Georgia Tech’s collapse at Stanford sends Jackets to third loss in four games
STANFORD, Calif. — Georgia Tech has two weeks to stew on its latest loss.
The Yellow Jackets squandered a double-digit halftime lead and lost 34-27 Saturday at Stanford, which was predicted to finish last in the ACC in the preseason.
It was the third loss in four games to start the season for the Jackets, with expectations following last year’s flirtation with the College Football Playoff demolished before the end of September.
“We have a bye week this week and a lot of things that have to take place,” Tech coach Brent Key said. “A lot of things that we have to adjust and change and fix. But it’s got to be a wholesale with everything, with everyone. We’ve got to get better, get it together.”
It started for Tech well enough.
Quarterback Alberto Mendoza completed 12 of his first 15 passes, Trelain Maddox notched his first career two-touchdown performance and Aidan Birr made two field goals to set the school record with 63 for his career.
The Jackets led 20-10 at halftime despite a 10:30 p.m. EDT kickoff following a 2,500-mile trip.
Then it fell apart.
Cardinal quarterback Davis Warren finished with 396 yards passing — the most Tech has allowed in Key’s tenure — and three touchdowns.
That was a dramatic departure from Tech’s defensive woes to start the season. Entering Saturday as one of the worst run defenses in the country, the Yellow Jackets instead watched Warren average 18 yards per completion as Stanford nearly abandoned a rushing attack that couldn’t muster more than 3 yards per carry.
The Jackets were without more than a half-dozen starters because of injury, including their leading tackler, safety Savion Riley, and senior captain linebacker Kyle Efford.
Starting cornerback Daiquan White left Saturday’s game in the second quarter with an injury. That left Tech (1-3, 0-1 ACC) without its top four cornerbacks on the depth chart entering the season.
Still, the performance was jarring considering Stanford (2-2, 1-2) lost its first two conference games to Miami and Duke by a combined score of 80-13.
Stanford scored 24 straight points after halftime, taking a two-touchdown lead early in the fourth quarter.
Mendoza answered with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Jaiven Plummer. The comeback fell short, though, as Mendoza threw an interception on Tech’s next drive and its last chance ended with a turnover on downs. Mendoza was flagged for intentional grounding that pushed Tech to a fourth-and-45 on its final offensive play of the game.
It was one of a season-high 12 penalties called on the Jackets.
“Played some spurts of decent football, spurts of bad football,” Key said. “Bad football will get you every time.”
Mendoza finished his first collegiate road start 26-of-39 for 268 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Tech’s Justice Haynes had 107 yards rushing on 18 carries. Maddox had 88 total yards, catching one touchdown and running for another score.
The Jackets now have a week off before hosting Duke on Oct. 10.
“The bye week is going to be huge,” Mendoza said. “There’s some key guys coming back from injury that we have out that will definitely help us out a lot. We have a lot of holes on our team right now with injuries. Getting those guys back will help.”