I'll say this when Coach Johnson left. They hired a new guy who said they need to be more like everyone else. And then lose to Citadel who ran the triple option.
Paul Johnson is a class act. So proud and happy to have had him at Tech. Sure the records were up and down but he took us to the highest of highs and I thoroughly enjoyed those moments. Plus, c'mon, the triple option was so fun to watch when it was clicking.
Synjyn Days 69 yard touchdown in the Mississippi State game will always be the peak of the triple option for me. As an Auburn fan it was so rewarding to see an offensive scheme you love smack a team that smoked you that year.
I watched Synjyn play at Hillgrove HS and knew he was going to be the next great GT Quarterback! It didn’t work out that way but he still put together a fantastic career. He and Laskey were perfect Yin and Yang.
The triple-option is still an offense for teams that don't have the talent to run an air raid or a run-and-shoot offense. The fun thing is that you can run it out of the I-formation, pro set, spread, or wishbone. It's all a matter of preparation and trickery. Throw in some passing, and you can make DCs meltdown and make mistakes. We lined up in the wish bone, split out a tight end, put the fullback in motion, and caught the defense in a run defense unprepared for a deep ball. All it takes is imagination.
It’s funny because if you have a big WR you can almost always win vertically out of a flexbone, it forces 1 on 1 matchups with little or no help over top.
@@williamcowell1889if scoring bunches of points is boring, you’re right. You know what is actually boring? Running the same offense that everyone else does just because everyone else is doing it.
Thanks for honoring the Paul Johnson legacy. I still miss Coach Johnson. He gave this old alum some memories to counter those from Coach Dodd. Some great wins and some near misses of what could have been. He deserved better than the grief he took late in his career. He did it his way despite the naysayers. Paul Johnson proved all the critics wrong!
Thanks for putting that together. GT football under CPJ was a lot of fun (as sometimes frustrating) to watch. I never understood those who were overly critical of the triple option. Not only that, as a fan, I enjoyed CPJ's demeanor and how he handled himself and the team. I think most people would have thrown in the towel a long time ago if they had to put up with all of the negative press he got while in ATL. Not that he needs my validation, but I enjoyed watching what CPJ did while at GT. Thanks for the memories coach!
I remember when I was a kid in the 70s watching those epic Oaklahoma vs Nebraska cashes I loved those old offensive formations like the wishbone and power information with two halfbacks and a fullback
Watching the triple option working well is a beautiful thing. I grew up a navy football fan, some of those offenses (especially under Keenan Reynolds and Malcom Perry) gave me some of my favorite memories ever. I will always love the Triple Option, til I die.
…I haaaaated playing GT with that triple option. It felt impossible to stop…I don’t understand why more teams don’t run it these days. That shit WORKS lol
Jimmy Johnson playing SS as LB’s and LB’s as DE’s against the later stages of the wishbone was the start of the general downfall - defenses got more athletic. I also think people persevere over the fact this offense was run from under center, specifically. Between spread read plays, RPO’s, etc in the modern game, the core concepts of the option still exist and are very prevalent. I replied elsewhere, the option was meant to get athletes the ball in space, as defenses evolved, ‘how’ to get the ball in space evolved. But the concept remains.
Great Video! I miss the triple option so much! It’s been straight up painful watching the Jackets over the last 4 years. I had the opportunity to see Johnson coach his last game. It’s been all downhill since then.
I also grew up a Georgia Tech fan but was a freshman at Georgia Southern in 1998. Obviously, the Flexbone is close to my heart. I really appreciate this comprehensive, "ode" to Coach Paul Johnson. Thank you!
It was fun to watch when he was at tech, as a tech fan it felt good getting made fun of every year but then shutting them up after either beating there teams or coming way closer than we should have. Wish we could bring back this competitiveness at tech. I hope Brent Key is the guy to do it.
The best Flexbone Georgia Southern teams had QBs that had been groomed over several seasons as starters to be very effective passers when needed. We threw enough to keep defenses honest and could air it out downfield when comebacks were called for.
I was a student at Georgia Southern University during their championship run under Paul Johnson. GSU had the players to run the triple option at it's finest.
@@newage-sports I was a GS fan (and student from 85-89) throughout the whole Erk Russell/Paul Johnson era and it was indeed a blast. Seeing the program go from being a club football team playing at the local high school stadium the first year to winning 6 national championships was something very special to me. It was a real pleasure to see the Flexbone executed so well week after week and season after season, it really spoiled me for enjoying any other type of offense as much. I think the fact that Paul Johnson was able to do so well at Navy and Georgia Tech despite competing against the faster defensive players of Division 1 who were better at shutting down the triple option is a testament to his ability and dedication.
I played for Army in the mid 1990’s and love the bone. When run properly it can level the playing field for teams like the service academies against the premier D1 schools. I like Paul Johnson but the academies were running that offense before him.
I'm an Iowa fan and the option offense GR ran in the Orange Bowl against Iowa concerned be a bit as did the 3 3 5 defense GT ran. The time off between the end of conference play and the bowl game gave ol' Norm Parker enough time to go back into his brain's vault and develop a defensive game plan that helped Iowa win that game
The triple option and the air raid are by far my two favorite systems and they could not be more different. Yet they are both hella entertaining and effective as a knife through butter when used properly. Gotta love the hardcore offensive schemes
It's kind of amazing to think that the 90's saw the highs of the great air raid offenses of Mike Leach at Valdosta State and the Flexbone under Paul Johnson at Georgia Southern only 170 miles from each other.
A 12 team playoff could have led to a GT/ Paul Johnson playoff appearance three times at least, and probably a championship game. Those moments of clowning dabo swinney, beating FSU, Virginia Tech, UGA...those were some special games.
My first college football game I remember watching was Navy in 2008 at 15 years old I remember seeing this strange offense and being intrigued. So much I purchased NCAA 09 and updated the team and followed them the whole year. This was back when you had antenna and CBS sports was your main option for Saturday football. So I was able to see a lot of their game. I got sucked into the NFL for a LONG time until about 2019, but by then, Networks owned the rights and trying to watch the midshipmen has been difficult.
Now Army and even Kennesaw are moving away from the flexbone. To see Army come out in the shotgun against ULM made me question my existence. The flexbone TO is dead in college, it has favorite my favorite offensive since GT first started running it. I just want my fullback dives back.
A year on, Army has transitioned back to a more traditional flex base. They still leverage some flexbone-pistol looks, but way more more like they were prior to the 2023 "modern warfare" experiment. Additionally, it's seeing a ground-swell at lower levels. Cal Poly and the Citadel in FCS, Harding absolutely dominating with it in DII, and a number of DIII and NAIA schools have adopted it. Even non-flex teams have used elements of Johnson's concepts. Kansas under former OC (now at Penn State) Andy Kotelnicki ran a ton of really interesting 3opt looks using both split RBs and by bringing WRs in as WBs on orbits. Really cool and fun stuff.
I ❤ watching triple-option football...it's a different, entertaining type of offense. You mention Georgia Tech, and folks have mentioned Nebraska in the 90s but there was a third Power 5 school that was known for the triple-option in the 90s...Syracuse. They had some pretty good teams, winning the Big East a couple of times with it. Donovan McNabb came out of that system and had a solid NFL career. The Orange blew up some pretty good teams with the triple-option, Miami being one of them. Once Syracuse moved away from the triple-option, they have generally not been as good since.
The best summary of what the Flexbone/Wishbone Triple Options is comes from my best friend. He was an All-State QB who ran it. He turned the program around with it, from nearly being canceled to a powerhouse. Later, as a coach, he would use it to win our high school it's first state championship in fifty years. He called it football's knuckleball. "You will win you games with it that you shouldn't even be competitive in. And it will lose you games you circle as an automatic win on the calendar in June. Just like throwing a good nuke will give you a chance to strike Barry Bonds out, you will also give up home runs to backup shortstops hitting below the Mendosa Line." Johnson deserves a lot of credit for running it.
I know what you mean. Our rivals in high school ran the wishbone and consistently won region and state private school championships. But my junior year they had some inexperienced underclassmen in offensive skill positions and we had a good coach and a solid team for the first time, so we beat them and won the region. But the wishbone team bounced back the next year. If you can get decent players and coach them well, you can win far more often than not with the triple option.
@@danielmathis5410 what has GT done since his retirement? his legacy is completely gone cant blame that. and what about before him? how many 10+ winning seasons did GT have? he had half of them. You are clueless, and if you like "pro" wrestling you are even more of dimwit speaking on things you have no background in.
My buddy played WR at GT in the late 90’s. He went on to play for the NE Patriots practice squad for a year or 2. I always liked watching them run triple option.
Overall, he did a really good job at Tech. His biggest weakness is that I think he wasn't really into the tremendous amount of buttkissing needed for recruiting, so he may have been able to sustain a higher level if he had slightly stronger talent--but his players didn't quit on him, and I loved how he didn't punt unless it was a situation where you really had to punt. Most teams punt too often (not trusting that they can pick up 2 or 3 yards for a first down).
A lot of people call the Triple Option 'gimmicky' or 'trickery'. There's nothing tricky about attacking where the defense literally isn't ... unless you want to quote the Master-General himself: "All warfare is based on deception." If so, make sure to also quote "Attack weakness, avoid strength." Sun-tzu will always win, and the Triple Option will always succeed over time, because you force the opponent to make a decision. Once he does, attack the other way.
dude im so glad the algorithm plopped you in my recommended. i feel like ive stumbled upon a treasure ship like the goonies. i was an lsu fan on almost the same timespan you were talking here but ive always lowkey loved georgia tech.
I was raised a uGA fan but I'm glad I got to see two years as an undergrad at Tech under Paul. The next three years under Geoff were rough, but I think we are headed in the right direction with Brent now. Thank you Big Balls Paul for the entertainment!
Just found your channel. I hope you stick with it. So many sports channels sound like they're narrated by a blockbuster voice over guy or a dumb bro who dissolved his brain cells in natty lite and steroids. Seriously very professional videos and very good narration. You'll get popular if you stick with it
Paul Johnson as OC under the great Erk Russell from '85 and '86 was called the "Ham Bone" due to Tracy Ham was the Quarterback and the general who ran that offense to Perfection!!!!!
There's another 6pt YT series on the Evolution of the Wishbone/triple option. As much as i can remember, the wishbone has it's beginnings in 1940-50s Wing-T/Veer & other run-first formations. Back in the 1990s, Paul Johnson was the OC @ Hawaii. It took a few years to get All the subtle nuances of the Flexbone/Spread-Option offense but, in 1992, UH rode the Flex/Spread to W over Illinois in Holiday Bowl. Among Johnson's disciples was Ken Niumatalolo, who subsequently followed Johnson to USNA. Niumatalolo continued USNA execution of the Flexbone until 2021-22
Great video! But just a heads up, GT did not start 2014 against 3 FCS schools. The played one FCS school in Wofford, followed by Georgia Southern (Sunbelt) and Tulane (AAC). Tulane was awful but Georgia Southern went 9-3 and won the Sunbelt! A very good win by the end of the season.
I'm a Gamecock fan. I remember GT winning a share of the National Title many years ago. I thought the option was boring until I watched GT run it and then Army and I fell in love with it!
The two biggest what if moments for me during CPJ's tenure was 1) Bay Bay's 4th down dropped pass, 2) if Smelter hadn't gotten hurt in 2014 and got to play in the FSU game. Bonus - if Derick Mills wasn't kicked off the team.
This offense is literally built for any team to run. My high school transitioned to the triple option my senior year of high school and we went from back to back losing seasons to going to the state championship and 2 running backs getting division one scholarships. For such a simple offense it was almost impossible for anybody to stop, even when they knew what was coming.
Yeah, high school players with less experience seem to have a pretty difficult time understanding how to play against it defensively. Just put up a new video, check it out!
My HS has ran the flexbone for many years and have had a lot of success. Another smaller HS has also made the change recently. We have had great seasons the past few years and won district last year.
@@newage-sports Our high school rivals ran the wishbone (and consistently won region and state championships) and they were so hard to prepare for that one year we held an illegal no pads Sunday practice for them.
@@newage-sports I was coaching football in Midwest and became fascinated with Navy triple option. When PJ went to GT, me and a buddy drive 12 hours and stayed 3 days and watched there practice. I knew PJ was going to be solid weather at Navy or in ACC. I was obsessed with his Offense. He was like the purest and most faithful devotee of the church of option. Mostly had spring practices he would walk around position groups and chat with recruits. He had two great OL coaches, Womack and another guy I think. Every once in awhile he just straight get up in someone's ass and verbally assault them, usually an OL. I loved watching them practice.
As a lifelong Husker fan, I had truly believed Johnson would have been the better hire instead of Frost. Based on our legacy and tradition, I think he could have recruited better in Lincoln and would have had considerable success in the Big10. Anyone that thinks the triple option is gimmicky, simply doesn’t know what they are talking about! Not only is it exciting to watch, it is enormously fun to run as an offense… and if it translates to wins (especially against more talented competition), there is literally nothing to debate.
It would be interesting to see one of those historically significant programs dial back the clock and get back to the basics. I guess that ship has sailed though, CPJ will probably never coach again.
It's early but Nebraska is a few bad coaching hires away from hiring the AF football coach, the Navy football coach, or Jamey Chadwell (pistol triple option)
Tom Osbourne developed and ran the I-Bone, an I-Formation Triple Option, at Nebraska and won three national championships with it, including blowing out Florida, the dominant SEC power of the time.
as a GT alum it was always fun to watch cuz we were different. now they try to emulate everyone else, but just suck. johnson was smart, he knew he had an edge running the triple option because he lacked recruiting. whats crazy though is that good recievers came out at a time when GT ran the triple option (Thomas). no idea why they decided to go to a team that ran that lol
My memory of the option was that for the option to be successful, you had to throw it 12-15 times per game. This kept the defense from lining up with 8-9 in the box and single covering any wide receivers. Johnson seemed to throw it less and less. You want to take advantage of the single covering of the wide receivers and throw it deep a few times against that single coverage. That’s the one thing I wish Johnson had done, thrown it a few more times. I always thought Johnson was a great coach. I hate that he got pushed out. I would have kept him around. Geoff Collins was a complete disaster.
Agree with you 100%. A crucial part of Georgia Southern's recipe for success with the Flexbone was recruiting a great running QB and letting him start as a freshman or sophomore so that he could have time to develop into a good passer who could keep opposing defenses honest and stage comebacks in the last quarter of the game when needed.
Harding University, playing in the D2 National Championship, runs this offense. They recruited my son to be QB, but he didn't want to only run the ball. He ended up excelling as a dual threat QB at the D3 level and never regretted it.
@@newage-sports I will. He had to retire due to being diagnosed with cancer. His name is Trentin Dupper. If you google him you’ll learn a lot about him. Went from top ten dual threat QB in the nation at D3, with a personal tryout awaiting him with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to losing 50 pounds and all his hair while undergoing chemo and radiation. More to life than sports. Tough when it runs up on you and smacks you in the mouth.
Yeah it was spotty over the years. I’d say his best defenses were in his first couple of seasons at GT. It’s no wonder that they were so successful early on
I’ve always been a big triple option fan and I had no idea that G tech switched to triple option this century. I always assumed it was a tradition. That’s so astonishing to me.
Up until last year Kennesaw State was the only other D 1 school in Georgia that still ran the triple option. During their first 8 seasons as a program KSU had a winning record at the FCS level. Up until last year, where they ditched the option and immediately started losing. Yeah, it’s a transition into a new system, but it’s disappointing to see a system that was such a mainstay in the state disappear. It seemed as though they were going to move up to C-USA with option, but not anymore. That just leaves GT.
I wish Georgia Southern still ran the Flexbone, it was amazing to be a fan and student during our triple option heyday. I'm not much of a football watcher anymore, but I've been excited to read about the success Kennesaw has had after starting a football program a decade ago.
The best Georgia Southern Flexbone teams ran the ball to the weak side almost as often as the strong side. And had a decent passing game to keep defenses honest.
As a Virginia tech fan that watched a LOT of VT vs GT Thursday night games. Bud Foster could never figure out the triple option. He had to know it was coming. But every meeting GT would score 2 td’s off of the defense over committing to taking out the qb. And just a quick toss to the half back. And boom 75 yard TD.
I'm a little unclear. What exactly is the "Triple Option?" Does it mean that you start the play with 2 running backs and a third player who can also run the ball? If that's true I'm guessing the purpose to do it is to prevent opposing defenses from stacking the box if you don't have a good passing attack? And they can't stack the box because there are too many boxes to stack? Is that exactly what it is or am I missing something? I would love an in depth explanation because I don't know much about the Triple Option.
So basically, the triple option allows the offense to leave players unblocked and read them, meaning they are far more likely to get one on one matchups between their ball carriers and defensive backs. The triple option has three potential ball carriers. First the dive back, who gets the ball if the defensive end sits back and keeps the edge. Second, the quarterback who pulls the handoff if the defensive end crashes. Finally, a pitch back gets the ball if the third read (linebacker or DB) attacks the quarterback after the pull.
@@newage-sports Ahh. Gotcha. Thanks for explaining it. It would be interesting to see that play more. Even if it's only once in awhile it should throw defenses off balance.
I'll say this when Coach Johnson left. They hired a new guy who said they need to be more like everyone else. And then lose to Citadel who ran the triple option.
Sort of poetic
Georgia Tech couldn't be like everyone else. Their players weren't good enough to do that at the time.
Sometimes when I get too high ill listen to Paul Johnson press conferences. His soothing voice always relaxes me.😂
That smooth Carolina drawl
😮😅😂😢
😂😂😂😂
Next level come down technique 😂
TF 😂
Paul Johnson is a class act. So proud and happy to have had him at Tech. Sure the records were up and down but he took us to the highest of highs and I thoroughly enjoyed those moments. Plus, c'mon, the triple option was so fun to watch when it was clicking.
Yep, I will never complain about the CPJ experience at Tech
When properly implemented, the triple option was really hard to stop. Generally, it only stopped itself with fumbles or penalties.
As a clemson fan, GT used to frustate the H*** out of me. The triple option mixed with the drop chop blocks was so hard to stop.
@@jimjason5146 Rules on crack back blocks sunk that offense for sure.
Synjyn Days 69 yard touchdown in the Mississippi State game will always be the peak of the triple option for me. As an Auburn fan it was so rewarding to see an offensive scheme you love smack a team that smoked you that year.
I watched Synjyn play at Hillgrove HS and knew he was going to be the next great GT Quarterback! It didn’t work out that way but he still put together a fantastic career. He and Laskey were perfect Yin and Yang.
Roddy Jones, Clean, old fashion hate. 54 yard touchdown vs Georgia 2008. 🤫
msu beat AL as well, then lost to GT by 15...has decent qb @ dallas
The triple-option is still an offense for teams that don't have the talent to run an air raid or a run-and-shoot offense. The fun thing is that you can run it out of the I-formation, pro set, spread, or wishbone. It's all a matter of preparation and trickery. Throw in some passing, and you can make DCs meltdown and make mistakes. We lined up in the wish bone, split out a tight end, put the fullback in motion, and caught the defense in a run defense unprepared for a deep ball. All it takes is imagination.
It’s funny because if you have a big WR you can almost always win vertically out of a flexbone, it forces 1 on 1 matchups with little or no help over top.
@@newage-sports yup and if you can even make them respect the pass game a little bit. Game over triple option wins.
The triple option is the most boring offense of all time. It’s pathetic .
@@williamcowell1889ur pathetic 😂
@@williamcowell1889if scoring bunches of points is boring, you’re right. You know what is actually boring? Running the same offense that everyone else does just because everyone else is doing it.
I would LOVE to see a triple option make a resurgence at the upper levels. Even army and navy are moving away from it now, it's sad. Excellent video
Yep, the service academies are experimenting with other schemes for sure. Just put up a new video, check it out!
Thanks for honoring the Paul Johnson legacy. I still miss Coach Johnson. He gave this old alum some memories to counter those from Coach Dodd. Some great wins and some near misses of what could have been. He deserved better than the grief he took late in his career. He did it his way despite the naysayers. Paul Johnson proved all the critics wrong!
It has definitely been the high point of my time as a fan! I started watching Tech football around 2005.
Thanks for putting that together. GT football under CPJ was a lot of fun (as sometimes frustrating) to watch. I never understood those who were overly critical of the triple option. Not only that, as a fan, I enjoyed CPJ's demeanor and how he handled himself and the team. I think most people would have thrown in the towel a long time ago if they had to put up with all of the negative press he got while in ATL. Not that he needs my validation, but I enjoyed watching what CPJ did while at GT. Thanks for the memories coach!
Absolutely! Always classy. It takes a special kind of person to challenge the status quo and do it as long as he did.
paul johnson was a horrible coach ruined the program
@@justinalley3399 don't know much about football or GT football history huh
He was the worst thing that happened to tech football. He had 1 gd yr and those were Chan Gailey players. Held up for 10 years
@@gooser__43 Facts. Tech has had 4- 11 win seasons in program history. And CPJ had 2 of those seasons
Men's football is almost never played anymore. The Army-Navy game is the purest game around and it only happens once a year.
I’d argue Air Force is the best of the three, but I may be biased… Just put up a new video, check it out!
That 2014 match between Georgia Tech and at that time, first year FBS program Georgia Southern was legendary.
42-38 final.
Yeah that was a really fun game. It’s too bad southern transitioned away from the option too! Just put up a new video, check it out!
"LET'S GO OUT THERE FOR 60 MINUTES...AND GET US SOME RESPECT!" Love CPJ. Fantastically accurate production, sir!
I appreciate that! Thank you for watching
I remember when I was a kid in the 70s watching those epic Oaklahoma vs Nebraska cashes I loved those old offensive formations like the wishbone and power information with two halfbacks and a fullback
Yep, you don’t see it much today but I love watching the film from those games too.
Power I
@@modernmalemaniac5766 yes
Watching the triple option working well is a beautiful thing. I grew up a navy football fan, some of those offenses (especially under Keenan Reynolds and Malcom Perry) gave me some of my favorite memories ever. I will always love the Triple Option, til I die.
…I haaaaated playing GT with that triple option. It felt impossible to stop…I don’t understand why more teams don’t run it these days. That shit WORKS lol
I think it’s a pride thing. It’s also true that it makes recruiting top talent a struggle, but good coaching covers for that.
When DEs are studs and lbs are just as fast as rbs making it hard
Jimmy Johnson playing SS as LB’s and LB’s as DE’s against the later stages of the wishbone was the start of the general downfall - defenses got more athletic. I also think people persevere over the fact this offense was run from under center, specifically. Between spread read plays, RPO’s, etc in the modern game, the core concepts of the option still exist and are very prevalent.
I replied elsewhere, the option was meant to get athletes the ball in space, as defenses evolved, ‘how’ to get the ball in space evolved. But the concept remains.
@@ChrisM_1129 yep, everything you just said 💯 FACTS
Great Video! I miss the triple option so much! It’s been straight up painful watching the Jackets over the last 4 years. I had the opportunity to see Johnson coach his last game. It’s been all downhill since then.
I also grew up a Georgia Tech fan but was a freshman at Georgia Southern in 1998. Obviously, the Flexbone is close to my heart. I really appreciate this comprehensive, "ode" to Coach Paul Johnson. Thank you!
It was fun to watch when he was at tech, as a tech fan it felt good getting made fun of every year but then shutting them up after either beating there teams or coming way closer than we should have. Wish we could bring back this competitiveness at tech. I hope Brent Key is the guy to do it.
I hope you’re right! I always loved taking Georgia down to the wire as a Tech fan, despite expectations most seasons.
I’m a UGA fan and always have been. But I respect the hell out of Paul J. Knew his identity and didn’t try to be anybody else
That was a fun rivalry in the Johnson/Richt years, no matter which side you were on.
I never understood why the triple option couldn't integrate a run-pass option as well.
You're right; it should, and it can. Unfortunately, many coaches don't understand the concept.
The best Flexbone Georgia Southern teams had QBs that had been groomed over several seasons as starters to be very effective passers when needed. We threw enough to keep defenses honest and could air it out downfield when comebacks were called for.
I’m a longtime high school coach blessed to succeed and I love the triple! Multiple championships with it in our section in California…
I was lucky enough to watch the peak of Paul Johnson’s offense since my cousin was in Tech’s band. I remember that orange bowl victory fondly.
I was a student at Georgia Southern University during their championship run under Paul Johnson. GSU had the players to run the triple option at it's finest.
That must have been a blast. The atmosphere there is unmatched!
@@newage-sports I was a GS fan (and student from 85-89) throughout the whole Erk Russell/Paul Johnson era and it was indeed a blast. Seeing the program go from being a club football team playing at the local high school stadium the first year to winning 6 national championships was something very special to me. It was a real pleasure to see the Flexbone executed so well week after week and season after season, it really spoiled me for enjoying any other type of offense as much. I think the fact that Paul Johnson was able to do so well at Navy and Georgia Tech despite competing against the faster defensive players of Division 1 who were better at shutting down the triple option is a testament to his ability and dedication.
I’m a retired teacher/coach. I have to tell you that you have really put great effort into these videos. Keep up the good work. 14:12
Thank you so much! Just put a new video up!
I played for Army in the mid 1990’s and love the bone. When run properly it can level the playing field for teams like the service academies against the premier D1 schools. I like Paul Johnson but the academies were running that offense before him.
It was nice to believe that we actually had, “A Shot”, with anyone we played. With him, we did.
I'm an Iowa fan and the option offense GR ran in the Orange Bowl against Iowa concerned be a bit as did the 3 3 5 defense GT ran. The time off between the end of conference play and the bowl game gave ol' Norm Parker enough time to go back into his brain's vault and develop a defensive game plan that helped Iowa win that game
As s former unc player on that 2008 team that beat GT; we literally took 3 days out of camp and prepared for the options.
Welcome to the channel! That would be interesting to discuss if you ever want to!
Ive been a fan of Georgia tech football ever since that 220-0 victory over Cumberland college.
You’ve been around for a long time! Just put up a new video, check it out!
The triple option and the air raid are by far my two favorite systems and they could not be more different. Yet they are both hella entertaining and effective as a knife through butter when used properly. Gotta love the hardcore offensive schemes
It's kind of amazing to think that the 90's saw the highs of the great air raid offenses of Mike Leach at Valdosta State and the Flexbone under Paul Johnson at Georgia Southern only 170 miles from each other.
@@johnard611 dang, that's an interesting piece of information I never considered! Any idea if one of those systems influenced the other at all?!
Cool vid
Loved me some Nebraska/Tommy Frazier triple option in the early/mid 90s
I appreciate that! Thank you for watching and supporting the channel
A 12 team playoff could have led to a GT/ Paul Johnson playoff appearance three times at least, and probably a championship game. Those moments of clowning dabo swinney, beating FSU, Virginia Tech, UGA...those were some special games.
Agreed! Just put up a new video, check it out!
My first college football game I remember watching was Navy in 2008 at 15 years old
I remember seeing this strange offense and being intrigued. So much I purchased NCAA 09 and updated the team and followed them the whole year. This was back when you had antenna and CBS sports was your main option for Saturday football. So I was able to see a lot of their game. I got sucked into the NFL for a LONG time until about 2019, but by then, Networks owned the rights and trying to watch the midshipmen has been difficult.
This content is legit, man. Can't wait to see your channel blow up in the near future!!
I appreciate that! Stick around and see where I can take it.
Now Army and even Kennesaw are moving away from the flexbone. To see Army come out in the shotgun against ULM made me question my existence. The flexbone TO is dead in college, it has favorite my favorite offensive since GT first started running it. I just want my fullback dives back.
Yeah, I think there are a couple of ambitious coaches there looking to get an edge into recruiting. We’ll see what happens, but I agree with you.
A year on, Army has transitioned back to a more traditional flex base. They still leverage some flexbone-pistol looks, but way more more like they were prior to the 2023 "modern warfare" experiment. Additionally, it's seeing a ground-swell at lower levels. Cal Poly and the Citadel in FCS, Harding absolutely dominating with it in DII, and a number of DIII and NAIA schools have adopted it. Even non-flex teams have used elements of Johnson's concepts. Kansas under former OC (now at Penn State) Andy Kotelnicki ran a ton of really interesting 3opt looks using both split RBs and by bringing WRs in as WBs on orbits. Really cool and fun stuff.
I ❤ watching triple-option football...it's a different, entertaining type of offense. You mention Georgia Tech, and folks have mentioned Nebraska in the 90s but there was a third Power 5 school that was known for the triple-option in the 90s...Syracuse. They had some pretty good teams, winning the Big East a couple of times with it. Donovan McNabb came out of that system and had a solid NFL career. The Orange blew up some pretty good teams with the triple-option, Miami being one of them. Once Syracuse moved away from the triple-option, they have generally not been as good since.
The best summary of what the Flexbone/Wishbone Triple Options is comes from my best friend. He was an All-State QB who ran it. He turned the program around with it, from nearly being canceled to a powerhouse. Later, as a coach, he would use it to win our high school it's first state championship in fifty years. He called it football's knuckleball.
"You will win you games with it that you shouldn't even be competitive in. And it will lose you games you circle as an automatic win on the calendar in June. Just like throwing a good nuke will give you a chance to strike Barry Bonds out, you will also give up home runs to backup shortstops hitting below the Mendosa Line."
Johnson deserves a lot of credit for running it.
I know what you mean. Our rivals in high school ran the wishbone and consistently won region and state private school championships. But my junior year they had some inexperienced underclassmen in offensive skill positions and we had a good coach and a solid team for the first time, so we beat them and won the region. But the wishbone team bounced back the next year. If you can get decent players and coach them well, you can win far more often than not with the triple option.
Even as a UGA fan, I enjoyed watching the triple option when it wasn't worked to perfection against us. I miss when our rivalry was competitive.
Yep, it’s too bad that a 50 point blowout has become the expectation in that game now.
@@newage-sports yeah bc of Paul Johnson
@@danielmathis5410 what has GT done since his retirement? his legacy is completely gone cant blame that. and what about before him? how many 10+ winning seasons did GT have? he had half of them. You are clueless, and if you like "pro" wrestling you are even more of dimwit speaking on things you have no background in.
😖I will never forget that blocked field goal being returned for a touchdown…I was CRUSHED lol🤬😂
You weren’t the only one!
My buddy played WR at GT in the late 90’s. He went on to play for the NE Patriots practice squad for a year or 2. I always liked watching them run triple option.
Paul Johnson will go down as one of the best coaches of all time
Overall, he did a really good job at Tech. His biggest weakness is that I think he wasn't really into the tremendous amount of buttkissing needed for recruiting, so he may have been able to sustain a higher level if he had slightly stronger talent--but his players didn't quit on him, and I loved how he didn't punt unless it was a situation where you really had to punt. Most teams punt too often (not trusting that they can pick up 2 or 3 yards for a first down).
I used to call it “The Service Academy Option” play.
I grew up watching and cheering for GT as an out of conference fan. Loved the triple option and played it on ncaa all the time
I did too! Glad I wasn’t the only one running the flexbone in NCAA!
A lot of people call the Triple Option 'gimmicky' or 'trickery'. There's nothing tricky about attacking where the defense literally isn't ... unless you want to quote the Master-General himself: "All warfare is based on deception." If so, make sure to also quote "Attack weakness, avoid strength."
Sun-tzu will always win, and the Triple Option will always succeed over time, because you force the opponent to make a decision. Once he does, attack the other way.
CPJ had 2: 11 wins seasons at GT. There have only been 4 total 11 win seasons in program history. Let that sink in for a moment
Can’t argue the numbers!
Well, you can argue that they played a 10 game schedule during Georgia Tech's heydays in the 40's and 50's.
dude im so glad the algorithm plopped you in my recommended. i feel like ive stumbled upon a treasure ship like the goonies. i was an lsu fan on almost the same timespan you were talking here but ive always lowkey loved georgia tech.
I have known Paul Johnson for years .. was a assistant coach at my high school absolutely a genius
Great offense for teams that lack size and talent
I’ve never met him, but I’ve heard great things!
I was raised a uGA fan but I'm glad I got to see two years as an undergrad at Tech under Paul. The next three years under Geoff were rough, but I think we are headed in the right direction with Brent now. Thank you Big Balls Paul for the entertainment!
Just found your channel. I hope you stick with it. So many sports channels sound like they're narrated by a blockbuster voice over guy or a dumb bro who dissolved his brain cells in natty lite and steroids.
Seriously very professional videos and very good narration. You'll get popular if you stick with it
That’s the plan! I really appreciate that. Stick around to see where we can take it.
Paul Johnson as OC under the great Erk Russell from '85 and '86 was called the "Ham Bone" due to Tracy Ham was the Quarterback and the general who ran that offense to Perfection!!!!!
There's another 6pt YT series on the Evolution of the Wishbone/triple option. As much as i can remember, the wishbone has it's beginnings in 1940-50s Wing-T/Veer & other run-first formations. Back in the 1990s, Paul Johnson was the OC @ Hawaii. It took a few years to get All the subtle nuances of the Flexbone/Spread-Option offense but, in 1992, UH rode the Flex/Spread to W over Illinois in Holiday Bowl. Among Johnson's disciples was Ken Niumatalolo, who subsequently followed Johnson to USNA. Niumatalolo continued USNA execution of the Flexbone until 2021-22
Growing up outside ATL, love Tech. Especially when Calvin came through. Was a big fan of their basketball to
No doubt! I really enjoyed watching Thaddeus Young and Iman Shumpert back when they were at Tech. Some pretty solid teams!
That flex bone is a beast offense
I enjoyed it. Just put up a new video, check it out!
Great video! But just a heads up, GT did not start 2014 against 3 FCS schools. The played one FCS school in Wofford, followed by Georgia Southern (Sunbelt) and Tulane (AAC). Tulane was awful but Georgia Southern went 9-3 and won the Sunbelt! A very good win by the end of the season.
I remember Justin Thomas. He was committed to Alabama as we were gonna use him as a CB.
Yeah, must have been a difficult decision for him to flip that commitment.
@@newage-sports I think it worked out best for him as the competition was pretty strong at Bama. We recruited Keenan Allen as a safety as well. lol
I'm a Gamecock fan. I remember GT winning a share of the National Title many years ago. I thought the option was boring until I watched GT run it and then Army and I fell in love with it!
Welcome to the channel! It can definitely be done in a very boring way, but I found that GT always made it exciting.
@@newage-sports that they did!
The two biggest what if moments for me during CPJ's tenure was 1) Bay Bay's 4th down dropped pass, 2) if Smelter hadn't gotten hurt in 2014 and got to play in the FSU game. Bonus - if Derick Mills wasn't kicked off the team.
That dropped pass was heartbreaking
Thank you for that, it really needed to be said. Class act, class ball, and a whole lot of fun.
I appreciate it! Thanks for watching
Awesome vid; well put together and love the dive into Paul Johnson & the triple option.
Thank you! I appreciate it
This offense is literally built for any team to run. My high school transitioned to the triple option my senior year of high school and we went from back to back losing seasons to going to the state championship and 2 running backs getting division one scholarships. For such a simple offense it was almost impossible for anybody to stop, even when they knew what was coming.
Yeah, high school players with less experience seem to have a pretty difficult time understanding how to play against it defensively.
Just put up a new video, check it out!
Tech needs a Johnson disciple because Tech needs that option back, it worked so well
If Key can’t right the ship in 2-3 years, why not?
My HS has ran the flexbone for many years and have had a lot of success. Another smaller HS has also made the change recently. We have had great seasons the past few years and won district last year.
High school triple option teams are LETHAL. It’s so tough to prep for one of those teams with a high school defense.
@@newage-sports Our high school rivals ran the wishbone (and consistently won region and state championships) and they were so hard to prepare for that one year we held an illegal no pads Sunday practice for them.
I was at PJs first GT spring practice. Paul Johnson is a fantastic coach and he showed that can work at any level
I would have loved to be there for that. Did you know then that it was going to work?
@@newage-sports I was coaching football in Midwest and became fascinated with Navy triple option. When PJ went to GT, me and a buddy drive 12 hours and stayed 3 days and watched there practice. I knew PJ was going to be solid weather at Navy or in ACC. I was obsessed with his Offense. He was like the purest and most faithful devotee of the church of option.
Mostly had spring practices he would walk around position groups and chat with recruits. He had two great OL coaches, Womack and another guy I think.
Every once in awhile he just straight get up in someone's ass and verbally assault them, usually an OL. I loved watching them practice.
I'm a diehard Alabama fan
It is really fun watching the triple option. My dad said it was a great equalizer and exposed lack of defensive discipline.
I went to that orange bowl game. I'm an Iowa fan. Norm Parker's defense was amazing
Yeah, that was a great defensive game. Probably one of the best game plans I’ve seen against the option.
Loved this video and I always loved Coach Paul Johnson for all he did for Tech. Thank you, Coach!
As a lifelong Husker fan, I had truly believed Johnson would have been the better hire instead of Frost. Based on our legacy and tradition, I think he could have recruited better in Lincoln and would have had considerable success in the Big10.
Anyone that thinks the triple option is gimmicky, simply doesn’t know what they are talking about! Not only is it exciting to watch, it is enormously fun to run as an offense… and if it translates to wins (especially against more talented competition), there is literally nothing to debate.
It would be interesting to see one of those historically significant programs dial back the clock and get back to the basics. I guess that ship has sailed though, CPJ will probably never coach again.
It's early but Nebraska is a few bad coaching hires away from hiring the AF football coach, the Navy football coach, or Jamey Chadwell (pistol triple option)
Tom Osbourne developed and ran the I-Bone, an I-Formation Triple Option, at Nebraska and won three national championships with it, including blowing out Florida, the dominant SEC power of the time.
No, the option is dead. You can’t win in college football that way anymore.
This is an important video. Thanks for the memories Coach Johnson.
Appreciate it!
as a GT alum it was always fun to watch cuz we were different. now they try to emulate everyone else, but just suck. johnson was smart, he knew he had an edge running the triple option because he lacked recruiting. whats crazy though is that good recievers came out at a time when GT ran the triple option (Thomas). no idea why they decided to go to a team that ran that lol
Love this! Thank you for sharing. I really loved watching these teams!
As a Georgia fan I love Paul Johnson, he set the Tech program back 20 years lol
Nonsense. He left many quality, disciplined, well coached players for a clownish used car salesman.
My memory of the option was that for the option to be successful, you had to throw it 12-15 times per game. This kept the defense from lining up with 8-9 in the box and single covering any wide receivers. Johnson seemed to throw it less and less. You want to take advantage of the single covering of the wide receivers and throw it deep a few times against that single coverage. That’s the one thing I wish Johnson had done, thrown it a few more times. I always thought Johnson was a great coach. I hate that he got pushed out. I would have kept him around. Geoff Collins was a complete disaster.
Agree with you 100%. A crucial part of Georgia Southern's recipe for success with the Flexbone was recruiting a great running QB and letting him start as a freshman or sophomore so that he could have time to develop into a good passer who could keep opposing defenses honest and stage comebacks in the last quarter of the game when needed.
Remember what Switzer said when asked why Oklahoma didn’t pass more. He said three things can happen when you throw the ball and two of them are bad.
Solid logic there
Darrell Royal said that first.
The triple option is alive and well at Navy, Air Force, and Army. Also very alive in the high school game.
Yeah, I think the offense has a long future ahead at the service academies. Just put up a new video, check it out!
I remember those days, every single year they'd say that his style can't win and then he'd win
Paul definitely got the most out of his players!
So cool to hear you played at USAFA! SKO FALCS!
-c/o 2018
As a student of the game, the triple option is a great way to win football games with players who might never be recruited to play at the next level.
Great coach! Triple option ain’t dead, it’ll come around again. It’s weakness is winning from behind.
I agree completely. I just put up a new video!
I was at that Georgia v Georgia tech game where my dogs were up 24-12 at half and lost in the rain in overtime. Those were not the days
I was there too, one of my all time favorite college football games. I can imagine that it would be tough for a Dawgs fan…
Use to play as GT in NCAA 10 because I love the triple option. Great video.
Only 245+ GT games attended...missed 4 home games since Aug, '77...tHwugag
Don’t forget about Mike Ayers and his Wing T triple option offense that he ran at Wofford College for 30 years.
Harding University, playing in the D2 National Championship, runs this offense. They recruited my son to be QB, but he didn't want to only run the ball. He ended up excelling as a dual threat QB at the D3 level and never regretted it.
That’s great to hear! College football at any level is special, congrats to him. I just put up a new video, check it out!
@@newage-sports I will. He had to retire due to being diagnosed with cancer. His name is Trentin Dupper. If you google him you’ll learn a lot about him. Went from top ten dual threat QB in the nation at D3, with a personal tryout awaiting him with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to losing 50 pounds and all his hair while undergoing chemo and radiation. More to life than sports. Tough when it runs up on you and smacks you in the mouth.
Good work on this my dude. Hope your channel and content grows significantly from here. I enjoyed the story immensely.
That means a lot, thank you for the support!
If Johnson ever had a decent defense they would’ve been a consistent top 25 team.
Yeah it was spotty over the years. I’d say his best defenses were in his first couple of seasons at GT. It’s no wonder that they were so successful early on
There Defense killed GT. Not offense.
I’ve always been a big triple option fan and I had no idea that G tech switched to triple option this century. I always assumed it was a tradition. That’s so astonishing to me.
Up until last year Kennesaw State was the only other D 1 school in Georgia that still ran the triple option. During their first 8 seasons as a program KSU had a winning record at the FCS level. Up until last year, where they ditched the option and immediately started losing. Yeah, it’s a transition into a new system, but it’s disappointing to see a system that was such a mainstay in the state disappear. It seemed as though they were going to move up to C-USA with option, but not anymore. That just leaves GT.
I wish Georgia Southern still ran the Flexbone, it was amazing to be a fan and student during our triple option heyday. I'm not much of a football watcher anymore, but I've been excited to read about the success Kennesaw has had after starting a football program a decade ago.
It's my favorite offense to run in Madden. It's a true pre snap read. Then when the defense adjusts it opens up the seams especially in the weak side.
That’s hilarious! I thought I was the only one. Lamar in a triple option is DANGEROUS!
The best Georgia Southern Flexbone teams ran the ball to the weak side almost as often as the strong side. And had a decent passing game to keep defenses honest.
I love Calvin. I'm a lifelong Lions fan so...but my favorite GT player of the last few years was Johnathan Dwyer
I was a big fan of Zach Laskey and Synjyn Days playing B-Back a few years after Dwyer
Funny b/c i walked on at Tech in ‘10, and cracked a vertebrae. NCAA said no, luckily the USAF said yes.
Thanks for your service! I played at Air Force and came on active duty in 2020.
@@newage-sports 🫡
I actually played keyboard for "Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets"
Thank you for such a nice tribute to CPJ.
As a Virginia tech fan that watched a LOT of VT vs GT Thursday night games. Bud Foster could never figure out the triple option. He had to know it was coming. But every meeting GT would score 2 td’s off of the defense over committing to taking out the qb. And just a quick toss to the half back. And boom 75 yard TD.
Yeah, it’s tricky. Not everyone could figure it out. Some guys did one year and couldn’t the next! Just put up a new video, check it out!
Love watching Paul Johnson’s offense
Just seeing something different was a nice change of pace!
Huge GT FLEXBONE FAN
Love it, I am too!
Very well made video my man
I appreciate it! Keep an eye out for the next one.
Awesome vid dude! Pauly J is one of my all time faves
Thanks so much! I appreciate the support 🫡
I'm a little unclear. What exactly is the "Triple Option?" Does it mean that you start the play with 2 running backs and a third player who can also run the ball? If that's true I'm guessing the purpose to do it is to prevent opposing defenses from stacking the box if you don't have a good passing attack? And they can't stack the box because there are too many boxes to stack? Is that exactly what it is or am I missing something? I would love an in depth explanation because I don't know much about the Triple Option.
So basically, the triple option allows the offense to leave players unblocked and read them, meaning they are far more likely to get one on one matchups between their ball carriers and defensive backs. The triple option has three potential ball carriers. First the dive back, who gets the ball if the defensive end sits back and keeps the edge. Second, the quarterback who pulls the handoff if the defensive end crashes. Finally, a pitch back gets the ball if the third read (linebacker or DB) attacks the quarterback after the pull.
@@newage-sports Ahh. Gotcha. Thanks for explaining it. It would be interesting to see that play more. Even if it's only once in awhile it should throw defenses off balance.
I want the option to come back to the power 5. As a Duke fan I’d love for our team to hire Jeff Monken or Troy Calhoun. Hell, even Ken Niumatalolo
It will be interesting to see how Duke fares after Elko left. Just put up a new video, check it out!
Have no idea how I got here but this was great to watch.
However you got here, stick around! I appreciate it.
@@newage-sports definitely