Georgia Tech fell on the road to the Virginia Tech Hokies and is once again back to square one after a deflating road loss in Blacksburg. The Yellow Jackets couldn't overcome a 21-point deficit and now have their second ACC loss of the year. We now take a look at some instant takeaways from the loss at Virginia Tech.
1. Turnovers sink the Yellow Jackets on the road
Georgia Tech committed two early turnovers that proved pivotal in their 21-point halftime deficit. When the Yellow Jackets defense gave up an opening-drive touchdown, the offense answered and marched down the field to even things up. Trelain Maddox fumbled right before crossing the goal line and couldn’t recover it before it bounced out of the end zone for a touchback.
Later in the first half, after the defense allowed a score, Alberto Mendoza threw a pass that Virginia Tech defensive back Quentin Reddish intercepted.
The early turnovers were the difference in the Yellow Jackets getting it going early. It is still no excuse for why the defense or even the offense struggled, because they should have been able to get more going but simply couldn’t. Yes, the Yellow Jackets did a better job in the second half, but making a comeback from three scores down in the first half is a tall task for anyone.
2. The pass defense gets demolished
Que’Sean Brown caught six for 182 yards and a touchdown, including three explosive catches. They also gave up 21.5 yards per completion in the first half. One player was giving the Yellow Jackets the most, which was Brown. Ethan Grunkmeyer also shredded the Yellow Jackets for 215 yards and two touchdowns on an 83% completion rate in the first half.
The Hokies finished with 250 passing yards and three touchdowns. In the second half, it improved, but the Hokies were able to get whatever they wanted against the Yellow Jackets and constantly came up with explosives. They have to work on their pass defense if they are going to turn things around.
3. Georgia Tech is far too inconsistent
Saturday was an absolute whirlwind for the Yellow Jackets, and they are honestly one of the more up-and-down teams in the ACC. In the first half, they were not good. IN the second half, they played with their hair on fire. Defensively, they forced sacks, pressures, and negative plays, and they also tackled better early in the third quarter. The offense also responded with two scoring drives on their first two possessions. Then a lull hit.
Georgia Tech muffed a kick and nearly turned it over before recovering it. They backed up the Yellow Jackets at their own 11-yard line. They couldn’t get the drive going and punted, then the Hokies responded with a scoring drive capped by a 26-yard touchdown reception from Jefferey Overton. Virginia Tech answered with 10 of their own, and the Yellow Jackets couldn’t fully come back. The Yellow Jackets need more consistency as a team and are far too up and down.
4. Georgia Tech second half defensive pressure
The Yellow Jackets had two first-half sacks against the Hokies on Saturday. In the second half, Georgia Tech's defense adjusted, made plays, and created a lot of pressure on Ethan Grunkmeyer. Key contributors were Taje McCoy, Tawfiq Thomas, and Cayman Spaulding. It allowed them to get back into the game and make things interesting.
The Yellow Jackets only had six sacks coming in and nearly matched that total on Saturday. Georgia Tech finished with five sacks. Despite the loss and the points they gave up, if they can get more consistent pressure, they can be a better defensive team.
5. Jordan Allen puts together another productive outing
Despite a rough outing overall for the Yellow Jackets, sophomore WR Jordan Allen keeps coming up big, especially over the last two weeks. He’s been a go-to option on offense and a player Alberto Mendoza has been targeting more. It's been successful, and he's produced big numbers. In the first half, he caught 10 passes for 120 yards.
He also added a sweet one-handed catch in the third quarter. It seems like Allen is beginning to come on and has established himself as the guy. You look at last year as a true freshman, and this is around the time he started to emerge and get more time on the field. His development has been key, and it is something the Yellow Jackets can build on moving forward.
6. Trelain Maddox produces another strong game
If you take out the first-quarter fumble, Trelain Maddox had another stellar game, stepping up big again for the Yellow Jackets without Justice Haynes playing on Saturday. Maddox finished with 96 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He also added three catches for 11 yards. Moving forward, Maddox has proved that even when the Yellow Jackets' running backs return, he should be a bigger piece of the offense. With his production over the last few weeks, he can help this offense and be a weapon moving forward.
7. Alberto Mendoza Struggles Situationally
The stats show that Alberto Mendoza threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns. However, that doesn’t tell the full story. Mendoza had several head-scratching plays that hurt the Yellow Jackets' comeback attempt. One was when they were on their own 11-yard line in the third quarter, and Aycen Stevens sacked him when he could have thrown the ball away.
Another came in the fourth quarter, when the Yellow Jackets could have closed the lead to a two-score game, but he held the ball too long and fumbled. Luckily, he recovered, but far too often he held the ball too long and didn’t get rid of it. Those negative plays didn’t determine the outcome, but your quarterback needs to know when to take profits and cut losses, especially when you aren’t going to get what you are looking for.
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