Georgia Tech rushing attack vs. BYU linebackers


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SALT LAKE CITY — BYU got a much needed victory last weekend in Logan, beating Utah State to avoid taking third in the in-state competition between all of Utah’s FBS schools.

The Cougars used a highlight play from Kyle Van Noy, an impressive performance from Taysom Hill and a good outing by Jamaal Williams to beat the Aggies, 31-14. Oh, and an injury to Chuckie Keeton boosted BYU's chances.

Now, BYU gets into the real meat of its independent schedule, with opponents over the next few weeks featuring the likes of Georgia Tech, Boise State and Wisconsin.

Against Georgia Tech this weekend, the Cougars will have to bring their best run-stopping performance of the year, as the Yellow Jackets are the seventh-best rushing team in the country, averaging 300 yards a game.

Georgia Tech opened the season 3-0 but has had two consecutive losses since then, including a 45-30 loss to Miami last weekend.

If the Cougars are going to find a way to victory this weekend, to move to 4-2, BYU’s vaunted linebackers will have to find a way to limit the Georgia Tech rushing attack.

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Why this matchup?

Quite frankly, Georgia Tech’s passing attack is abysmal, with the Yellow Jackets averaging only 125.6 passing yards a game. In order to move the football, Georgia Tech relies on a rushing attack that confuses opponents and uses misdirection to fool overactive defenses — similar to Air Force.

BYU’s linebackers have stopped pretty much every challenge thrown at them over the course of the season, including Kyle Van Noy taking a Chuckie Keeton pass into the end zone on the first play from scrimmage in last week’s game.

In order to beat a triple-option rushing attack, it requires the defense to work in a man-to-man scheme with each player responsible for one of the options off the snap. It also requires defenses to not over-commit to one of the options for fear that misdirection might catch the defense entirely out of position.

BYU is built to handle one of these attacks well, as the linebackers have the speed to make up for small mistakes. For example, Van Noy, if he’s keying in on the tailback option, has the explosiveness to catch a quarterback who is keeping the football. Again, the key is in not having too many players over-commit on the wrong option.

Who wins this matchup?

Georgia Tech has faced some good rushing defenses and did rush for 335 yards against the Hurricanes. However, the Yellow Jackets haven’t faced an opponent who has a player of the caliber of Van Noy. Literally, the senior linebacker from Reno’s McQueen High School has the ability to fill open running lanes with roadblocks within seconds.

BYU also has an elite rushing defense, with opponents averaging only 119.3 yards going into the Utah State game. The Cougars’ defense is also the 18th-best scoring defense in the country, limiting opponents to 16.8 points per game.

Quite frankly, teams with the skill of Georgia Tech will rack up yards but they won’t be able to gain as many as they need to make up for the Yellow Jackets’ woeful passing game.

If Van Noy and company can keep themselves from biting on play-fakes, the Cougars will move to 4-2.

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Jon Oglesby

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