Georgia Tech
has had a lot of issues this season, but until recently, quarterback had not been among the top ones for the team. However, things might be trending in the wrong direction at the most important position on the field for the Yellow Jackets.
Since setting a career high in passing yards against Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza has not played well in recent losses to Boston College and Pittsburgh, with the performance against the Panthers being the most concerning. Against the Eagles, Mendoza was 17-for-24 for 186 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions. Against Pittsburgh, Mendoza was 16-for-25 for only 81 yards. His biggest problem against Pittsburgh was his ability to hold onto the ball, as he fumbled four times and Georgia Tech lost two of them.
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Four total turnovers in the last two games is not good. PFF (Pro Football Focus) gave Mendoza a 68.5 overall grade (not awful) for his performance against the Eagles, but he received a disastrous a 33.7 overall grade for last week's game.
That has led to some speculation as to whether backup quarterback Grady Adamson would take over for Mendoza, and Brent Key said as much
yesterday:
"Grady's come in the last two weeks and given us a jolt of energy. It's always a lot easier coming off the bench as the guy, but uh we'll sit down on Thursday and make a decision uh Thursday evening as a staff on who goes out and gives us the best opportunity to win this football game. That's at all positions," said Key.
Adamson was inserted in both losses to Boston College and Pittsburgh and played solidly. He led Georgia Tech to their only points of the game against the Panthers, but he only finished with a 49.7 overall grade at PFF, including a 40.7 passing grade. he provided a bit of a spark, especially with the use of his legs, but he did not dominate either.
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So what did the depth chart that was released yesterday reveal?
Offense
| Position
|
Starter
|
Backups
|
| QB
|
Alberto Mendoza
|
Grady Adamson
|
| RB
|
Justice Haynes
|
Shane Marshall
|
| RB
|
Malachi Hosley
|
J.P. Powell
|
| RB
|
Trelain Maddox
|
Chad Alexander
|
| WR
|
Jordan Allen
|
Coi Jean-Noel
|
| WR
|
Isaiah Fuhrmann
|
Debron Gatling
|
| WR
|
Dalen Penson
|
Rahkeem Smith
|
| TE
|
Chris Corbo or Spencer Mermans
|
|
| TE
|
Gavin Harris or Kevin Roche Jr
|
|
| LT
|
Josh Petty
|
Jordan Floyd
|
| LG
|
Kevin Peay Jr
|
Courtney Heard
|
| C
|
Jameson Riggs
|
Will Reed
|
| RG
|
Joseph Ionata
|
Courtlin Heard
|
| RT
|
Malachi Carney
|
Jordan Floyd
|
There were no changes to the depth chart that was released yesterday, but as I say every week, take the depth chart with a grain of salt. It is not an official depth chart for the game and just because Mendoza is listed as the starter, does not mean that Adamson won't be the quarterback on Saturday.
The other thing to note on offense is that left tackle Josh Petty will be on a pitch count after coming back from injury:
"He's on a pitch count and will be for, you know, probably the remainder of the season. Um, and you know we're up in the first half, and no, he's, you know, the speed of the game picked up, right? I mean, the speed of the game picked up; the varying looks on the defensive side picked up. He learned a lot from that game, and he'll be better the next game for it now, and that was his first career start, and I think I said that last week. I know I told him this, like, you know, make a lot of big deal about him coming back, but he's a very inexperienced guy right now. He's an extremely talented guy that's still very inexperienced, and there are a lot of things in that first half where he won't do him again. But no, him not playing the second half had nothing to do with performance or anything. IIt had to do with just the pitch count, rep count that he was on," said Key.
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Defense
| Position
|
Starter
|
Backup
|
| DE
|
Noah Carter or Taje McCoy or Amontrae Bradford or Brayden Manley
|
|
| DT
|
Tawfiq Thomas or Christian Garrett
|
Amier Clarke
|
| DT
|
Vincent Carroll-Jackson or Shymeik Jones
|
Christian Speakman
|
| DE
|
Jordan Walker or Jordan Boyd or A.J. Hoffler or Amontrae Bradford
|
|
| LB
|
E.J. Lightsey
|
Melvin Jordan IV
|
| LB
|
Cayman Spaulding
|
Braylon Outlaw or CJ Gamble
|
| Nickle
|
Kelvin HIll
|
Jonas Duclona
|
| Safety
|
Savion Riley
|
Kealan Jones or Fenix Felton
|
| Safety
|
Tae Harris
|
Chris Hewitt Jr or Fenix Felton
|
| Cornerback
|
Daiquan White
|
Zachary Tobe
|
| Cornerback
|
Jaylen Mbakwe
|
Trae Stevenson Jr
|
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/georgiatech as Did Georgia Tech's Depth Chart Release Provide Any Hints At Who Starts at QB?
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