Three Reasons Georgia Tech can Beat Duke, Three Reasons They Can Lose

Georgia Tech is coming off their bye week, and on the other side waiting for them is 4-0 Duke, the reigning ACC Champions. The Blue Devils are also coming off their bye week, and Manny Diaz's team is going to be looking to snap a losing streak to Georgia Tech, as Diaz is 0-2 against Brent Key and, overall, Duke has lost five straight to Georgia Tech.

Can Georgia Tech make it six in a row or will Duke reach 5-0 and send Georgia Tech to a 1-4 start? Here are three reasons that Georgia Tech can pull this off and three reasons they might not.

Reasons Georgia Tech can beat Duke

1. How good are the Blue Devils?

I know this does not sound like a smart thing to say considering the Yellow Jackets are 1-3 and lost to Stanford, who Duke beat 35-7, but examining Duke's record closely and there is not an impressive win on there.

Duke has defeated Tulane, Illinois, William & Mary, and Stanford, none of which have been impressive this season. Now, Georgia Tech has arguably been the worst team in the Power Four up to this point, but there is a chance that Duke is not as good as their record suggests and that a road game could be trouble for them. The Yellow Jackets are just a couple of plays away from having beaten Colorado and Stanford and being 3-1, but that is not what happened.

2. Prior history

Prior history might not mean a ton, but it should be noted that Georgia Tech has had a lot of recent success against the Blue Devils and that Brent Key himself is 3-0 against this program.

Key was able to score a win over Duke as the interim head coach in 2022 and has beaten Diaz in 2024 and 2025. The matchup last season was a big contest for both teams and Georgia Tech got the win on the road.

Can Key find a way to get another win over Diaz on Saturday?

3. Unproven quarterback

Duke lost their starting quarterback and two two receivers in the transfer portal, but the Blue Devils have still been able to find a way to score plenty of points so far this season. However, it has come with their running game and not their quarterback.

Walker Eget was a late add for Duke in the portal and he has been a fine quarterback for the Blue Devils so far this season. He has thrown for 721 yards, six touchdowns, and just one interception, while only being sacked once. He is a clear step down from Mensah, but can the Yellow Jackets find a way to stop the run and see if Eget can beat them? That seems to be the path to success on Saturday.

Reasons Duke will win

1. Nate Sheppard

Sheppard has been arguably the best running back in the country and already has 644 yards and six touchdowns in just four games played. Now he gets to go against one of the worst rushing defenses in the country.

Until the played Stanford, Georgia Tech could not stop the run and got pushed over by Colorado, Tennessee and even FCS opponent Mercer. This is going to be a great test for their front seven and if they can slow down Sheppard, it could be a long day for the Yellow Jackets.

2. Injuries

Georgia Tech was very banged up in the Stanford loss and we won't know until later in the week whether or not any of these players are going to be back.

DB Jaylen Mbakwe (starting CB)
RB Malachi Hosley (backup RB)
DE Jordan Walker (starting DE)
S Savion Riley (Starting Safety)
WR Darnell Collins
CB Trae Stevenson Jr (backup CB)
S Fenix Felton (backup safety)
S Will Kiker
LB Kyle Efford (starting LB)
OL Jameson Riggs (starting center)
OL Josh Petty
OL Ethan Mackenny (starting LT)
WR Kentrell Davis
WR Coi Jean-Noel
DE A.J. Hoffler (backup DE)
DT Derry Norris Jr
DT Shymeik Jones (backup DT)

Will any of these players be back and will they be able to help Georgia Tech?

3. Duke's defense

Going back to his days as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State, Miami, and Penn State, Manny Diaz brings an agressive style of defense that creates havoc and can force turnovers.

Georgia Tech has major issues along the offensive line and because of that, they have not been able to run the ball and quarterback Alberto Mendoza has been running for his life at times, which has led to turnovers.

Can the Yellow Jackets offense find any weakness in Duke's defense? So far, Duke is second in the ACC in PPG allowed and 2nd in yards allowed, but they are right in the middle when it comes to defending the pass and sacking the quarterback.

It looks like a mismatch on paper and Georgia Tech is going to be looking for answers against a well coached unit.

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