Pac-10 Power Arizona State Looks to Stick a "Fork" in SEC Foe Georgia

Scheme and Game Plan

What must the Devils do to handle Georgia's pass rush?  The SEC is known to have fast defensive ends that can get upfield and disrupt plays.  Georgia's aggressive nature was on display for the nation to take notice as they destroyed the Hawaii offensive line with eight sacks in the Sugar Bowl.

ASU can't expect to win giving up that many sacks.  Therefore, they have to find formations that give them the advantage and put Georgia at an disadvantage.

One formation to look for that will give Carpenter more time to throw and doesn't dilute their offensive flow is the three-receiver tight set.

                                WR    FL  LT LG C RG RT TE   WR

                                                     QB

                                                     RB

This formation keeps the wide receivers tight within the formation.  The flanker (FL) would be slightly off the line of scrimmage to catch quick screens or run reverses, or to run quick crossing routes that could match him up against a linebacker.

This tight formation forces the defensive end to go through an extra mental process to account for what the wide receiver and tight end could do to impede his pass rush.  The defensive ends also have to account for screens.  If they rush too quickly, they'll be out of position to assist in a tackle.

This formation can also be changed to a traditional set where the wide receivers spread out across the field.  In this situation, Georgia must account for the increased space.  They have three speedy linebackers, led by Dannell Ellerbe, so forcing Georgia to only play two at a time lowers their effectiveness.

ASU can also run draws and quick tosses to Keegan Herring, who has sub 4.3 speed, to slow down the aggressiveness of the Georgia defensive ends.

ASU must stay out of double tight end sets. ASU is less explosive running Power I sets, so they must use sets that give them the advantage at all times against Georgia.

Wrap up

ASU will not be intimidated by Georgia's speed as they play against speedy USC.  Seeing speedy players means nothing to them—they are used to it.

Georgia can, at times, dig themselves in a hole when a team isn't intimidated and hits them back in the mouth.  In the game against Troy last year, the Trojans exposed some major kinks in the Bulldogs' defensive armor as Georgia gave up a whopping 488 yards.

I expect ASU to play hard and fast and give Georgia all they can handle.  The pressure of perhaps being the No. 1 team will be too much to overcome for the Bulldogs.  ASU beats Georgia in a close game, 34-30.

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