Georgia Tech walked out of its home opener with more than a loss on Thursday night. The Yellow Jackets also left Bobby Dodd Stadium with a few alarms flashing loud enough to matter well before Clemson shows up on Nov. 14.
Colorado’s 14-13 win in Atlanta was the kind of game that exposes everything in a hurry. For Brent Key’s team, the problems were hard to miss: shaky coordinator turnover, a defense that couldn’t hold up against the run, and a kicking situation that suddenly looks far less dependable than it did before the season began.
The first issue is the one that tends to catch up with programs over time. Key has done strong work at Georgia Tech, but he’s had to keep rebuilding the staff around him.
George Godsey stepped in on offense after Buster Faulkner left for Florida, while Jason Semore now runs the defense after Blake Gideon moved to the Texas staff. Key has already had four different defensive coordinators in as many years as head coach, with Semore following Gideon, Tyler Santucci in 2025, and Kevin Sherrer in 2024.
That kind of turnover matters, especially for a coach who is more offense-minded. Godsey may be a Georgia Tech name people know well from his playing days at quarterback in Atlanta, but replacing Faulkner was never going to be simple.
And Thursday made it look even tougher. Georgia Tech’s only touchdown came from special teams, Alberto Mendoza had a solid debut at quarterback, and Justice Haynes managed 64 yards on 19 carries.
Meanwhile, the offense lacked punch and the defense couldn’t get Colorado off the field on third down.
The bigger worry may be what happened on the ground. Colorado ran for 183 yards and a touchdown on 49 carries, and Georgia Tech never really found an answer.
That kind of production is exactly the sort of thing Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris would love to lean on this fall, because it works. If Georgia Tech can’t stop teams from controlling the clock, it’s going to have a hard time keeping itself in front.
That becomes even more important because Mendoza is not Haynes King when it comes to running the ball. If the Yellow Jackets fall behind, they may have to chase games with bigger throws downfield instead of leaning on possession and tempo. Right now, the concern is that Georgia Tech could spend too much time on its heels and not enough time dictating anything.
The defense, in particular, looked vulnerable when Colorado needed yards most. Semore has to be looking at that performance and wondering how things unraveled so completely in one key spot after another.
A program with Georgia Tech’s history up front should not look surprised by a run game, but that’s how Thursday night felt. Against teams that can run it well, like Clemson and Georgia, that kind of softness could be costly.
Then there’s the finish, and it may be the most frustrating part of all. Aidan Birr’s miss in the game’s biggest moment gave Georgia Tech another painful reminder that the kicking game can swing everything. Birr has been reliable before, including an 89.5 percent mark on field goals as a freshman in 2023 and 86.2 percent as a junior in 2025, but he missed two of four kicks Thursday, including the one that could have won it.
His overall track record is still strong, with 79.7 percent of his kicks made over the last four seasons. But this year, he’s at just 50 percent.
That’s the kind of slide that changes how a coach thinks late in games. Birr has delivered in big spots before, and Georgia Tech has seen both versions of him - the dependable one and the shaky one.
If the struggles keep going, Key may have to wonder whether he can trust the leg that once looked like a strength.
Thursday night didn’t just cost Georgia Tech a win. It gave Clemson a preview of the cracks that could be there when the Tigers arrive.
In Other News...
Clemson Suddenly Has A Defensive End Battle Fans Need To Watch
Clemsons defensive end room has gone from a position of concern to one of the most intriguing parts of the roster, and Tom Allen is treating it like a strength. The defensive coordinator pointed to seniors Will Heldt and Jahiem Lawson as the leaders of a group he called the teams deepest, with Heldt coming off a season in which he led the Tigers in tackles for loss and sacks and Lawson showing real production before an injury slowed him down.
What makes the battle worth watching is that the competition does not stop with the two veterans. London Merritt, Darien Mayo, C.J. Wesley, Armon Mason and Caden Story have all taken steps forward and are expected to be part of the rotation this season, giving Clemson a long list of options to sort through. For a defense that wants disruption off the edge, the question is not whether there will be talent there, but which names will separate themselves once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons LSU Opener Just Got A Lot More Complicated
LSUs roster picture for its opener against Clemson became a lot less settled when a Louisiana judge granted a temporary injunction that allows former NFL preseason players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris to remain eligible while their legal case plays out. The ruling puts LSU in position to have to carry both players for the upcoming game, even as the SEC continues to challenge the school over its recruiting of former professional players.
The conference has already taken LSU to court over the issue, and attorneys for the SEC plan to appeal the injunction. For Clemson, it adds another layer of uncertainty to a season opener that was already going to draw plenty of attention, with a possible eligibility fight now hanging over a matchup that had not needed any more complications. [Read more 🡒]
Dabos Clemson Reset Starts With A Staff Shakeup Fans Will Notice
Dabo Swinneys offseason reset arrived with a staff shakeup that Clemson fans will notice long before the 2026 season kicks off. After a 7-6 finish in 2025, the Tigers blended internal promotion with outside experience, elevating Tajh Boyd and Thomas Allen while also adding Freddie Kitchens as a volunteer offensive assistant and naming Dennis Love as director of football strength and conditioning.
The two most eye-catching moves, though, were on the offensive and special teams sides, where Clemson turned to familiar and proven names to help steady the programs next phase. Swinneys latest round of changes suggests a deliberate attempt to reshape the operation from several angles at once, and the real question now is how quickly those additions can translate into a cleaner, more functional team by the time fall arrives. [Read more 🡒]