Georgia Tech Mauls The Bears....kind of
Georgia Tech's first two games in 2026 ended in losses, causing questions aplenty from among the fan base. Namely, how could a Brent Key- coached team look so sluggish and sloppy, while falling short on the scoreboard?.
Saturday against Mercer, the Jackets did snag a win. But different versions of the same questions linger. How could team win 44-11 and still show multiple moments of sluggish play, and yes, sloppy play?
That's not to discount the cleansing power of a win. Even against a clearly lesser opponent, victory feels good. As Brent Key said to open his post- game press conference," It's good to come in here with a smile".
Tech RB Justice Haynes had a big day, scoring three times and rushing for 141 yards. QB Alberto Mendoza had another clean game, completing of 21 for 249 yards and three scores.
Tech's defense did not yield a touchdown to Mercer– that's an achievement that the Jackets haven't pulled off in a long time.
For another big plus, consider that the comfortable margin of victory afforded Key and his staff the chance to reward numerous young players with precious playing time.
Key again-" At one point in tbe fourth quarter we had six or seven freshmen on the field".
Playing the younger guys helps build comaraderie and team spirit for the weeks yet to come. Even Mendoza sat as the game wound down, giving back up QB Grady Adamson two possessions at the controls.
"There's a lot that goes into that," said Key post-game, speaking on when to sub out his starters. Of course, some substitutions were forced by circumstances, as Tech had six starters held out of the game, including LB Kyle Efford. In that sense, this win was a true team effort.
That being said, that effort was still not 60 minutes of Georgia Tech football to the standard that Brent Key holds for his team. That's in spite of the 33 point margin of victory.
Some examples:–
--the run defense still struggled, yielding nearly 200 ysrds to a lesser opponent.
-- run blocking was erratic again. Yes, RB Justice Haynes did gain 141 ysrds on 22 carries, and that's real. But if you consider the other three Tech backs'stats ( Hosley, Mattox and Alexander) you get 13 carries for a paltry 26 yards.
--Tech converted just 2 of 11 third down opportunities.
-- six penalties were committed by the Jackets
-- they gave up yet another blocked kick, this time on a PAT, which the Bears returned for two points.
Certainly Tech football isn't where the the fans thought they would be three games into 2026.
And week by week, there's growing concern that this team simply may not be as capable as we were led to believe throughout the summer, leading up to that loss to Colorado. (Colorado lost to Northwestern 41-7 Saturday, by the way, making that opening loss look even worse for Tech).
With a sunny noon start at Bobby Dodd Stadium, with another good crowd and with a 90 degree day bearing down on Hyundai Field, fans expected Tech to push the ball down the field with a relentless ground game that would make Paul Johnson proud.
Instead, Tech went three-and-out on two of its first three possessions, and it wasn't until Mendoza cranked up the short passing game that the Jackets began to move the ball.
Two Mercer turnovers helped the home team pull away. Those two were Tech's first of the year. Is that a good sign? Only time will tell.
Next up is Stanford. The Cardinal is (are?) no juggernaut. They are also three time zones away, and that factor alone will present a challenge for these Yellow Jackets. A 730 pm kickoff in Palo Alto is 1030pm in Atlanta. Tech is looking to grab ANARCHY win before coming home to host Duke on October 10.
Patrick Conarro
RamblinSports.com