Yellow Jacked Up
Fansided

Grading the Defense: Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse

By Shelby Williams

Sep 26, 2020; Syracuse, New York, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Geoff Collins reacts against the Syracuse Orange during the fourth quarter at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2020; Syracuse, New York, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Geoff Collins reacts against the Syracuse Orange during the fourth quarter at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Recapping the defensive performance and giving defensive grades for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Game three for Tech was an embarrassment. The loss against UCF could be described as understandable. Clearly, the better team won. But going up against a rotating ACC opponent, I expected more. After five turnovers and 15 penalties, Coach Geoff Collins has some serious work to do. There’s a chance Tech could lose its next two games and going 0-4 after their first game against FSU would be catastrophic. Here are some defensive grades.

Defensive Line: C-

The defensive line saw an average performance. Djimon Brooks had six tackles and four assists. Mike Lockhart had 7 total tackles total and JaQuon Griffin showed six. I’d like to see them get a little quicker and more agile. Their Defensive grade is a C-.

Linebacker: B
Linebacker Quez Jackson had five solo tackles and one assist. That gives him a total of 16 tackles on the season, and I’d say he’s off to a good start.  David Curry had seven tackles that helped slow down Syracuse offense, but it just wasn’t enough. He is in second place for leading the team in tackles, only behind Jackson. All and all, these guys did alright for this game. It was just a team effort that was lacking. But a few main tackles were missed and that forced them to suffer.

Secondary: B

Safety Juanyeh Thomas was a stand out this game. He made ten tackles, seven solo, and three assists.Cornerback Zamari Walton got his first career interception and it ended up being Tech’s first touchdown of the game. This offered some hope, but not for long. After halftime, the defense really seemed to slow down and make major mistakes.

Punting: B+

Pressley Harvin punted 343 yards throughout the game and averaged 49.3 yards per punt. A 64-yard punt was his second-best in his career.

Overall: C- 

Overall, the performance was pretty below average. But because a few records were set, I kept the overall defensive grade a little higher.I don’t want to see 17 unanswered points come up again in future games.