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Georgia Tech Football: Position Grades from Win Over Duke

By Shelby Williams

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 21: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets mascot "Buzz" reacts following the victory over the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 21, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 21: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets mascot "Buzz" reacts following the victory over the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 21, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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Recapping the defensive and offensive performance for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets against Duke. 

It feels good to see a win! After a longer than expected gap in play, Georgia Tech showed up to this game looking hungry and competitive. Our offense really did put on a show, but our defense helped contribute to the win. Our defense caused eight turn overs and really focused at the end of the game.

Offensive grades for Georgia Tech

The offense clearly turned things on against the Blue Devils on Saturday. They put up 56 points in the contest in the 404.

QUARTERBACK A

Jeff Sims played arguably the best game of his career against the Blue Devils. He threw for three touchdown passes and ran for 108 yards with just one turnover in the game. Sims continues to grow as the season has progressed and is really starting to show some really nice things that should have Tech fans excited.

RUNNING BACKS: A+

Jordan Mason rushed for 105 yards on 21 carries. With zero touchdowns I was looking for more from him. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 91 yards on six carries. Gibbs brought the wrath of Tech early on and got injured before the second half. The Yellow Jackets really need him moving forward. They can only hope he has a quick return. Dontae Smith rushed for 60 yards on five carries, which also helped contribute to the great win.

WIDE RECEIVER/ TIGHT END: B+
Although the rushing mostly stole the show, Gibbs secured  48 receiving yards. Jalen Camp had 30 receiving yards. Malachi Carter showed 26 receiving yards. And don’t forget Adonicas Sanders had a 24-yard-touchdown at the end of the third quarter. All together, the wide receivers were able to get good separation at times on Saturday night and made a few tough catches along the way.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B+
When Jeff Sims is In the shotgun, he has all day to throw. The offensive line did a good job at protecting him, especially on his blind side. This is particularly important especially for a young quarterback. Jacket fans would hate to see him take huge hits this early in his career. Of course, there is always room for improvement. But considering their struggles prior to their three bye weeks, it was a good performance for the Jackets offensive line.

OVERALL OFFENSE: A
The Jacket offense certainly came to play and they put Duke in their place, at the bottom of the ACC. That being said, this win was to be expected against a team like Duke. This offense looked impressive- not just average like it has so many times before. Now- on to bigger and better games

Defensive Line A-
Jordan Domineck had a huge play when he strip-sacked Duke quarterback Chase Brice in the end zone, resulting in his first career touchdown. Domineck ended up finishing the game with two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, the best game of his young career. Freshman Akelo Stone made an impact picking up his first career sack as well. As a group, the defensive line played a major part in the Jackets success against the run as well as racking up four sacks and eight tackles for a loss.

Linebacker: B
Quez Jackson had an impressive six tackles and two assists on Saturday. Linebacker David Curry had seven tackles and five assists against the Blue Devils. Overall, the unit played pretty well all things considered, and was a big part in keeping the Blue Devils to just 68 yards rushing on 40 carries. That’s a huge testament to not just the play of the linebackers but the entire front seven.

Secondary: C

When Duke did have success offensively, a lot of it came through the air with Chase Brice passing for 273 yards and the Blue Devils passing for 314 yards as a team. It certainly was a bit of a struggle for the Jackets secondary which has given a ton up a ton of yards this season through the air this season, at 274 yards per game. Tre Swilling and Tariq Carpenter both had five tackles in the game while Carpenter had the Jackets lone interception of the evening as well.

Punting: B

Pressley Harvin was absent in the Jackets win and Austin Kent took over for the punting and had 124 yards and averaged 41.3 yards. It was an admirable performance by Kent in his first career start at the position. We’ll have to wait until Saturday to see if Harvin is healthy enough to play against North Carolina State.

Defensive Overall: B

Allowing 33 points against a team like Duke isn’t really acceptable. That being said, a lot of potential scoring opportunities were shut down by Techs defense. The defense will look to improve upon their weaknesses this week before taking on a quality North Carolina State offense on Saturday afternoon.