Jackets Drop Late Night Battle at StanfordJackets Drop Late Night Battle at Stanford
Nathan Bolster

Trelain Maddox had his first-career multi-touchdown game with TD run and reception on Saturday night at Stanford

Football

Jackets Drop Late Night Battle at Stanford

Injury-depleted Yellow Jackets can't hold on to 10-point halftime lead in 34-27 defeat

Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. – Georgia Tech jumped out to a 20-10 halftime lead but the injury-riddled Yellow Jackets could not hold on in a 34-27 loss to Stanford on Saturday night at Stanford Stadium.

Georgia Tech, which entered the night down eight starters and 18 players overall due to injuries and lost more key players during the course of the game, were outscored 24-0 over the first 18:08 of the second half to fall behind, 34-20.

The Yellow Jackets rallied to cut the deficit in half on Jaiven Plummer’s 23-yard touchdown pass with 9:11 to play and forced three-and-outs on each of Stanford’s next two possessions. The Jackets drove into Stanford territory following each of the three-and-outs, but an interception and a penalty thwarted both series, allowing the Cardinal to hold on for the win.

Alberto Mendoza completed 26-of-39 passes for a career high 268 yards and two touchdowns, Justice Haynes ran for 107 yards and Trelain Maddox amassed 88 total yards and two scores to lead Georgia Tech offensively. The Yellow Jackets set season highs for passing (268), rushing (163) and total yardage (431), but playing without three starting linemen, the offense was hamstrung by committing nine of the team’s 12 total penalties, including six holds and two false starts.

On defense, the Yellow Jackets were missing their top two leading tacklers in fifth-year S Savion Riley and fifth-year LB Kyle Efford. Also, Already missing two of the top four cornerbacks on their depth chart due to injuries in Jaylen Mbakwe and Trae Stevenson, Jr.), the Jackets also lost Saturday’s two starters at the position during the course of the game in Daiquan White and Zachary Tobe. It all contributed to Stanford amassing 482 yards of total offense, including 396 through the air.

A bright spot for Georgia Tech was fifth-year place kicker Aidan Birr setting the school’s all-time record when he split the uprights with his 62nd career field goal in the first quarter.

Georgia Tech hopes to get some of its injured players back in the fold when it hosts Duke following a bye week. Game time for the Saturday, ct. 10 matchup versus the Blue Devils will be announced by the ACC on Monday.

Aidan Birr became Georgia Tech's all-time leader with 62 career field goals on his 33-yarder in the first quarterAidan Birr became Georgia Tech's all-time leader with 62 career field goals on his 33-yarder in the first quarter

Postgame Notes

Team Notes

  • Georgia Tech fell to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
  • Georgia Tech is 1-3 overall for the first time since 2022.
  • Georgia Tech dropped its ACC opener for the first time since 2023.
  • Georgia Tech fell to 2-1 all-time against Stanford.
  • Georgia Tech fell to 2-6 all-time in games played in the state of California (including postseason).
  • Georgia Tech played a regular-season game in the state of California for only the fifth time in Tech’s 134-season history and the first time since Oct. 25, 1969 at USC. It was the Yellow Jackets’ first regular-season game in northern California since Dec. 26, 1938 at Cal.
  • Georgia Tech’s 431 yards of offense were a season high (prev.: 405 vs. Mercer – Sept. 19) and its most in a game since it had 628 yards in a 36-34 win at Boston College on Nov. 15 of last season.
  • Georgia Tech’s 163 rushing yards were a season high (prev.: 156 vs. Mercer – Sept. 19).
  • Georgia Tech’s 268 passing yards were a season high (prev.: 249 vs. Mercer – Sept. 19).
  • Jr. RB Trelain Maddox scored a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown, giving Georgia Tech a player with a rushing TD and a receiving TD for the third-straight game (Sr. RB Justice Haynes had both a rushing TD and receiving TD in each of the last two games vs. Tennessee and Mercer). It marks the first time in Georgia Tech history that it has had a player with a rushing TD and a receiving TD in three-consecutive games.
  • Georgia Tech’s 12 penalties were tied for the eighth-most in school history and were the most since it had 12 in last season’s win over Gardner-Webb (Sept. 6, 2025).
  • Georgia Tech’s 106 penalty yards were its most since it had 142 in a win at Wake Forest on Sept. 23, 2023.
  • Georgia Tech entered the game without eight starters and a total of 18 players due to injuries. The 18 injured players included three starting offensive linemen (LT Ethan Mackenny, C Jameson Riggs and RG Joseph Ionata) and its top two leading tacklers (S Savion Riley and LB Kyle Efford).
  • Already missing two of the top four cornerbacks on its depth chart due to injuries (Jaylen Mbakwe and Trae Stevenson, Jr.), Georgia Tech also lost Saturday’s two starters at the position during the course of the game (Daiquan White and Zachary Tobe).

Individual Notes

  • Fifth-year PK Aidan Birr became Georgia Tech’s all-time leader in career field goals when he made the 62nd field goal of his Georgia Tech career on a 33-yarder in the first quarter. Birr broke the Georgia Tech record previously held by Travis Bell (2004-07).
  • Birr went on to kick one more field goal on the evening, giving him 63 for his career.

GEORGIA TECH CAREER FIELD GOALS

63 – Aidan Birr (2023-pres.)

61 – Travis Bell (2004-07)

60 – Scott Sisson (1989-92)

54 – Luke Manget (1999-2002)

43 – Harrison Butker (2013-16)

    • Jr. QB Alberto Mendoza’s 268 passing yards were a career high (prev.: 249 – last Saturday vs. Mercer).
    • Jr. RB Trelain Maddox had the first multi-touchdown game of his career, scoring on a 9-yard reception in the first quarter and a 20-yard run in the second quarter. The TD reception was the first of his career and the TD rush was his first of the season and third of his career.
    • In addition to the career-high two touchdowns, Maddox also set a career high with 88 yards from scrimmage – 40 rushing and 48 receiving (prev.: 53 vs. VMI – Sept. 14, 2024).
    • Sr. RB Justice Haynes had 107 rushing yards, good for his second-straight 100-yard rushing game, ninth of his career and eighth in his last 11 games.
    • Fifth-year WR Jaiven Plummer’s 23-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was his second in as many weeks (he had a 37-yard TD catch last Saturday vs. Mercer). Prior to last Saturday, Plummer had just two total receptions and one touchdown in his collegiate career, which began with four seasons at Cal (2022-25).
Justice Haynes went over the century mark for the second-straight week with 107 rushing yards at StanfordJustice Haynes went over the century mark for the second-straight week with 107 rushing yards at Stanford

Multimedia

Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Video)

Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Audio)

Student-Athletes Postgame Press Conference (Video)

ACC Digital Network Highlights

ACC Digital Network Condensed Game

Around Social Media

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and at www.ramblinwreck.com.