Georgia Tech’s quarterback picture is getting murkier at the wrong time.
For most of the season, that spot hadn’t been the Yellow Jackets’ biggest headache. Now it’s suddenly a real conversation after Alberto Mendoza’s last two outings, and Brent Key isn’t pretending otherwise. Mendoza followed a career-best passing day against Virginia Tech with back-to-back struggles in losses to Boston College and Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh game in particular raised eyebrows.
Against Boston College, Mendoza went 17-for-24 for 186 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw two interceptions. Then came the Panthers game, where he completed 16 of 25 passes for just 81 yards. The bigger issue there was ball security: Mendoza put the ball on the ground four times, and Georgia Tech lost two of those fumbles.
That kind of turnover rate is hard to ignore. PFF graded Mendoza at 68.5 against Boston College, which is workable, but the Pittsburgh grade cratered to 33.7.
That slump has opened the door for backup Grady Adamson, who has already gotten snaps in both of those losses. Key acknowledged the spark Adamson has brought.
“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 didn’t exactly take over either game, but he did give Georgia Tech something different. He helped produce the Yellow Jackets’ only points against Pittsburgh and brought some life with his legs. Still, the numbers were modest: a 49.7 overall grade from PFF and a 40.7 passing grade.
The depth chart released yesterday didn’t clear anything up. Mendoza was still listed as the starter, but that doesn’t lock anything in for Saturday. As is usually the case, the chart is more of a snapshot than a final answer, and Adamson could still be the quarterback when the Yellow Jackets take the field.
There’s also a note on the offensive line. Left tackle Josh Petty is back from injury, but Key said he’ll be on a pitch count for the rest of the season.
“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.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Faces A Brutal Test That Could Expose A Familiar Problem
Georgia Techs next assignment brings a familiar kind of stress test, the sort that can quickly reveal whether the Yellow Jackets have cleaned up one of their most glaring issues. Louisville arrives with a ground game that can punish missed fits and poor pursuit, and the Cardinals also bring a quarterback who adds another layer of difficulty for a defense already trying to steady itself against the run.
For Georgia Tech, the challenge is less about one matchup and more about whether the front seven can hold up long enough to keep the game from tilting on early downs. Recent struggles have made that a real concern, and this weeks preparation will center on discipline, gap integrity and the kind of tackling that can keep Louisville from turning routine snaps into back-breaking drives. [Read more 🡒]