Georgia Tech knew it was stepping into a new era at quarterback this season. After three strong years with Haynes King, the Yellow Jackets turned to former Indiana quarterback Alberto Mendoza, a player who arrived with very little to go on after spending last season mostly in garbage time for the Hoosiers.
Four games in, Mendoza’s season is not as simple as the record next to Georgia Tech’s name.
At 1-3, and with the offense waiting until the third quarter of the second game of the season to find the end zone, it would be easy to pin the struggles on the quarterback. But Mendoza has actually been the most encouraging piece of the offense so far, even if that was hard to imagine a month ago.
He has completed 68% of his passes for 975 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. That production has come in a situation that was already built on uncertainty: Georgia Tech entered the year with a playcaller who had never called plays in college, a receiver room featuring only two players with a power four catch, a tight end group without power four experience, and an offensive line expected to replace three starters.
The plan was supposed to be simple enough. Lean on the run game.
Protect Mendoza. Let the defense help.
Bank on the kicking game. None of that has fully clicked, and the part of the offense that has looked the most alive has been the passing game and the quarterback.
That context matters in ESPN analyst Bill Connelly’s latest ranking of all 68 power four quarterbacks, where Mendoza landed at No. 53. Connelly wrote:
"I thought Mendoza might be capable of pretty exciting things based on an admittedly small and garbage time-heavy sample at Indiana, but whatever he's capable of has been mitigated by dreadful offensive line play and a nonexistent running game. He's reasonably efficient, but the threat of sacks and interceptions have limited explosiveness."
Among ACC quarterbacks, Mendoza was ranked ahead of Duke's Walker Eget, North Carolina's Billy Edwards Jr, Clemson's Tait Reynolds, Boston College's Mason McKenzie, and Syracuse's Steve Angeli.
That placement feels fair, though there’s still a case that Mendoza could climb if Georgia Tech gave him more help around him.
The biggest issue is up front. The Yellow Jackets’ offensive line has been one of the worst in the power conferences, and injuries have only made the situation more difficult. Mendoza has already taken nine sacks, which is the second-most allowed in the ACC, with only Clemson giving up more.
Still, he has had some help from his skill talent. Justice Haynes is the ACC’s fifth-leading rusher, while Dalen Penson and Jordan Allen have been steady targets. Kevin Roche Jr has also emerged as a breakout tight end.
Even so, Mendoza is operating in a tough setup for any quarterback, especially one making his first career start. The line has prevented the run game from getting established and kept constant pressure in his face.
The Stanford loss showed both sides of the story. Mendoza was sharp in the first half, but the pressure and lack of a consistent ground game eventually caught up with him. That led to a bad interception, then an intentional grounding penalty that created a fourth-and-45, and the game was effectively over one play later.
The schedule does not offer much relief after the bye week. Duke, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, and Clemson are all on deck, and all of them bring defenses that rank among the ACC’s best.
There have been encouraging signs from Mendoza. The problem is that unless the conditions around him improve, his ceiling may stay limited.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Already Has A Playing Time Debate Fans Will Notice
Georgia Techs early-season snap counts are already telling a story that goes beyond the box score. Through the current season, the Jackets have leaned on clear workload leaders like Kevin Peay on offense and Tae Harris on defense, while the broader picture shows a roster where performance and playing time do not always line up cleanly. The latest review of the rotations points to a team still sorting out who deserves the most trust as the schedule moves along.
Justice Haynes and Noah Carter have been among the more productive players relative to their snaps, which is the kind of efficiency that tends to create quiet pressure on a coaching staff. With Pro Football Focus grades helping frame the discussion and injuries also factoring into the mix, there is at least a case for Georgia Tech to rethink some of its distribution. The question now is whether the staff will keep rewarding experience and current roles, or start giving more run to the players who have made the most of the chances they have had. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Techs 1-3 Start Comes Down To One Frustrating Reality
Georgia Techs 1-3 start looks a little stranger when you dig past the record. The Yellow Jackets have actually done enough on offense to stay competitive on the numbers, averaging slightly more points per game than their opponents and holding a small edge in total offense. Their passing game has been productive enough to outgain what they have allowed through the air, which helps explain why the overall profile is not as lopsided as the standings suggest.
Still, the frustrating parts keep showing up in the places that decide games. Georgia Tech has struggled to move the chains on third and fourth down, has been beaten on the ground, and has not separated itself in the red zone. The bigger issue may be what happens after halftime, where the Yellow Jackets have been outscored in the second half, leaving them with a record that feels more harsh than the underlying totals but no less real. [Read more 🡒]
Buster Faulkner Is Building A Florida Offense Georgia Tech Fans Know
Buster Faulkners Florida offense has started to look a lot like the kind Georgia Tech fans remember from his time in Atlanta: physical, balanced and built to make defenses chase the game. In Floridas 52-28 win over Ole Miss, the Gators leaned hard on the run, with Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark helping carry the load and keep the offense on schedule. Baugh has surged to the top of the SEC in rushing yards and touchdowns, while Clark has given Florida another reliable option in the backfield.
Faulkner said the key has been the units ability to adapt and keep imposing its will no matter the matchup, a trait that showed up against Ole Miss and will matter again this week against Missouri. For Georgia Tech fans still familiar with the way Faulkner likes to build an offense, it is a reminder of how much he values control at the line of scrimmage and a ground game that can dictate terms. The bigger question now is how long Florida can keep wearing defenses down this way. [Read more 🡒]