Georgia Tech has an opportunity to get its first win of the season on Saturday vs. Mercer . Today, we look at three key matchups that could go a long way in determining whether the Yellow Jackets pick up their first win of the season.
The Georgia Tech offensive line has been in a state of flux this year and has been more down than up. Yes, the running game was better last week, but they still struggled. You add in the blocking issues and injuries, and you don't know who will be trotting out there on Saturday.
Yes, backups and young players have a great opportunity to show the coaching staff what they can do, but the team as a whole must be better. For the Yellow Jackets to get to where they want to go, the offense must take a step forward, and it starts this week against Mercer. Kehinde Akintunde and Kobe McInnis lead Mercer's defensive line. Akintunde has been a force with 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks this season. McInnis has 10 tackles this year. Together this tandem can be dominant. The Yellow Jackets offensive line has to make sure they don't let them wreck the game and be major players in the backfield.
Mercer has a really good running back tandem led by Zahmari Palode-Gary and Devon Caldwell. Caldwell is a true freshman who has rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown this season. He is averaging 9.3 yards per carry. The Bears also have Palode-Gary, who leads the team with 231 yards on the ground. He is electric in the open field when he touches the ball. Georgia Tech has struggled to stop the run this season and has given up a lot of explosive runs.
The Yellow Jackets rank as the No. 134 run defense in college football and just gave up nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns vs. Tennessee. They'll need to fix that if they want to come out with a win. One thing you can expect is the Bears running the football quite a bit and trying to exploit some of the Yellow Jackets' defensive weaknesses. This matchup could go a long way in determining the outcome of the game.
Jaylen King is a good quarterback, especially when running the ball. However, he has struggled to throw the ball, completing only 58.8% of his passes and throwing four interceptions this season. He also has been sacked six times this season. It could be a great opportunity for the Yellow Jackets to get to what they want to do, which is create turnovers. It has been few and far between to begin the season, and with King's susceptibility through the air and the aggressive style Georgia Tech plays, it could be a great opportunity. The Yellow Jackets also rank No.20 in pass defense this season and are one of the better units in that category thus far. They have upgraded their pass defense and haven't been exploited by opposing passers too much despite playing Tennessee and Colorado. Now they will get another chance to shut down a passing attack and force turnovers.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/georgiatech as Three Key Matchups That Will Determine Saturday's Game vs Mercer .
