THE FLATS – Justice Haynes accounted for 167 total yards and found the end zone three times, Alberto Mendoza threw for three scores and Georgia Tech’s defense didn’t surrender a touchdown for the first time in 100 games as the Yellow Jackets’ defeated Mercer, 44-11, on Saturday afternoon at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.
Georgia Tech (1-2) scored on 7-of-8 possessions during a dominant stretch that began on its second drive and didn’t conclude until the Yellow Jackets stretched their lead to 44-11 barely three minutes into the fourth quarter.
From there, the only question was whether Tech would keep an opponent out of the end zone for the first time since a 41-0 win over Alcorn State in the 2018 season opener. The answer became a resounding yes when the Jackets’ defense – with as many as eight freshmen on the field in the final period – held Mercer to three-straight three-and-outs to close out the game.
Haynes led the way for the Yellow Jackets offensively. He ran for 141 yards on 22 carries (6.4 avg.), caught two passes for 26 yards (13.0 avg.) and scored three times on 1 and 31-yard runs and a 1-yard catch. The 100-yard rushing performance was the eighth of Haynes’ career and seventh in his last 10 games, while the 167 yards from scrimmage were the second-most of his career.
Mendoza also set a career high with his three touchdown passes, which included the 1-yarder to Haynes, a 37-yarder to Jaiven Plummer with just 32 to go in the first half and a 33-yarder to Debron Gatling on the final minute of the third quarter. In all, Mendoza completed 15-of-21 passes without an interception for a career-best 249 yards.
However, the story of the day for the Yellow Jackets was their defense, which forced two turnovers (a fumble forced by senior defensive end Taje McCoy and recovered by freshman defensive tackle Christian Speakman and an interception by freshman linebacker C.J. Gamble), limited Mercer to just 4-of-13 on third down, perhaps most impressively, held the Bears to just 102 passing yards. The stellar pass defense marked the third time in three games this season that the Tech has held its opponent to less than 150 yards through the air.
Four Jackets – defensive tackle Tawfiq Thomas, safeties Tae Harris and Savion Riley and freshman linebacker Brandon Outlaw – led the team with six tackles apiece. Thomas, McCoy and Noah Carter each had sacks in the winning effort.
Georgia Tech now turns its focus to Atlantic Coast Conference play, beginning with its first-ever trip to Stanford, next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET at Stanford Stadium and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.