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December 21, 2006 10:52 AM | General
December 21, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey has watched Rich Rodriguez’s offense evolve from his days coaching at NAIA Glenville State to the system Rodriguez employs today at West Virginia University that is being copied by just about everyone.
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| West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez is one of college football's most innovative coaches.
Ron Pradetto photo |
“The first time I ever faced him he was in the Run-n-Shoot,” Gailey said earlier this week. “So he’s changed a lot during the years.”
Today, West Virginia is liable to run the ball twice as much as it throws it. Gailey is impressed that an established coach like Rodriguez can alter his system to fit his offensive personnel.
“A lot of guys won’t do that because they want to be known for a certain type of offense,” Gailey said. “He doesn’t let his ego get in the way of doing what is best for his team. That to me is what he’s done great.”
Gailey admits what West Virginia does out of the spread is unusual and takes time to prepare for.
“The one good thing is that you have more than one week to get ready for it. If you only had one week to get read for all that they do, I can see where that is very difficult on teams,” Gailey said. “They create a lot of challenges for you on both sides of the ball, because they do have some unique schemes that they run and they do them very well. Not only are they unique, but they do them with some speed on the field.”
Gailey says West Virginia’s speed at quarterback and running back is very concerning.
“They do such a good job with execution and faking the ball that you’re going to get out of position sometimes,” he said. “Recovery speed is the key. If you get a half or full step out of position, you’re going to have to recover and that’s what our team defense does as a whole.”
However, recovery speed is one of Georgia Tech’s biggest strengths on defense.
“We’re not in the right spot every time, but with our speed and quickness we’re able to redirect and get back to the ball and keeping it from being a big play,” Gailey said. “That’s going to be a giant key, and that’s what Phillip (Wheeler) does really well. People forget it’s only his first year playing middle linebacker.”
Gailey says his offense must contend with unorthodox schemes as well.
“I wish they would play a more traditional defense, that’s my impression,” he said. “They give you a lot of looks and it creates a lot of indecision for the blockers. That’s the key because it creates indecision.
“They can bring people from different places and they move those guys around,” Gailey said. “It’s the same principal is to what we do defensively, except we use a base four. They base out of a 3-3 and it really creates identification problems.”
Georgia Tech (9-4) is coming off a pair of losses to Georgia and Wake Forest where the Yellow Jackets scored a combined 18 points. Gailey believes in order to get his offense jumpstarted it is not just a matter of making some big plays.
“We can’t say that we’re not going to be able to execute all the way down the field -- that we’ve got to take shots and that’s the only way we’re going to get it into the end zone,” Gailey said. “We’ve got to be able to execute all the way down the field and that includes everybody – that’s not just one or two guys.”
Georgia Tech is making its 10th straight bowl appearance, one of just six schools with an active streak that long. Last year the Yellow Jackets lost 38-10 to Utah in the Emerald Bowl.
“Ever year is different,” Gailey noted. “You adjust to the players you have, the bowl you’re going to and the situation that’s involved. Comparing this year to last year is not fair. Anything that you say about previous bowl games where you did play well becomes excuses and I refuse to play that game. It’s my responsibility to get them to play well.”
Briefly:
Ball, a senior, passed for 1,820 yards while starting every game in 2006 and compiled 8,579 yards of offense and 57 touchdowns for his career. Taylor Bennett is expected to start in the Gator Bowl against West Virginia. The redshirt freshman completed 16 of 29 passes this year with two touchdowns and an interception.
Scott will be replaced by sophomore Jahi Word-Daniels in the starting lineup. Scott was fifth on the team in tackles with 50 and also had two interceptions and 10 pass breakups.
The junior was the ACC’s top rusher averaging 100.3 yards per game, accumulating 1,304 yards and 10 touchdowns. His yardage total is fourth-best in Georgia Tech history.
He has rushed for more than 100 yards in six straight games and eight of his last nine.
“I hope they know a lot about him when this is done,” Gailey said of his top rusher. “I hope they’re in awe of him when the game is over. You hope he has the kind of ballgame. I think anytime you play on a national stage like this it’s an opportunity for people to see players.”
“Oh yeah, one of my friends played tight end for Pittsburgh and we went there for a visit during his senior year of high school,” Cox said. “It was a Thursday night game. It was a great atmosphere there at Pittsburgh. I watch it every now and then. I always rooted for Pitt.”
“I love to watch those guys play,” Johnson said. “I talked to Steve Slaton a week ago in Orlando, and he’s a cool guy. I watch them whenever they’re on. I watched them play Rutgers and Louisville.”
Linebacker Phillip Wheeler has also watched West Virginia on television, particularly the Mountaineers’ Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia last year.
“I thought they were too fast for Georgia at the time, but Georgia showed some pride in coming back,” he said. “I don’t think Georgia executed well against their option. We’re a pretty fast defense. I don’t think we have seen that kind of speed yet, but after watching them on film, I think we can contain them.”
