Georgia Tech Could Use a Dominant Week Three Win Over Mercer To Give Them Confidence Before ACC Play Begins

There are certainly no excuses for a 0-2 start, but playing two Power-Four opponents to start a season is tricky, and heading into the week three game vs FCS opponent Mercer, there might not be a team in the country that needs a dominant performance more than Georgia Tech.

The 0-2 start has left fans asking a lot of questions about this team, including whether they are going to make a bowl game this season, as well as a number of questions about the performances on both sides of the ball. In the first two games, there is not a lot of positive to say about the way that Georgia Tech has played.

The offensive line has not been able to open up any lanes for Justice Haynes or the rest of the running backs; they cannot protect Alberto Mendoza, and the defense cannot stop the run or pressure the quarterback. If you want to be nice, you could say that Georgia Tech has the No. 20 pass defense through the first two weeks, but because Colorado and Tennessee have been able to run the ball with such effectiveness, they have not had to turn to the passing game with a lot of volume.

Given how the season has started and the questions that arose about this team, it would be good for Georgia Tech to go out and dominate a Mercer team that has been a very solid FCS program.

Yellow Jackets looking for big win

Alberto Mendoza Georgia Tec — Sep 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Alberto Mendoza (15) throws a pass against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Earlier this week, Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key talked about the six factors that go into winning a football game, and Georgia Tech has not been good at any of them.

“They are explosive differentials. To us, pretty simple. Points per possession, red zone touchdowns. So when you get in the red zone- not touchdowns, but when you get in the red zone- scoring touchdowns, third-down percentages, turnovers and takeaways, and then pressuring the quarterback. Not sacks, but pressure. Are you able to get pressure on the opposing quarterback, and are you able to protect the quarterback in those situations? So those are the six things. And when you look at those, those are... And, you know, why have you not had the success you wanted? Okay, well, when you look at the situational aspect of it, those are the things we have to improve on. Those are the things we have to get better at. Those are the things we have to be able to do. Okay? So that's pretty black and white with where the game was,” said Key.

I think you are going to see an emphasis on winning those six factors and doing so in a big way this week.

It is not just those six factors though.

Georgia Tech has been one of the worst offenses in the country through two games and a part of that is because of slow starts. It has been a big emphasis for Key this week when he talked with the media and I think you are going to see a Georgia Tech offenses that wants to score a lot of points this weekend:

“Things we've got to improve on. You know, drive starters and first downs on offense. I mean, big time. Big time. You talk about why third down and get back on track, the second down and get back on track plays. Well, you wouldn't have those if you had more production and execution on first down. You know, red area, I mean, two games now, three of seven scored in the red area, two touchdowns, one of them at the end of the game. That's something that is a major, major focus of being able to score touchdowns,” said Key.

While against FCS programs, Mercer has had one of the top rushing offenses in that division while Georgia Tech has had one of the worst rushing defenses in the country. That is going to be something to watch this weekend because if Georgia Tech cannot stop the run against this team, there might not be a lot of teams that they can stop on the ground.

Does a dominant win over Mercer prove anything about Georgia Tech? Of course not; they should expect to win big in this game, but after the 0-2 start to the season, they need to find a way to create some confidence heading into a critical two-game stretch against Stanford and Duke- a stretch of games that could determine whether or not Georgia Tech can get back in the picture for a bowl game. A closer-than-expected win or a sloppy performance is not what this team needs in terms of confidence before they make a long trip to Palo Alto to face Stanford next Saturday night.

Georgia Tech needs a win and they could use one that leaves no doubt on Saturday.

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