Five Key Takeaways From Georgia Tech's 45-24 Win Over Temple On Saturday

The Yellow Jackets were rolling early on both sides of the ball. Much like they have been doing all season, the defense set the tone early in the game with a three-and-out and made the offense punt early in the game. The offense put together a five-play 71-yard drive marked by a ton of big plays in one sequence. It started off with a catch and run on a flat route from Jamal Haynes, who took it 34 yards on the very first play of the game on offense. Haynes would have another run of 14 yards to put the Yellow Jackets in opponents' territory. The drive would be capped off by Haynes King as he found the opening for a 17-yard touchdown run. That would be only the start of what the Yellow Jackets' offense would unleash on the Temple defense in the first quarter. Georgia Tech scored on all three of its possessions. The second touchdown for Georgia Tech came on a screen pass to Malik Rutherford, who made multiple defenders miss in the open field for the 24-yard touchdown reception. One was a 37-yard touchdown pass from Haynes King to Isiah Canion to give the Yellow Jackets a 21-0 lead. The Georgia Tech offense put up nearly 200 yards of offense in the first quarter and couldn’t be stopped. It was marked by a number of big plays from their playmakers.

2. Georgia Tech secondary with a strong effort- The Yellow Jackets stayed around the football in the first half and continued to make plays on the ball. There were multiple plays where Georgia Tech almost ended up with an interception. Their defensive backs are aggressive and continuously make plays on the ball. That aggressive style resulted in four pass breaks up in the first half. They also held Evan Simon to 9-23 passing for just 70 yards in the first half, and a 64.7 passing rating. The Yellow Jackets held Simon to 13-32 passing for 137 yards and a touchdown. The longest play through the air was under 30 yards on the afternoon for the Yellow Jackets, who did a good job of limiting opportunities in the passing game.

3. The big plays are back-

In the first half, Georgia Tech averaged 14.1 yards per completion and continuously hit their playmakers in space. There were several big plays that helped the offense score 21 points in the first quarter. The offense hit a little bit of a lull in the second quarter and had an early turnover in the third quarter. On the ensuing drive, the Yellow Jackets would answer back thanks to a 34-yard touchdown run from Malachi Hosley. Haynes had several plays of over 30+ yards in the game. He had one from a flat route and took it 34 yards for a big gain. Haynes would answer with a big run in the third quarter as the Yellow Jackets tried to take full control of the game en route to a touchdown. They even got a 47-yard rushing touchdown from Daylon Gordon, who rushed through the middle of the defense for the long run. The Yellow Jackets are a tough team to stop when they are hitting big plays consistently down the field, whether in the passing game or the running game.

4. The Yellow Jackets are most complete when they are running the football-

The passing game was back in effect for the Yellow Jackets on Saturday with big plays, but when the offense sputtered and needed a play, the running game came in full effect. To put it simply, the identity of this team is a physical one that wears you down. Sure, they can throw the ball and hit big plays down the field, but the running game takes this team to another level. At times, the team can focus on the pass and get away from the run. I think that Haynes and Malachi Hosley have both proven they should touch the ball more in this offense. They are both big plays waiting to happen and have game-changing ability. Hosley finished with five carries for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Hosley averaged 11.8 yards per carry. Haynes crossed the 100-yard mark for the second time this season and finished with 107 rushing yards on 12 carries, averaging 8.9 yards per carry. Georgia Tech is simply a better team when they are running the ball at a high level. On Saturday, they rushed for 246 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, and nobody had over 15 carries on the night. A pretty impressive stat, and it shows they are a problem when they run the ball at a high level.

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5. Kyle Efford and Daiquan White With Strong Defensive Performances-

Efford made several big plays on the defensive side of the ball, especially on 3rd downs that ended drives. One was a big hit that jarred the ball loose and effectively ended the drive. Another came late in the first half when he timed the out route to the tight end perfectly, deflecting the ball as soon as it hit the tight end's hands for the incompletion. It was his best game of the season, and he showed up in a big way for the Yellow Jackets. Efford finished with six tackles (three solo) and a pass breakup. White has been a consistent player we’ve been mentioning with his play on the field, who has played at a high level in limited snaps. He once again had a big-time performance for the Yellow Jackets, finishing with four tackles (three solo) and a tackle for loss. In coverage, he doesn’t give up big plays and is always in phase with the wide receiver, leaning on his technique and skill set to make wide receivers' lives miserable. Every week, he continues to make the claim that he should be on the field more for the Yellow Jackets. Both Efford and White were big in helping Georgia Tech's strong defensive performance on Saturday.