Three Storylines To Watch When No. 12 Georgia Tech Faces Duke On Saturday

Key things to watch out for on Saturday in a vital ACC battle this weekend

Oct 11, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fans celebrate with a flag of quarterback Haynes King (10) after a victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

A big game is on the horizon for the Yellow Jackets on the road as they travel to face the Duke Blue Devils, who are undefeated in the ACC and are 3-0 in conference play. The Yellow Jackets are ranked No. 12 in the country after their first 6-0 start since 2011. Georgia Tech had another strong offensive performance against Virginia Tech in their 35-20 victory. Duke is coming off a bye week and has had extra time to prepare for the Yellow Jackets. It will be a battle of two powerful offenses and excellent position players on Saturday. Let’s take a look at some key storylines to watch for on Saturday.

1. Can Georgia Tech slow down Duke’s high-powered offense?

Oct 4, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) throws a pass against the California Golden Bears during the second quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Duke is ranked No. 20 in the country in total offense this season and is averaging 467 yards per game, and has 27 offensive touchdowns. Duke is averaging 42.6 points per game in their last three contests, and defenses haven’t had an answer for slowing them down. The engine behind this high-octane offense is Darian Mensah, who is having an All-ACC caliber season. He’s thrown for 1,838 yards and 15 touchdowns and has a quarterback rating of 167.3. When you watch him play, a thing that stands out is that he spreads the ball around. Duke has four different receivers with 15 or more catches this season. Three wide receivers have three or more touchdowns for the Blue Devils. Mensah is also excellent at going through his progressions and not being fixated on his first target. Mensah has been a great addition to the program and is a key component of the Blue Devils' success in 2025. Georgia Tech will have its work cut out trying to slow down one of the best offenses they have faced this season.

2. Which rushing attack will have the better game?

Oct 11, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Malachi Hosley (0) runs the ball against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the third quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech comes in as one of the best rushing attacks in the country and currently sits tied-12th, averaging 238 yards per game. In a win against Virginia Tech, the Yellow Jackets rushed for 268 yards on the ground. The emergence of Malachi Hosley, along with veteran running back Jamal Haynes, has been a welcome sight for Georgia Tech. Hosley finished with 129 rushing yards and a touchdown last week. When Georgia Tech is running the ball at a high level, they are tough to stop.

Duke isn’t ranked as high as Georgia Tech in running the ball and sits at No. 73, averaging 157 rushing yards per game. However, Georgia Tech has struggled to stop the run this season and sits at the bottom of the NCAA in rushing yards allowed per game. Can Darian Mensah and true freshman running back Nate Sheppard churn out a big day on the ground against a struggling run defense for the Yellow Jackets? It will be something to watch on Saturday to see which unit will perform better.

3. Will Georgia Tech be able to get out to a fast start on the road?

Oct 11, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

If we are being honest, the Yellow Jackets' offense has struggled this season in getting off to good starts on the road. In their season opener against Colorado, Georgia Tech turned over the ball in three consecutive possessions to open the game. Against Wake Forest, Georgia Tech had just three points at the half and under 100 total yards in the game up until that point. Georgia Tech did show some signs at home against Virginia Tech that they can start off fast and get going early to take full control of a game, but they need to do it more often. Duke has an offense that will make you pay and is tough to slow down when it gets going. They can put up points in bunches, and before you know it, you will be staring at a huge deficit that may be tough to climb out of. It will be imperative that Georgia Tech gets out to a fast start.