Grading Georgia Tech's Position Groups In Its 20-6 win over Clemson

In what was one of the more surprising results in the ACC and the country yesterday, Georgia Tech went on the road and took down Clemson, ending the Yellow Jackets' four-game losing streak, giving the program its first win in Death Valley since 2008, and giving Georgia Tech consecutive wins over the Tigers for the first time since 2009.

Was it a perfect performance across the board? No, but given how they were playing this season and the fact that Brent Key had to fire four coaches on Monday, a win over a rival feels good.

So how did each positon perform yesterday?

Quarterback: B-

The quarterbacks did enough to win yesterday and Georgia Tech took a page out of a 2024 playbook, when they used two quarterbacks to pull an upset over Miami. Alberto Mendoza finished the game 8-for-14 for 138 yards and an interception. He hit some big throws, but was far from perfect.

Grady Adamson was the running quarterback in this game, carrying the ball 19 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. Adamson finished as the highest-graded player on the offense on Pro Football Focus and was instrumental in getting Georgia Tech a win over the Tigers. Will we see a similar gameplan against Wake Forest next Saturday?

Running Back: A

This was a great game for Justice Haynes on the ground and a great day for the Yellow Jackets ground game overall.

Haynes finished the day with 116 yards on 13 carries, including a 53-yard touchdown and he finished the game averaging 8.9 yards per carry. This is the kind of performance that Georgia Tech fans had been wanting to see from Haynes and he delivered against the Tigers.

Trelain Maddox was solid against Clemson, carrying the ball 12 times for 51 yards, providing a solid 1-2 punch with Haynes.

Wide Receiver: C

Georgia Tech did not have to do a lot in the passing game against Clemson, but they got a few big plays through the air to keep the defense on their toes.

Dalen Penson finished the game with 10 yards on three catches, while Jordan Allen had 61 yards on two catches, including a 37-yard catch.

No other receiver caught a pass.

Tight End: C

Georgia Tech was without their top tight end and one of their top pass catchers, Kevin Roche Jr., and they had to rely on the trio of Chris Corbo, Spencer Mermans, and Gavin Harris.

Corbo had a big 50 yard catch in the game and that was the highlight from this group. Mermans finished with a 50.0 grade on 33 snaps while Harris finished with a 48.1 grade on nine snaps.

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Corbo made plays, but the other two tight ends were mostly invisible and did not make an impact.

Offensive line: B-

Against one of the better defensive lines in the ACC, Georgia Tech's offensive line had arguably its best day.

The O-Line helped pave the way for a 269 yard day on the ground and they did not allow Clemson to sack either quarterback and only get three TFL's. PFF only gave Georgia Tech a 16.4 pass-blocking grade and a 58.4 run-blocking grade, but I thought they performed better than that.

Defensive line: B

The Yellow Jackets defensive line helped hold down Clemson's rushing attack and pressure the quarterback. Georgia Tech finished the day with three sacks, with two of them coming from the defensive line. Taje McCoy ended the game with a sack, as did Andre Fuller Jr.

Tawfiq Thomas had his usual day, earning seven tackles and a TFL, McCoy totaled six tackles, and Vincent Carroll-Jackson had three tackles. Against one of the weaker offensive lines in the ACC, Georgia Tech's defensive line had a strong day.

Linebackers: B+

This was a good showing for Georgia Tech's linebacker group, especially from Cayman Spaulding.

Spaulding finished the day with 11 tackles, including two TFLs and a sack. In 65 snaps, PFF handed him a 77.8 overall grade.

First-year linebacker CJ Gamble had a nice day as well, totaling two tackles and earning a 77.8 overall grade on PFF. Braylon Outlaw and E.J. Lightsey combined for five tackles.

Secondary: B

The secondary for Georgia Tech did not allow Clemson's talented receivers to take over the game and the Tigers only finished with 133 yards passing on 33 attempts.

Not only that, but the Yellow Jackets were actually able to force a turnover in this game. First-year safety Kealan Jones got his first career interception yesterday and cornerback Jonas Duclona finished the game with a 79.3 overall grade in 68 snaps and Zachary Tobe had an 81.4 coverage grade.

This group is going to be tested in a big way against Wake Forest next weekend, but they played well against a struggling Clemson team.

Special teams: C

This was not a great day for the Georgia Tech special teams.

Aidan Birr did hit two of his three field goal attempts, but they were both under 24 yards and he missed a 49-yard attempt. Birr has not been reliable from long distance and given how many important kicks he has made for the program, it is disappointing to see the lack of consistency.

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