Instant Takeaways From Georgia Tech's 34-27 Loss To Stanford

Georgia Tech falls on the road to the Stanford Cardinal, 34-27. We take a look at some instant takeaways from the loss for the Yellow Jackets. Here is what stood out.

1. Offensive Line costs the Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech was heavily penalized on Saturday vs. Stanford. Malachi Carney, Jordan Floyd, and Markell Samuel drew a number of holding penalties that killed momentum and stalled drives when the Yellow Jackets had things going. It created more lanes in the running game, but whenever the Yellow Jackets converted a 3rd down or had a big play, it came back. This contributed to many of their struggles in the third quarter, when Stanford got back into the game. While they do have three backups in, you want to see a better performance from your offensive line.

2. Georgia Tech pass defense gets exploited

The Yellow Jackets' pass defense has been solid this year but was exposed on Saturday night vs. Stanford. Georgia Tech dealt with a myriad of injuries already, coming in with Trae Stevenson Jr. and Jaylen Mbakwe. One of the biggest surprises has been Daiquan White, who had a big game but also succumbed to injury. After he went out, Stanford was able to have their way and take advantage of the Yellow Jackets' inexperienced secondary. Stanford picked on true freshman Jaedyn Terry, who got his first real reps on Saturday night.

Terry was in single coverage on many of the plays he gave up. It wasn’t just him. Stanford also picked on Jon Mitchell and Zachary Tobe in coverage on Saturday. It would be a career day for Davis Warren, who finished with 396 passing yards and three touchdowns. Caden High also had a career night, finishing with four catches, 121 yards, and two touchdowns. This ultimately decided the game for the Yellow Jackets, who didn’t have an answer in pass coverage.

3. Georgia Tech Third Quarter Disaster

The Yellow Jackets struggled on both sides of the ball in the third quarter, allowing the Cardinals to go on a 17-0 run and get back in the game after a 20-10 halftime lead. The offense only had 26 yards in the quarter. The defense gave up 237 yards in the third quarter, including a 49-yard pass to Caden High and a 33-yard touchdown pass to Nico Brown. Stanford took advantage of the cornerbacks and hit on several big plays. A lot of the time it was one-on-one coverage and even double coverage. It didn’t matter because Warren was on fire and kept taking advantage of the defense.

4. Melvin Jordan Dazzles

Jordan IV consistently made plays all night in Kyle Efford's absence for the Yellow Jackets. He was excellent in run defense and was around the ball. He finished with a team-high six tackles (four solo) and a tackle for loss. With all the run-defense woes coming into the game, Jordan IV was a major factor in helping the team play better and give up only 88 rushing yards on the ground. There is a lot of negative you look at, but he was solid on defense for Georgia Tech.

5. Alberto Mendoza delivers a mixed bag

In spots, you can say Mendoza played a great game. He was efficient, completing 67% of his passes and finished with a 136.2 quarterback rating. He also threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets and kept a number of plays alive with his legs. However, Mendoza had some situational head-scratchers in the final two drives. A clear miscommunication stalled a drive when he looked toward Dalen Penson. It led to an interception and halted a productive drive that could have produced points for the Yellow Jackets.

The defense forced another stop. Georgia Tech was back in position, but Mendoza got an intentional grounding penalty that took a 4th and 13 to a 4th and 45, which is nearly impossible to convert. This ultimately decided the game for the Yellow Jackets. You can credit him for trying to make plays, but you have to know when it is not there and cut your losses. If he had been better situationally, the Yellow Jackets could have had a better shot.

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