Three Key Matchups That Will Determine Georgia Tech's Game vs Stanford

Georgia Tech has a chance to get its first win of the season on Saturday vs. Stanford. Today, we look at three key matchups that could go a long way in determining whether the Yellow Jackets pick up their first win of the season.

Georgia Tech WRs vs Stanford Secondary

Stanford currently has the No. 134 pass defense in the country and No. 16 in the ACC, giving up 303 passing yards per game. The Yellow Jackets have a real opportunity to exploit this matchup, especially with the emergence of the wide receivers and the explosive plays we saw last weekend from Jaiven Plummer and Debron Gatling.

You add what Penson can do, and Allen, who is a fast player, and the Yellow Jackets have a chance to cook the Stanford secondary and get the offense going at a high level. Head Coach Brent Key talked about getting other players involved and getting them more snaps and reps.

“Okay, we have too many other players we have to get out there, and as we talked about on defense, so much about playing guys to develop guys. Between DeBron, Jaiven, and Zay (Isaiah Fuhrmann), I'm really looking for Zay to keep coming on and build that rhythm and chemistry there. You know, he had a big catch in the game. Getting other guys involved is big. That's really important for our success. Corbo had one and made a good catch. We got to get him more involved,” said Key.

It could be a great opportunity for them to have one of their best games through the air and the backup wide receivers could be the story in this one.

Georgia Tech Defensive Line vs Stanford Offensive Line

Stanford has allowed only six sacks this season and hasn’t done a great job protecting quarterback Davis Warren. The Yellow Jackets could have a real opportunity to wreak havoc in the backfield with their defensive line. Last game, we saw the coming-out party of Taje McCoy, who was named Player of the Week after a four-tackle, sack, force-fumble performance vs. Mercer. McCoy, along with Noah Carter, is one of the team's best pass rushers.

With injuries like Walker and A.J. Hoffler, this creates an opportunity for more reps and the chance to dominate the game. The other side of this matchup to watch is whether the Yellow Jackets can fix their defensive woes against the run. They currently rank No. 132 in the nation, giving up 223.3 rushing yards per game. They have struggled mightily against the run, and it has been a problem. A good running game can counter a great pass rush. So Stanford could run the ball more instead of passing to slow down the Yellow 'Jackets' edge rushers and make it tough for them to affect the game.

Georgia Tech TE vs Stanford Linebackers

We haven’t seen the production we expected from the tight end room this season. Kevin Roche Jr. has been one of the room's solid players, consistently making plays for the Yellow Jackets. Chris Corbo, Gavin Harris, and Spencer Mermans haven’t been as involved. This game against Stanford could be an opportunity for them, especially given some of their defenders' struggles covering tight ends. You can look at their most recent loss to Duke.

Duke TE Jeremiah Hasley went for five catches and 88 yards and was the main receiving threat for the Blue Devils. Georgia Tech could have similar success, especially if they target Harris, one of the team's top receiving threats. With his athleticism and big-play ability, he can take advantage of the defense. Don’t be surprised if you see the Yellow Jackets have a big game from their tight ends.

Add us as a preferred source on Google