Georgia Tech Football: Grading the Defense After Their Performance vs Pittsburgh
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Georgia Tech's defense has shown glimpses of being a better unit this year but had yet to put together a complete game. They had their best game of the season on Saturday night and helped this team get a victory on the road against a ranked team for the first time since 2016.
As good as the defense played in the first half, they turned it up a notch in the second half once linebacker Charlie Thomas came in the game. The Yellow Jackets were going up against one of the best rushing attacks in the ACC and found a way to hold them down.
So how did each position grade out yesterday as part of this great effort by the Yellow Jackets?
Defensive Line: A
Sylvain Yondjouen sacks Kedon Slovis in Georgia Tech's win over Pittsburgh
The defensive line played a really good game against Pitt on Saturday night. They pressured the quarterback consistently and helped stop a powerful Pittsburgh rushing attack.
Sylvain Yondjouen got the lone sack for the defensive line, but guys like D'Quan Douse had two quarterback hits, as did Keion White and Kyle Kennard. This was an all-around solid game for the Georgia Tech defensive line and one they will need going forward.
Linebackers- A+
Charlie Thomas played a great second half vs Pittsburgh on Saturday night
This was an easy grade to give and it was not all Charlie Thomas either. Ace Eley played a great game, tallying 14 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and a sack last night. Eley is consistently one of the top performers on the defense every week and he turned in another good game last night.
There are not enough words I can write that would describe how well Charlie Thomas played in the second half. Seven tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception helped lift this Georgia Tech team to a victory and get them to a 2-3 record.
Trenilyas Tatum did a solid job of filling in for Thomas in the first half and had seven tackles along with a quarterback hit.
This unit was fantastic on Saturday night.
The Secondary- B
Georgia Tech's secondary helped create turnovers vs Pittsburgh
The secondary grade likely would have been higher if not for some miscues in the second half. Pittsburgh could not get anything going through the air in the first half but did find some success in the final few drives of the game, however. This unit played well enough to win though and that is what matters.
Jaylon King and Derrik Allen both played solid games and led the secondary in tackles. LaMiles Brooks had two pass breakups and Kenny Bennett, Zamari Walton, and Allen also had one as well.
Duke is a pretty solid team and can throw the ball well. This secondary is going to have to come ready to play next week if they want to win two in a row.
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