Georgia Tech Football: Things I Think I Know – Mercer

Well, that wasn't very fun. I know some people had faith in the upset, but Tennessee was just the better team. This week, we look ahead to Mercer , as they make the hour drive up from Macon to play the Jackets. Here is what I think I know as we look to win our first game in quite some time.

Mercer will not be as good as last season, but they still cannot be overlooked

Mercer was one of the premier programs in the FCS last season, finishing with a 9-3 record and a SoCon championship. They came into 2026 with high expectations, but a very different look. Head coach Mike Jacobs left the program to become the head coach at Toledo, and the Bears hired former Mercer defensive coordinator and West Georgia head coach Joel Taylor. Mercer also lost 2025 star quarterback Braden Atkinson , who left for Oregon State after throwing for 3,611 yards, winning the Jerry Rice Award as the top FCS freshman of the year, and winning the SoCon freshman of the year. Their best defensive lineman, Andrew Zock , also left with Coach Jacobs for Toledo. Needless to say, they had a lot to replace, but have started the year 2-1. This is a big thanks to quarterback Jaylen King and SoCon Preseason Offensive Player of the Year wide receiver Brayden Smith. He already has 284 yards this season, with over 130 yards in each of the first two games. He took a backseat in last week's loss against Furman, only racking up 21 yards, but he is still dangerous nonetheless.

Smith and this high-powered offense will be a test for the defense, as Mercer is not a team to be taken lightly. With how much the Jackets have struggled, we cannot be caught sleeping just because this is an FCS team. They have totaled 1,314 offensive yards this season, averaging 438 yards per game, including 219 rushing yards per game. Our run defense is currently sitting at 134th in the country, allowing 241 yards per game. This is exactly where we sat at last season, which is an unacceptable number for where we need to be to compete at a high level. I want us to keep improving and lock down this Mercer run game to instill confidence in our team.

Defensively, Mercer has been decent, but is still giving up 340 yards per game. I am praying that this is a much-needed week for the Jackets' offense, where they can return to fundamentals and focus on execution to help the team become more comfortable and confident. The offensive line also got pretty banged up last week, so this will be a good week for them to rest and give the younger guys more experience.

The offensive line is still a problem, and so is the offense as a whole.

While the offensive line certainly had its positive moments against Tennessee, there is still a lot of work to be done to restore the "physical and tough" identity that Brent Key once instilled in this group. Some of the struggles in this game were possibly due to injuries, as Ethan Mackenny, Jameson Riggs, and right tackle Malachi Carney all went down at some point on Saturday night. Those injuries affected the line, but they do not fully excuse the inconsistencies we saw up front.

The contrast from last season is especially glaring. The Jackets allowed Haynes King to be sacked just nine times all of last season, while Mendoza has already been sacked seven times through two games. The run game also tells a similar story. Through the first two games of last season, Georgia Tech had already racked up 543 rushing yards. This year, the Jackets only have 186. Yikes.

I will say, there were certainly flashes of progress against Tennessee, and it is impossible to overlook the fact that three offensive linemen had to leave the game. This group has a long way to go, but I do not think there is reason to panic just yet. Tech has had to replace a significant amount of production along the line, and we will see just how much they can improve throughout the season.

There were some bright spots on the offense, but going from the nation's top offense at one point last season to scoring our first offensive touchdown in the third quarter of Week Two is incredibly frustrating and embarrassing. Justice Haynes showed improvement against Tennessee, rushing for 81 yards while adding 36 yards receiving and two touchdowns. His heart, passion, and talent are evident, but the offensive line and play calling are not putting him in the position to succeed like we know he can.

One of the brightest spots against Tennessee was tight end Kevin Roche. He earned a PFN grade of 89.3 and turned in an impressive performance, hauling in six catches for 66 yards. His combination of size and athleticism gives this offense another weapon, and I hope that Key and Godsey keep him heavily involved.

I know there is a lot of criticism, and rightfully so. It is difficult not to feel frustrated watching this team struggle after seeing how high we climbed just a year ago. Still, there is plenty of football left to play. I hope Key and his staff can use this week to get back to the fundamentals, build confidence, and find the identity that made this team so successful last season.

The run defense played aggressively in the first half, but quickly dwindled in the second.

Injuries plagued the defense and definitely turned the tide of the game after Jaylen Mbakwe and Jordan Walker collided and suffered some pretty serious-looking injuries. Mbakwe was taken to Grady Hospital, but was thankfully released the following day with no major injuries reported. This is such a great reminder that life is bigger than football, and it is wonderful news to hear that he is doing ok.

Even though the final score does not reflect the effort on the field, I was overall happy (ish) with the defensive performance outside of the first drive and garbage time. The d-line showed flashes with some big stops and sacks in the first half, and then things started to dwindle later on in the game. I liked what I saw from the secondary as well, and I think they have great potential. It seems to be the same story for the Jackets, as we have a decent secondary but little ability to stop the run or get pressure on the QB. Safety Tae Harris once again was such a light for this team, as he earned a PFN grade of 95.0, which was the highest among all safeties in the country. Lineman Tawfiq Thomas had a good game for the Jackets, and I thought he was much improved from the Colorado game. Similar to the offense, I hope that the defense can heal and get some younger guys in the rotation against Mercer.

Special teams and penalties were much better.

After the special teams and penalties disaster against Colorado, things did look much better this past week. We had a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the first quarter, all field goals were made, and operations overall seemed to run much more smoothly. We also went from nine penalties against Colorado to five against Tennessee, with a few of them questionable, in my opinion. This is a turn in the right direction.

After starting 0-2 for the first time since 1989 and going 1-6 in our last seven games, I am thankful that we get some easier competition this week to hopefully get things back on track. The reputation this team has built under Coach Key has now been shaken, and it could take a while for us to be taken seriously if we turn things around. Keep supporting and showing up for this team, and remember that it has only been two games, and we had a lot to replace and a lot of youth. Let's get things back on track this week and build confidence to carry into conference play.