Three Biggest Storylines To Watch When No. 13 Georgia Tech Takes On Virginia Tech On Saturday

Georgia Tech will host the Virginia Tech Hokies at home on Saturday as they come off their bye week well rested and recharged ahead of the rest of the season. Let’s take a look at some of the storylines on Saturday to watch for the Yellow Jackets.

1. Can Georgia Tech improve its run defense?

Latest — Sep 13, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets linebacker Kyle Efford (44) reacts after a missed field goal by Clemson Tigers place kicker Nolan Hauser (81) in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Yellow Jackets are one of the worst run defenses in the NCAA this season. In their most recent contest against Wake Forest, Demond Claiborne rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns. He only has one other game this season where he has crossed the 100-yard mark. It is concerning that the Yellow Jackets haven’t been able to stop the run this season. Georgia Tech is the No. 105-ranked rush defense, giving up 166.2 yards per game. It is an area the Yellow Jackets have to clean up if they want to become the team they are capable of. They have improved the linebacker position a good bit and have seen improved play from their linebackers, especially Tah’j Butler.

“Tah’j man, I'm proud of him. So proud of him. I mean, he's a guy who has a lot of talent, probably got a little big in the offseason. He's up in the mid-230s, close to 240, almost. Now that he's come back down a little bit in his weight, he went out there and took his opportunity and really showed what he can do, show what he can do when the lights are on. He's earned his opportunity to play more and more. That's why you do it,” said linebacker coach Darius Eubanks.

Cayman Spaulding and Melvin Jordan have been great additions as well. Kyle Efford and E.J. Lightsey have improved a good amount as well. Something will have to change for this unit to get back to the level they were playing at in its run defense a season ago. With the dual-threat ability of Kyron Drones and Terrion Stewart coming in for the Hokies, Georgia Tech will need to contain both if they want a chance to win on Saturday.

2. Can the running game get back on track (Outside of Haynes King)?

Georgia Tech is one of the top-ranked rush offenses in the country. They are ranked No. 16 in the country, averaging 232 yards per game. Haynes King was an integral piece in lifting the Yellow Jackets to victory against the Demon Deacons with his effort on the ground, rushing for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He was easily the most effective runner for Georgia Tech a few weeks ago. The Yellow Jackets have a good problem on their hands because they have a quarterback they can lean on when the running game is not there for the backs, but at the same time, you want to keep him upright and healthy, especially as they try to make it to an ACC title game. Georgia Tech's two running backs combined for 18 carries for 57 yards, a measly 3.16 yards per carry. In no way is it an indication of them. We’ve seen both backs go off for explosive plays and combine for four touchdowns in a game (Gardner-Webb). The thing is, we need to see it more. The running back position is deep for the Yellow Jackets, but they have to do a better job of blocking and opening up holes for the running back.

“There's definitely trends with the way people are playing, you know, our quarterback run game, right. When I say quarterback run game, I'm talking about the reads and the different things like that, and the way people are playing their defensive ends. You definitely see trends, you know, it's a copycat league, and you know, if people have success doing one thing or making him pull it or making the running back pull it, and that's what they want to do within the structure of their defense,” said Faulkner.

“Yes, we've seen a lot of carryover, and that's really one of the reasons you've seen high carries by the quarterback position, is really the way people are playing us. You know, Jamal is a guy that we have to get going for us to be explosive, and we know that. So that's why I mentioned that this bye week comes at a great time. You know, I think he was a little, you know, a little banged up last week going into the game. Just not banged up, but tired. You know, he's had a lot of carries. It's been a long, you know, camp and four games. And we know that he's better when he's fresh, right? You can kind of look at his history. When he's fresh and fast, he's a lot more productive. So that's some of it. The other part is us designing things that can get him, you know, in space to get him going. We try to get him involved in the passing game as well. You know, that can get him in space and may not have as many carries. The other day, I think it was five catches he had, and gave Wake Forest a lot of credit. They made a lot of open-field tackles.”

Will Georgia Tech be able to break those open-field tackles and make larger gains on Saturday?

3. Will Georgia Tech send more blitzes to help the pass rush?

I pointed out recently how Georgia Tech should feature their young trio of edge rushers more in Andre Fuller, Christian Garrett, and Amontrae Bradford with their production and the level they are playing at. If you can’t get home with your front four, that is when blitzes come into the equation. We have seen some blitzes orchestrated by defensive coordinator Blake Gideon, who has been creative with them. They have forced some incompletions and have led to big plays on defense. During the bye week, Gideon talked about the blitzes and how he determines when to send them in games.

"I want to have bodies on bodies, and I want guys to go win their one-on-ones. A lot of times, Coach Key talked about it this morning in the team meeting, that's really the best you can hope for, a lot in football is to win your one-on-one. It's not always the time that where you're going has a free blitzer running Scott free at the quarterback. Something messed up from the offensive standpoint for that to happen. A lot of it is winning one-on-ones, and so again, we could point the fingers as coaches that our players say, well, they got to make more plays. We're coaches. We need to coach them into better situations coach them into better situations, coach them into better techniques,” said Gideon.

“I'm a big believer that a lot of those techniques are decided pre-snap based on the picture the offense is showing and what your film is showing individually. So why is every offensive tackle I'm playing against this year setting me this way? What are you showing on film? There's something that they're attacking. There's a weakness of yours that they're attacking. So we're looking at all that stuff right now. But to answer your question, it's a combination of technique, eyes being in the right place, and alignment being right. When it comes to pressuring the quarterback, especially with the front four alignment, it can make or break those moments. So we've got to make sure we hammer down on the details, and details are what win.”

The bottom line is that Georgia Tech needs to create more pressure, and blitzes could help in addressing the problem of getting to the quarterback. It will be something to watch for on Saturday.

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