Georgia Tech is facing a must win on Saturday on the road at Stanford .
Yes, every game is a must win, but if the Yellow Jackets can't go on the road and beat the Cardinal, it might be time to panic about their season. Stanford was expected to finish at the bottom of the conference this season and has been blown out by a combined 80-13 margin in their two conference games against Miami and Duke to start the year. On the other hand, Georgia Tech was picked to finish 5th in the ACC in the preseason media poll, but they have looked nothing like one of the five best teams in the conference this season.
When it comes to this game on Saturday, which five players are most important for a Georgia Tech victory?
This is not a singular player, but I think how Georgia Tech's offensive line is the most important player/position for the Yellow Jackets.
Of the three opponents Georgia Tech has faced this season, Tennessee is the only team that has what most would consider to be a good defensive line. That has not stopped Colorado and Mercer from being able to stop the run and be disruptive.
Stanford has not had a great start on the defensive side of the ball, but Georgia Tech has not shown the ability to protect Alberto Mendoza or get a real push in the run game. If they perform well in this game, Georgia Tech should be able to win.
Georgia Tech's defensive line has not been able to live up to the hype that their coaching staff was putting on them earlier this offseason, but Colorado transfer Tawfiq Thomas has been a solid player up front for the Yellow Jackets.
In the last game vs Mercer, Thomas finished with a 91.9 overall grade on Pro Football Focus, including a 94.2 mark in run defense. For the season, Thomas has an 86.3 grade and a 91.7 run defense grade.
Now, PFF grades are not the end all, but Thomas has been the lone standout for Georgia Tech up front and he needs to be able to plug the middle against the ACC's worst rushing attack.
Georgia Tech's defensive line is not blameless, but the linebacker group for Georgia Tech has been the biggest problem for them this season.
But Saturday's win over Mercer showed that their might be some solutions when it comes to the depth of this unit. Freshmen CJ Gamble and Braylon Outlaw played well, but going on the road and playing Stanford is different than beating an FCS opponent at home. Watch out for Cayman Spaulding as well.
Spaulding, Outlaw, and Gamble have shown more promise than either Kyle Efford or E.J. Lightsey and it might be time to see them against a conference opponent.
The quarterback is always going to be important no matter the game, but this is going to be the first road start for the Yellow Jackets QB.
Mendoza played well on Saturday against Mercer, though it was far from anything spectacular. However, Mendoza was accurate, did not turn the ball over, and had the Yellow Jackets offense in the right places. Stanford's defense is far better than Mercer's, but they have not been perfect this year against either Hawaii , Miami, or Duke, and in fact, they have the worst passing defense in the ACC.
Mendoza should have opportunities this Saturday night to make plays through the air.
Taje McCoy had a nice game against Mercer and finished with a 90.9 overall grade at PFF in the win over the Bears.
Georgia Tech was not able to rush the passer against either Colorado or Tennessee, but they racked up three sacks against Mercer, including one from McCoy, who had a 94.7 pass rushing grade on Saturday.
McCoy caught the attention of head coach Brent Key, who talked about him on Tuesday as a player he has really seen grow:
"Taje McCoy, what a pleasant surprise he's been for us as far as productive. The way he plays, the buy-in he has to the football team. It's crazy when you go out and win a game, how different it is at practice. He's one of those guys that's contagious, the way he plays, and people see it. They see the positive and the smile he has on his face all the time and how he goes about his business. Guys like that are really starting to rub off and affect others. It's crazy.
You see that separation: the guys doing things right and the ones who are just going through the motions. Well, now there becomes a gap. Now they don't have a choice. They either close the gap or get left behind. But, you know, two TFLs, a sack, the forced fumble. I thought he played really well in the first three games. He's played very solid for the first three football games. He's been one of the bright spots that I can point out on that side," said Key.
Georgia Tech needs to put pressure on Stanford QB Davis Warren and McCoy is a player to watch.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/georgiatech as Five Yellow Jackets Who Could Decide Georgia Tech vs Stanford .
