the No. 21 Tar Heels.

It may be somewhat of a cliché in today’s sports world to constantly bring up the triple option when discussing Georgia Tech, but the truth is that’s what makes them tick now—and it’s what’s made them tick ever since head coach Paul Johnson took over the team prior to the 2007 season.

Sitting at 5-3 this year, the Yellow Jackets have once again been able to carve out a respectable season behind their unique scheme which relies on finding creative ways to run the football.

Part of that has to do with talented players like dual-threat quarterback Justin Thomas, sure, but UNC head coach Larry Fedora explained Monday that there’s a huge learning curve for opposing defenses trying to figure out the system on the fly.

“It doesn’t matter what I know,” Fedora told reporters about the triple option during his weekly press conference. “The players see it once a year. So it’s like reintroducing them to it each and every year.

“We try to do things throughout the year to keep it fresh for them,” he continued. “But it’s something that’s totally different. And that’s one of the advantages that they have is that your kids never see it except for that one week.”

Although UNC and Georgia Tech play each other every season due to being ACC Coastal Division rivals, there simply isn’t much time to fine tune a game plan that will always be successful against the option—a system with various moving parts.

Fresh off a bye week, though, UNC actually had extra time to prepare for the Yellow Jackets this season.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t always meant good things historically for the Tar Heels since Fedora arrived. In four games against Georgia Tech as the UNC coach, Fedora is 2-2.

Both wins came when his team had just a single week to prepare. Both losses came when his team had a bye week prior.

“I don’t know if more preparation time gives you an advantage or not,” Fedora said. “It’s gonna be about taking care of the football and creating some turnovers. And the team that executes the best is gonna win the football game.”

The reason execution is always so critical against a team like Georgia Tech is because opportunities to score will be limited as the Yellow Jackets look to milk the clock. Every missed tackle or dropped interception results in one less chance for the Tar Heels to do what they do best.

Against the triple option, defensive players also must be more disciplined in staying within the play calls—as the system is designed to take advantage of anyone who misses their assignment.

UNC junior defensive tackle Naz Jones said he hates facing Georgia Tech not only for how tough it is mentally, but also because of its penchant for having offensive linemen dive at defenders’ ankles to create running lanes.

“You can’t really worry about it,” Jones said about the cut blocks he anticipates seeing from the Yellow Jackets. “You’ve gotta make tackles while people are tackling you.

“That’s just the culture of what you’ve got to deal with at the defensive line spot [against Georgia Tech]—especially in those A gaps stopping the dive.”

For the Tar Heels to be successful and continue their quest to repeat as Coastal Division Champions, they’ll obviously need their defense to continue its steady improvements against the run. That much is clear.

Offensively, however, they won’t have as much room for error.

Despite playing a style that shortens the length of games, the Yellow Jackets are ranked just 56^th in the country in run defense. If the Tar Heels can score early–while getting the most out of tailbacks Elijah Hood and TJ Logan on the ground–it could severely limit the impact of Tech’s triple option.

The Yellow Jackets would then be forced into throwing at the talented Tar Heel secondary if playing from behind.

UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky has been confident all week that his team will be able to make that scenario a reality on the way to a win.

“We’re gonna have to establish the run early, and then take what they give us in the pass game,” Trubisky said. “I think they have some openings that hopefully we can run the ball into—then just move the ball down the field.

“We’re gonna have to make every possession count.”