BC vs Georgia Tech: Yellow Jackets Team Preview

Boston College (3-3, 1-2) travels to Georgia Tech (2-4, 1-2) this Saturday with newfound confidence after its first ACC win. Brent Key’s team meanwhile is coming off a 34-24 loss at Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech has had a rocky season dropping three of their first four games to Colorado, Tennessee, and Stanford. In the past two weeks, they picked up a win in a close bout against Duke and actually outgained Virginia Tech, but couldn’t overcome two first-half turnovers that put them down 24-3 at halftime. The team has struggled with consistency on both sides of the ball, but still talented enough and have not finished under .500 in any of Key’s other three seasons in charge.

Offense

Alberto Mendoza (yes, the little brother) has led a relatively effective passing offense ranked 44th at 255 yards per game. He’s been one of the most accurate passers in the country, completing 71% of his passes for 1,528 yards and nine touchdowns to only four interceptions. The junior has started every game and is coming off his best statistical performance.

His top target is sophomore Jordan Allen, who has 38 catches for 432 yards and a score. He’s posted back to back games with 10 catches and a combined 219 yards. Fellow sophomore Dalen Penson is close behind with 240 yards and a touchdown. Neither is particularly large, but they will not be easy to contain.

The backfield’s health is a major storyline for the Yellow Jackets. Leading rusher Justice Haynes has 462 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, with two more on the receiving front. However, both he and Malachi Hosley missed the Virginia Tech game because of injuries. Trelain Maddox has been the number two and is more of a dual threat, with 358 yards from scrimmage plus six touchdowns. Haynes is regarded as one of the best backs in the conference so getting him back would be a huge add to Tech’s offense. Now, the running game hasn’t been all that effective in the bottom third in volume and attempts, but that might have more to do with the team falling behind. They’re more average when you look at things from a per-rush basis. With two offensive lineman named to preseason All-ACC teams and as is more likely with what Key wants to do, they’re going to look to establish the run early especially if Haynes is back.

Converting on redzone trips has been an issue for Georgia Tech (but not as much as BC). They had a missed field goal and a fumble last week, but overall their trips are too often ending with field goals

Defense

This side of the ball has been even uglier. Ranked 110th allowing almost 400 yards of offense, opponents are doing whatever they want against Georgia Tech. They’re struggling to get off the field on third down and even allowing most fourth-down attempts. In the takeaways department, they only have one interception and two fumble recoveries.

Up front, they have seen improvement in the pass rush. After just six sacks through the first five games, Georgia Tech had five last weekend from five different players. Defensive end Noah Carter leads the team with three sacks in just four games, and linemen Tawfiq Dhomas and Taje McCoy each have a pair of sacks as well. Those two have each forced a fumble, have 12.5 tackles for loss combined, and have a batted down pass. The defensive line gets involved, but the question will be if last week was a turning point or a one-off given the game situation. They still allowed over 300 yards off offense in the first half before locking down in the second.

Unlike the offense, the team’s redzone defense has been solid, ranked 44th nationally. BC has of course struggled on this end. Ultimately, this defenses struggles to get off the field have been its downfall. Whether its producing turnovers or getting stops on third down, BC should have more opportunity to keep sustained drives.