How does Georgia Tech Fix The Defense During The Bye Week?

The Yellow Jackets defense struggled mightily on the road against NC State and just couldn’t get stops. From busted coverages to missed tackles to porous run defense, and explosive play, Georgia Tech had no answers. The defense gave up 583 yards of total offense to the Wolfpack. CJ Bailey threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Jayden “Duke” Scott had a career day, rushing for 196 yards and a touchdown. It was a tough outing for the Yellow Jackets.

"Yeah, I mean, I could say a lot of things right now. But at the end of the day, like I said, we've got a lot of work to do. We've got to get corrected. Yeah, I mean, we've got to be able to take something away. I mean, they had, what, 200, you know, when Duke Scott had a great game, 243, yeah. So we weren't taking the run away, you know, the noticeable thing, you know, there were a lot of hidden yardage in there that two yards, five yards, four yards that were, you know, missed tackles, you know, getting knocked back. But then, like I said, we've got to improve, and we will. I won't make the excuses."

So how do you fix it?

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key on the sidelines against the Syracuse Orange in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

I think it starts with playing some of your younger guys on the edge. The defensive interior has been solid, led by Jordan Van Den Berg, Akelo Stone, Jason Moore, and Matthew Alexander. However, the pass rush and tackling from the edges haven’t been ideal. The production is also just not there.

True freshman Christian Garrett is the highest-rated player on defense this season per PFF (Pro Football Focus). Garrett has a 77.9 defensive grade, 78.9 tackling grade, and a 75.5 rush defense grade on 48 snaps. To put it simply, he is a disruptor and already plays at a high level as a freshman.

Amontrae Bradford leads the team in sacks, but doesn’t start on the edge. Bradford has 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Bradford has the second-highest pass rush grade on the team with a 73.3. Even in the loss to NC State, he registered a 74.7 tackling grade on a limited 20 snaps.

Andre Fuller Jr is another who has been a difference maker when he has been on the field with his ability to rush the passer, play physical, and tackle in open space. Fuller Jr has 13 tackles this season and played some of his best ball earlier in the season, recording six tackles in his first two games.

A point of emphasis in the press conference with head coach Brent Key was the sacks, tackles for loss and the havoc rate. To get it higher, you have to play your best players. The young guys have proven they should see the field more and can make an impact in this area.

“A lot of it depends on the plays played right well, that's as a percentage. That's why it's not just total. That's the thing I like about it and why I like using it, because whether you play 60 plays in the game, 55 plays in the game, or, you know, 95 plays in the game, it's going to give you a true look at that. I look at that in production on defense, production on offense, too. I don't care how many, you know, TFLS somebody has or many pass breakups. Well, how many plays are they playing? You know, what's the percentage of time they're out there that they're actually impacting the game? Then we put it all together in the offense, defense, havoc, and the margin of error. We've improved on it. I think that's pretty obvious by the turnovers in the games,” said Key.

“We've improved on our turnovers, but we've got to continue to improve on the takeaways because we're looking at the overall margin turnover margin for a team. It's not just one side of the ball that you win games with. I don't believe in that. It's complimentary football. It's playing a full game in all three phases. We've got to continue to work on that, you know, getting our hands on the football. Getting takeaways, getting the ball out, protecting the ball on offense.”

Next, you need better communication in the backend, and get Jy Gilmore back healthy. Gilmore is a difference maker on the backend of the secondary and makes plays all over the field. His physicality is one thing that catches your eye instantly. Gilmore, in his last game with the Yellow Jackets finished with 11 tackles, two passes defensed and a half sack. He hasn’t played since October 18th against Duke. Gilmore was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in that game. He is also a main communicator on the defense, and when he was playing along with Clayton Powell-Lee and Omar Daniels there were rarely busts in coverage. He helps the Yellow Jackets defense because of the intensity, physicality and tenacity. Georgia Tech needs him back in the worst way.

Rush defense has to be a focal point. If Georgia Tech wants to have the season they want to have and make it to the postseason, they have to sure up their run defense. It doesn’t have to be the best in the NCAA, but it needs to be at least middle of the pack. Georgia Tech is the No. 97-ranked rush defense in college football, giving up 165 yards per game. In the past two weeks, Georgia Tech has given up a total of 400 yards on the ground against Syracuse and NC State. It has been an area they have struggled with all season long and have regressed significantly from last season, when they had a top 40 unit. The Yellow Jackets need to create more negative plays like tackles for loss, sacks, and be better at closing gaps. It is easier said than done, but they need to make it difficult and cloud up holes where their linebackers can flow in and make stops. They have Kyle Efford and Cayman Spaulding, who are some of the better linebackers in run defense. They just have to take it up another notch.

Coming out of the bye, if the Yellow Jackets can fix these key areas and lean on some of their young guys, it could be a recipe to fix some of the problems they have been seeing the past few weeks.

More Georgia Tech News:

•Georgia Tech Still Among ACC Championship Favorites Despite Loss to NC State

•The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From Georgia Tech's 48-36 Loss to NC State

•PFF Grades and Snap Counts From Georgia Tech's Loss To NC State On Saturday

•Where Will Georgia Tech Land In This Week's AP Top 25 After Their Loss to NC State?