Kentucky Football: Georgia Tech Preview in Army-Navy Game

Kentucky Football gets a Georgia Tech triple-option offense preview during the annual Army-Navy game, the most storied rivalry in the history of college football

Nov 12, 2016; Annapolis, MD, USA; Navy Midshipmen quarterback Will Worth (15) pitches the ball to running back Toneo Gulley (2) during the second half at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

The annual Army-Navy football game takes center stage today, continuing a legacy of being one of the most revered college football games each fall. It’s historic for both teams’ places in the history of college football, and this season is relevant for Navy’s place as a top-25 team, as well as Army’s resurgence into football relevance. Of course, the Army-Navy game, yesterday, today, and hopefully forever, is about so much more than football, as these Cadets and Midshipmen will lead our Armed Forces for generations to come.

But this year, in a unique twist for BBN, the Army-Navy game provides a wonderful advanced scouting look at the triple-option offense of Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech, Kentucky‘s opponent in the upcoming TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, FL Dec. 31.

“It is unique in what we do, but there are only a few teams left in college football that don’t embrace some form of the option or the zone read and certainly Kentucky does a lot of that out of their Wildcat stuff,” Johnson said recently. “Probably not as big of a difference as people would make it out to be.”

As much as the zone read has become prevalent in college football, including variations from our own Cats, nothing quite matches the defensive discipline required to consistently stop the progression reads of fullback, quarterback, pitch man, from a multitude of offensive looks, formations and schemes. Pay close watch to the way defensive ends are blocked or left free and read, and how the progression from that read leads into the option. Throw in a few sweeps and counters, along with the occasional downfield pass to keep defenses honest, and you have an incredibly difficult offense to prepare for – you just don’t see the full compliment of running options from any other type of offense.

So revel in what is arguably the greatest rivalry in all of sports, and bask in the one game that truly embodies the long legacy of college football.

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But pay special attention to the triple-option offenses employed by both Army coach Jeff Monken and Navy skipper Ken Niumatalolo, both who served as assistants under Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, the modern father of the option. They learned from the master.

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So you can bet a few Kentucky defensive players are likely huddled around TVs in the Craft Center, watching the most storied rivalry in all of sports, America’s Game, the Army-Navy game.

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