Breakdown, go ahead & give it to me...

Meaningful football in November. Every Tech fans dream is now a reality as the Jackets head to Durham this Saturday with a berth in the ACC championship game on the line. Not only would a victory propel Tech to Tampa, it would be an eight game winning streak for Tech, our longest since 1966. But this ain't the Duke team of yesteryear; David Cutcliffe's arrival has rejuvenated the moribund program & given them some legitimacy. The Devil's, winners of three consecutive ACC contests earlier this season for the first time since 1994, feature an improved defense & high-octane passing attack that should keep Tech on it's toes (because the morgue-like atmosphere at Wallace Wade Stadium certainly won't). Some things you will or won't see on Saturday...

• You will see the nation's 11th ranked passing offense, led by senior QB Thad Lewis & receivers Connor Vernon, Donovan Varner, Austin Kelly. All are listed as probable & will play on Saturday.
• You most likely won't see preseason All-ACC defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase, doubtful for the Devil's with a leg injury. This is a huge loss for Duke as Oghobaase would have played a major role in stopping the dive & clogging the middle. Former Tech verbal commitment John Drew replaces Oghobaase. Compounding the issues for the Duke defense are injuries to an already thin linebacking corps. Linebackers Vincent Rey (a very, very good player) & Abraham Kromah are listed as questionable while Damien Thornton is probable. The absence of any of those players will severely hamper their ability to stop us.....

The fact that several of Duke's key defenders will be here on Saturday can't hurt the cause...

• Watch for Tech to pound the edge on offense. Duke's lack of speed & depth at linebacker will be a big asset for the Jackets. That & the fact that Duke's corners & safeties are a bit undersized will spell success for us on the perimeter. Speed option, twirl option, & a lot of counter option are all on the menu. Anthony Allen goes off on Saturday.....
• Red Zone efficiency. Both teams will move the ball. But Duke is second-to-last in the FBS in rushing at 68 yards per game. When the field shortens & we don't have to defend as much real estate, the Devil's lack of a running game will force them to settle for field goals. We abhor field goals. They're for the weak minded.....and for God's sake watch the tight end in the red zone!!!
• Stephen Hill. If I put his name here enough it's bound to come true. But seriously, BayBay went buck wild against Duke last year with 8 grabs for 230 yards. 230 yards!!! Duke's corners are much better this year, particularly Leon Wright. But Cutcliffe won't let BayBay torch them 2 years in a row. We'll see a safety over the top. That leaves the 6'4" Hill alone in single coverage with 5'10" Lee Butler. CPJ has been trying to get the ball to Hill lately (last week's 66 yrd reverse for a TD was called back on a penalty) & I expect this week we'll see more of the same....

Please meet your party in the end zone, Mr. Hill.....

• The best defense is a good offense. We'll be wise to keep the ball on offense with our sustained drives for two reasons: 1) it keeps Thad Lewis & Co. off the field & 2) Duke has no depth & will be worn out by the 4th quarter.
• When Duke's offense is on the field we've got to jam their receivers. Duke's passing game is all about timing & we can disrupt that by jamming their wide-outs at the line. We can't let them leave the line clean.
• Make their offense one-dimensional. We know they can't run it. Reinforce this. If we take away the run & we can play the pass exclusively this will make our task much easier. I know that sounds counter-intuitive: stop the nation's second worst running team from running the ball? Trust me, if we can play just the pass & pin our ears back to rush we'll be in good shape.
• Duke will move the ball & complete a fair amount of passes. That's gonna happen. So limiting those completions will be key. Keep them in front of us & don't give up big plays. And when they do catch the ball, especially over the middle, punish them. Make them think about it the next time they run a crossing route.....(ahem...Mario & Morgan, this means you....)

We like David Cutcliffe. He's a damn fine football coach. Ole Miss will reap what they sowed in ousting Cut & hiring "Giggity-Giggity" Nutt. Much like CPJ, Cutcliffe doesn't want to hear about the limitations of his program. He wants to win. No excuses. We respect that. But that won't be enough on Saturday. The sign of a good team is the ability to win when they don't play their best. We did that last week. I'm not afraid of the "let down" this weekend. Our team has worked all year to get to this point & CPJ damn sure won't let them forget that. We've got our tickets & hotel rooms in Tampa ready to go...Bees 35-Devils in their Blue Dresses 20.

Courtesy of this week's Sports Illustrated:

The Four Horsemen of the Option-olypse.......