Georgia end Ray Drew (47) makes critical tackle in second overtime against Georgia Tech in 2013 Atlanta.
Georgia defensive end Ray Drew celebrates a sack last season against LSU. Photo by Perry McIntyre Jr.Georgia is preparing for Georgia Tech's triple-option offense this week, and the cut-blocking that comes with it.
"I like cut-blocking as much as a cat likes a tub of water," Bulldogs defensive end Ray Drew said.
Cut-blocking, or a legalized blocking below the waist, is permitted by the NCAA for offensive players who are not in motion at the snap of the ball. It is not legal to cut-block a defender who is engaged with another blocker, and it can be used only for straight-ahead blocks.
The NCAA has made cut-blocking safer for defensive players in recent years, but that doesn't mean they have to like it.
"I'm going to wear two sets of knee pads," Georgia outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. "Georgia Tech is the master of cutting. I will give them that. Every time we play Tech, we're all on the ground after that first play."
Even Georgia's defensive backs don't expect to be spared Saturday at noon when the No. 16 Yellow Jackets begin attacking the No. 8 Bulldogs.
"It's kind of annoying, because it's not the football that we're used to playing," Damian Swann said. "We had a couple of days during camp and a couple of days during the bye weeks to prepare for it, but this is the one week you have to take everything you've learned as far as formations and techniques and throw that out the window, because you're playing a different style of football.
"You always have to be ready for cut-blocking on the perimeter, especially when you're playing a triple-option team. A guy could cut you on every play."
No coach in college football right now is more renowned for the triple-option than Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson. After guiding Georgia Southern to a 62-10 record and a pair of Championship Subdivision national titles, Johnson was hired at Navy, where he went 2-10 in his first season and 43-19 in his final five with five bowl appearances.
Johnson took over Georgia Tech in 2008 and has led the Yellow Jackets to a 56-34 record, including a 9-2 mark this season that includes a Coastal Division championship in the ACC.
The Yellow Jackets are averaging 327.9 rushing yards a game, ranking third nationally behind Navy and Wisconsin. Leading Tech in rushing is quarterback Justin Thomas, who has 827 yards and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
"I don't know if anyone runs the option game or the triple-option as well as Georgia Tech," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. "I don't think there is anybody in the country who does it better than them."
Georgia was ravaged for 418 rushing yards by Florida earlier this month, but the Bulldogs were stout against Auburn, holding the Tigers, who average 266.2 rushing yards per game, to 150. This past weekend, the Bulldogs faced a Charleston Southern team that ran a lot of option, and they held the Buccaneers to 57 first-half rushing yards.
The Bulldogs know this week will be much tougher, but they do believe they at least experienced somewhat of a tune-up.
"I think it helped at least as far as starting to train our eyes for what we're about to get," Drew said. "Those cut blocks will come out of nowhere. You will be rushing the passer, and the next thing you know you're on the ground."
Said Jenkins: "We prepared for Tech in camp. We prepared for Tech during both of our open dates, and it's really just to get all of us accustomed to getting cut by them."
Odds and ends
The Bulldogs practiced Monday for 90 minutes in shoulder pads and shorts. ... Georgia has 27 seniors who will serve as game captains. ... The Bulldogs are 39-1 against nonconference foes at home under Richt, with Tech providing the lone loss with its 45-42 upset win in 2008.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.