Georgia Tech is back in action on Saturday, with a chance to return to .500 and win their second straight game. To do that, they will need strong performances from several guys. Let’s take a closer look at who they need to play well.
Alberto Mendoza
I feel like this is a statement game for the young quarterback, facing a former Big 10 quarterback. They haven’t squared off officially just yet, but this game will mark his sixth career start. With Mendoza improving every week and the offense looking better under George Godsey, he has a chance to lead this team back to .500 with a win.
With the running back position being banged up, the Yellow Jackets could look to Mendoza to make more plays and help this team with the pass offense. I think he could finally be ready to do it on a big stage and prove he was an excellent portal pickup.
After helping lead the game-winning drive against Duke, his confidence is likely high. Another strong effort on Saturday will add another solid outing to his resume and his first road win. That is big for a young quarterback moving forward. We could cite the stats, but this is bigger than that. You are talking about building your franchise and program around a player for years to come, which could be the right decision if Mendoza keeps playing well.
2. Backup running back
We could say Trelain Maddox here, but we highlighted him last week, and he had the best game of his career. The difference this week is that Maddox will need help against the Hokies. With Justice Haynes doubtful, the Yellow Jackets will have to turn to their depth on Saturday vs. the Hokies. It is a talented room, but it has players who haven’t played much. So who is the running back they will lean on outside of Maddox? We don’t have that answer yet.
It could be Chad Alexander, J.P. Powell, Shane Marshall, or even Jayden Barr. Or it could be a collection of all of them. The backup running back will be important because they will spell Maddox. Whoever it is, they'll have to be efficient and produce well for the Yellow Jackets to have a chance on Saturday against a top-ranked run defense.
“Yeah, that's why we had a lot of guys there. That's why we brought a lot of, we have six guys in the room. I said numerous times before the season started, and I’ve said in the past, that is the position that gets banged up, and you need a lot of them. You need guys that can. Your third team back comes your first team back really fast. Your fourth team back is in the game playing.
Meaningful snaps really quick. And scout team guys are up learning the game plan really fast to that position. That's nothing new. Very rarely do we see in the country the running back room stays fully healthy for the season. So the amount of guys dealing with Malachi is dealing with the same thing he was dealing with last year. An ankle, so hopefully he continues to get him back. Justice (Haynes) is banged up; we will see how he is as we move forward. But we've got depth there; we've got quality guys.
I'm very confident in all those guys. It'll be Trey, very confident in Chad, Shane Marshall. I think I've said before, the job that Shane and JP and Jayden Barr, what they've done on the scout field in a lot of ways, has been absolutely outstanding. I mean, outstanding. So, they're all ready. They've done a really good job on special teams as well. So, that's nothing new. That's one of those things that just, I say it is what it is.But in college football, that's a pretty common thing at that room,” said Key.
Trae Stevenson Jr
The talented true freshman looks set to return to the field for the Yellow Jackets on Saturday. He was dealing with an injury that has sidelined him for a few weeks. Whenever he has played, Stevenson Jr. has made an impact, whether on special teams or at cornerback.
The Yellow Jackets will probably bring him in slowly, but his talent and ceiling will make it hard to keep him off the field. With some of the pass defense problems they’ve had, and with Daiquan White still out, they could use the freshman on Saturday. It will be intriguing to see how many snaps he gets and whether the Yellow Jackets will use him only in certain situations. Whatever usage he gets will be vital because he can help this team immensely, especially against a strong passing attack led by Ethan Grunkmeyer.
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