How Georgia’s defense is preparing for both Georgia Tech quarterbacks

Take an already complicated and unorthodox offense (at least in today’s college football world) and throw in two potential quarterbacks.

That’s the prospect No. 5 Georgia’s defense faces as it begins preparations for a home tilt with Georgia Tech (noon, SEC Network) and its triple-option offense. The Bulldogs (10-1, 7-1) must also figure out how to stop Yellow Jacket quarterbacks TaQuon Marshall and Tobias Oliver, both of whom have started games for the Yellow Jackets in 2018.

“Both guys are extremely talented,” Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart said. “... (Marshall) is a really good football player. And Tobias is the same thing. They do a tremendous job, they’re competitors.”

Both Marshall and Oliver recorded carries in nearly all of the Yellow Jackets’ contests this season, save for a few instances: Marshall missed the entirety of the Yellow Jackets’ upset win over Virginia Tech due to an upper-body injury, and Oliver did not play against Pittsburgh.

Oliver’s performance against the Hokies — the redshirt freshman led the team in carries (40), rushing yards (215) and touchdowns (tied with three) — prompted questions of whether or not Marshall would retain his starting spot upon returning.

Marshall did, in fact, get the starting job back. But, Oliver still gets a decent load of snaps.

“We’ve got to make sure that we’re on our cues for this game,” Bulldogs senior defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter said. “(Marshall) has been in that system for a long time, and he’s really a field general.”

It’s still early in the week, so the scout team players tasked with simulating Marshall and Oliver remain unknown. Fortunately for the Bulldogs defense, the team boasts a few players who can do a solid job.

Prather Hudson was one player Ledbetter mentioned by name on Monday, and the senior said the team also has other players who ran the triple-option in high school. He said the 2017 scout team was “ridiculous,” which likely helped as the Bulldogs trounced the Yellow Jackets 38-7 a season ago.

But no scout team can fully prepare a defense for Georgia Tech’s triple-option approach, especially with younger players like safety Otis Reece and linebacker Brenton Cox, or any other first-year players who will experience the triple option for the first time in college.

Both played in at least eight of the Bulldogs’ 11 games this season, and with linebacker Monty Rice “probably not available” this week, per Smart, Cox will likely play a good bit more. And, along with the rest of the Bulldogs defense, spend a little extra time in the film room.

“A lot of coaching points,” Smart said. “Got two or three hours? Eye control, discipline, toughness, tackling. It’s limitless.”

Smart wasn’t the only one preaching the importance of discipline. Ledbetter mentioned it, too. As did Bulldogs outside linebacker D’Andre Walker.

Now add two quarterbacks into the mix.

“You’ve got to be patient,” Walker said. “Because the option is a little tricky, and at the same time you’ve got to be fast and just run straight down the line of scrimmage. ... It’s their offense, they can both run it. We just have to play both of them the same.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2018 at 5:43 PM with the headline "How Georgia’s defense is preparing for both Georgia Tech quarterbacks."