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Georgia Tech football: Position Grades in Loss to UCF

By Shelby Williams

Georgia Tech Head coach Geoff Collins celebrates with Demetrius Knight II (No. 17) during a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 2, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Georgia Tech Head coach Geoff Collins celebrates with Demetrius Knight II (No. 17) during a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 2, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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Georgia Tech Head coach Geoff Collins celebrates with Demetrius Knight II (No. 17) during a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 2, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Georgia Tech Head coach Geoff Collins celebrates with Demetrius Knight II (No. 17) during a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 2, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

Defensive Grades (By Shelby Williams)

 Defensive Line: C+

This one is hard to rate, considering a few key players weren’t playing this game and they were obviously needed. However there is recognition to be made. But UCF got 660 yards during the game Saturday which means the defense better have some sort of explanation.  Djimon Brooks had two solo tackles and one assist, pretty consistent to his last game. Tech seemed to be staying in the game. But once the second half and mostly the fourth quarter began, they seemed to give up.

Game two showed the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets a lot of what they’re good at. It also showed them what they need to improve on. The defense, for the first half of the game, really gave it their all. They kept the Knights to a manageable lead that offered hopes of a comeback. However a turnover that really could have been avoided really sent Tech in a downward spiral. Missing Curtis Ryans didn’t help the Yellow Jackets cause, either.

Defensive Line: C+

This one is hard to rate, considering a few key players weren’t playing this game and they were obviously needed. However there is recognition to be made. But UCF got 660 yards during the game Saturday which means the defense better have some sort of explanation.  Djimon Brooks had two solo tackles and one assist, pretty consistent to his last game. Tech seemed to be staying in the game. But once the second half and mostly the fourth quarter began, they seemed to give up.

Linebacker: B-
Linebacker Quez Jackson had 4 solo tackles and five assists. After coming off a great interception last game, I was hoping to see more. Against Syracuse weak offense, he may look better. David Curry showed promise with his four solo tackles and 4 assists. He did the job that needed to be done. Demetrius Knight had one forced fumble against the Knights which also looked really good. In addition he racked up three solo tackles and one assist .

Secondary: B-

The recovered fumble by DB Avery Showell was exciting to see. The Atlanta native has 10 tackles on the season, achieving most of them against the Knights. Showell really gave it his all. Myles Sims had three tackles and one assist. I’d like to see more effort put in from this secondary moving on. It would be nice to see them look like one cohesive unit. In passing, UCF completed 27 out of 41 attempts. This shows that the secondary did their job while they could, but it just wasn’t good enough.

Punting: A

Presley Harvin showed 205 yards throughout the game. Harvin is a fan favorite, so I won’t argue against that. Georgia Techs secret weapon may help them when they need it most this season.

Overall: C
When it comes down to it, UCF was just the better team. The Yellow Jackets defense was no match for their offense. But with time, Tech will soon start to form into a great swarm. I hope to see the defense put in more work and become more agile as the season moves on. Syracuse may be a good game to try some new things on, like perfecting that onside kick or maybe even switching up the coverage.