Film Study For Georgia Tech's Offense vs Colorado's Defense: Who Has The Edge?

What does the film say for some of the Georgia Tech offense vs Colorado Defense

Nov 15, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Malachi Hosley (0) runs the ball while Boston College Eagles defensive back Omar Thornton (0) defends during the second half at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Georgia Tech is preparing for its first matchup of the season. It is time to take a look at some film study and key elements to watch on offense for the Yellow Jackets.

Running Game 

The Yellow Jackets' run game will look different this season with a new offensive coordinator and scheme. Last year's offense was more built around the running game, with the quarterback running the RPO system out of the shotgun. In the George Godsey offense, the quarterback will be under center, handing off to the running backs and making them a bigger part of the game. You can think about how the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots offenses used to look in the 2010s for a good idea.

With these changes, it will show whether the Yellow Jackets' running game can handle the physicality of the Buffaloes' linebackers and how they want to attack, come downhill, and make plays. Justice Haynes and Malachi Hosley are both downhill runners but are known for their efficiency, contact balance, and ability to make people miss. They are both elite in their own right, extremely patient, and let the offensive line make the blocks. I think this new-look running game will be a little different for the Yellow Jackets in 2026. 

Volume 

A big thing coming out of camp for the Yellow Jackets has been their offensive volume and the number of plays they will have at their disposal. The variation they will have, and not to tip off what they are doing, will be valuable. Coach Godsey has implemented a pro-style system and an offense that runs like an NFL system. When you look at NFL offenses, there is a lot of variation in verbiage, looks, and the amount at your disposal.

That will be a fundamental part of what the Yellow Jackets offense looks like this season. Against Colorado, expect different looks, movements, motions, and changes in the plays. This could also be a situation where we see a hurry-up, higher-tempo offense from the Yellow Jackets to tire out the Colorado defense. Being on the field a lot and having to deal with a bunch of different things coming your way could be a lot for any defense. This will be a defining part of the game on Thursday. 

“Typically in the college landscape of football, you're going to probably get three to five personnel groups, okay? We're going to have 12 to 15 personnel groups, okay? In most offenses in college, you're going to get... six to eight formations, okay. We're going to have 20 to 25 formations, right? We're going to have shifts, motions all those different things, so you start talking about volume and stacking on top of each other.

Okay, the quarterback has to, first of all, have a foundational understanding of how we operate, and then you add all these little nuances, which he has to control. He's obviously the leader of the operation, so in a typical college offense you're going to probably have 80 to 100 plays in your offense. We'll probably have 250,” said quarterback coach Chris Weinke. 

Checks 

This will be a key component of the Yellow Jackets offense: the pre-snap and line-of-scrimmage battles. Checking a certain look the defense is giving, but not being fooled by any disguise they might be showing.

I think the chess match between quarterback Alberto Mendoza and Colorado defensive coordinator Chris Marve will be intriguing, especially with this being Mendoza’s first official start. Mendoza showed in camp that he can be successful with checks during scrimmages in fall camp. I think this is an intriguing part and could be a defining part of Mendoza’s game and how good he is. 

"What I've found is that because of the guys in our room, we're not stuck in mud. We're going forward. Very rarely have we made the same mistake twice. For example, we just played a scrimmage on Saturday. We had 14 checks, and we were 14 for 14. So at the end of the day, those guys- that's a testament to them, right? Try to give them the information. Are they absorbing it? Then are they applying it and executing it? And they've done an outstanding job of doing that,” said Weinke. 

Tight Ends 

The walking mismatch for the Yellow Jackets is the tight end room, and when you look at the film of these guys, they are all tough to guard. Colorado has struggled to defend tight ends over the years, and they've had big games against them. While this is a new linebacking unit for the Buffaloes, the tight ends for the Yellow Jackets are all great pass catchers.

You have a red zone threat in Kevin Roche Jr, a wide receiver dressed like a tight end in Gavin Harris, Chris Corbo, who is an all-around versatile threat, and finally Spencer Mermans, who wants to put you in the dirt and is a great blocking option for Georgia Tech. Together, they make a complete room for the Yellow Jackets and provide various personnel groups that can give the Buffaloes issues. The Yellow Jackets are so deep that they can go three tight end sets against the defense and pose different looks. This is the deepest they have been, and the film says they will be a major factor on Thursday.