Georgia Tech Film Room: Taking A Look At Some Of The Defensive Plays vs. Tennessee & How Tae Harris Could Help

Georgia Tech has had its fair share of defensive issues and hasn't been able to make consistent stops. Last week, it led to an offense scoring 45 points and the Yellow Jackets giving up 299 rushing yards and three touchdowns at home against Tennessee.

I watched some film and clips, broke down what went wrong, and showed how a certain player could help address some of the woes the defense currently faces.

Tae Harris

When you watch some of the clips and the film for Harris, you see a player who consistently makes plays for the Yellow Jackets defense. One play that immediately stands out was when he came down and blitzed on a run play vs. Tennessee. Harris timed the snap perfectly, then attacked downhill, shedding a block that should have drawn a holding penalty.

Once he got through the block, Harris was one-on-one with DeSean Bishop and made the tackle for loss in the backfield. With that type of play, it raises the question of why Harris isn't utilized more this way, especially with the struggles of the defense in the run game. It is evident that Harris is a good tackler in space and can take on blocks and still make the play in the backfield.

get down or lay down🦈 pic.twitter.com/SL6kWhCraF
— Tae Harris (@taeharris27) September 13, 2026

Harris gives the team an element it hasn't had in pass defense: the ability to cover multiple positions, make plays on the ball, and tackle in the open field. With some defensive deficiencies, Harris's versatility could do wonders for the Yellow Jackets if used the right way. It will be interesting to see if defensive backs coach Vinnie Sunseri or defensive coordinator Jason Semore implement ways to move Harris all over the field, so he can make plays on the back end and help this defense out more.

Georgia Tech whiffs on a touchdown run

WHAT ARE OUR LINEBACKERS DOING?! 😭

Looks like Efford had a blitz but this LB room is soooooo bad.

Lightsey and Efford cannot see the field as P4 backers. pic.twitter.com/xwF59k1ZqR
— Georgia Tech Coverage (@GT_Coverage) September 14, 2026

This next play shows that Kyle Efford came down in a blitz but was engulfed by the Tennessee offensive lineman, which took away his ability to make a play. E.J. Lightsey, the other linebacker, was taking on a pulling tackle in David Sanders. Some of the online criticism is that Lightsey overran the run play that led to the touchdown and didn't fill the gap, which opened a big hole for the eventual touchdown.

When you look at the play more in depth, yes, Lightsey overran the play and should have filled the gap, but nobody else on the defense was home behind him. So even if he did put his head in there and fill the gap, it still would have been a struggle because the gap was so big and nobody else was there to help Lightsey clean it up.

It is more of a fundamental issue of not having guys in the right position and not having the defense prepared. Blame can go around, and one question is: where were the safeties on the touchdown run, and why wasn't one closer in the box to help Lightsey if he overran the gap? While everyone wants to come for the linebackers, it isn't just their fault; there is also a bigger problem that needs to be solved to help them.

I gave my full thoughts and broke down the plays in more depth here:

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