Last season, a cut block from Duke center Brian Moore sidelined North Carolina defensive tackle Tim Jackson for two games, including UNC’s 68-50 loss to Georgia Tech.
Jackson will suit up for the Tar Heels in Atlanta on Saturday, where cut blocking is a staple technique for Georgia Tech’s third-ranked rushing offense.
Cut blocking, a technique by which offensive linemen engage a defensive player at the knees or thighs, is legal in the NCAA, provided that the blocker is inside the tackle box before the ball is snapped, was not in motion before the snap and did not cut a player who was already being blocked.
This time, Jackson said, he’ll know the cut blocks are coming, which gives him some relief.
“The last time I didn’t see it, which was tough,” Jackson said. “The fact that I know it’s coming, there’s no excuse for me not to have my hands in place and my body positioned to take on the block safely and get to the ball.”
After Duke played Georgia Tech last week, Duke coach David Cutcliffe questioned the complexity of the cut block rule and suggested it threatens players’ safety.
UNC coach Larry Fedora said his own opinion on the issue doesn’t matter, but the Tar Heels have prepared this week in practice by allowing scout team players to use the technique in practice.
“In (Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson’s) offense, they’re able to take advantage of it,” Fedora said. “We could do it. But with what we do, it doesn’t fit as much for us and it really fits for what they do in their triple-option offense.”
Fedora said that despite two weeks of preparation, it’s hard to simulate what cut blocking will look like in a game during practice.
