Duke Football: Georgia Tech Preview

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 26: Jaden Ratliff #4 of the William & Mary Tribe tries to tackle Jayvian Tanelus #22 of the Duke Blue Devils in the second half during their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 26, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Duke (4-0, 1-0) travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech (1-3, 0-1) on Saturday afternoon with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT, with TV coverage provided by ESPN2.

The Blue Devils are riding an eight-game winning streak stretching back to November 2025. Duke is looking to start the season with five straight victories for the second time in three years. The Blue Devils started the 2024 season 5-0 on the way to a 9-5 season, and Duke is favored by a touchdown.

Georgia Tech is looking to avoid an 0-2 start in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The last time the Yellow Jackets started conference play 0-2 was in 2019.

Game time weather could be a factor as Tropical Storm Isaias is scheduled to make landfall on the Gulf Coast Friday evening and push inland all day Saturday. The current weather forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of rain, with winds between 15 and 25 miles per hour.

Common Opponents: Both teams have played Stanford. Duke beat Stanford 35-7 in Wallace Wade Stadium on September 19th while Stanford beat Georgia Tech 34-27 in Palo Alto on September 26th.

Injury Report: Georgia Tech lists 11 players as Out, five players as Questionable and two players as Probable. Eleven of the 18 players listed are from the defense.

Duke has eight players listed as Out, one player Questionable and three players Probable. The only surprising name on the list is linebacker Elliott Schaper who is out.

Offense: It starts with the offensive line and Georgia Tech has injury issues up front. The initial injury report listed above includes starting center Jameson Riggs and starting left tackle Ethan Mackenny. Running back Malachi Hosley is another notable name on the report.

Duke Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Patke on the Yellow Jackets offense: They have great talent. I think their back is a really good player, their quarterback has all the tools, they got a slot receiver who can really go and they have a tight end who is 6-9. He is huge. You can see the NFL mentality in their offense. It's a lot to prepare for."

Quarterback Alberto Mendoza has completed 84 of 123 pass attempts for 975 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. Four Yellow Jackets have double-digit receptions: wide receivers Dalen Penson and Jordan Allen, tight end Kevin Roche, and running back Justice Haynes.

Justice Haynes is the team's leading rusher with 393 yards on 73 carries for 5.4 yards per carry. Haynes has three rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns. Haynes is a Michigan transfer who rushed for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Wolverines last season. Prior to Michigan, Haynes played at Alabama, where he rushed for 448 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.

Haynes is Georgia Tech's primary playmaker, so priority number one for the Duke defense must be controlling him and forcing quarterback Alberto Mendoza to throw the ball in potentially bad weather conditions.

Players to Watch: Alberto Mendoza, Justice Haynes, Dalen Penson, Kevin Roche.

Defense: Georgia Tech has struggled to stop the run and is yielding 189 yards per game on the ground, which is dead last in the ACC and 123rd nationally. Duke leads the conference in rushing at 243.5 yards per game, which ranks 12th nationally.

At first glance this is bad news for the Yellow Jackets and ultimately it might turn out to be just that; however, in 2025, Georgia Tech was last in the ACC in rushing defense heading into the Duke game, but the Yellow Jackets limited Duke to 68 yards rushing on 32 attempts.

Duke Offensive Coordinator Jonathan Brewer on the Georgia Tech defense: They are really good up front, probably the best defensive line we've played all year so it's going to be an extreme challenge up front for us, they create a lot of tackles for loss, a lot of havoc." Brewer went on to say, We got to have an answer. We have to do what we do...play fast...be physical...run the football."

Establishing the run must be a Duke offensive priority because the Duke offense flows through running back Nate Sheppard, who leads the nation with 161 rushing yards per game.

Defensive end Taje McCoy leads the Yellow Jackets in tackles with 25. McCoy also has one quarterback sack and has forced a fumble.

The Georgia Tech defense has been wracked with injuries and the above listed initial injury report includes starting defensive lineman Jordan Walker plus A.J. Hoffler and Shymeik Jones who are members of the two-deep rotation. Cornerback Daiquan White and safety Fenix Felton are Out and cornerback Trae Stevenson is Questionable. Starting linebacker and team captain Kyle Efford is listed as Probable" to play and starting cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe is not on the list. Mbakwe has been out the past two games after he was taken off the field on a stretcher during the Tennessee game.

Players to Watch: Kyle Efford, Taje McCoy, Tawfiq Thomas

Prediction: The Blue Devils have too much offensive firepower and balance for Georgia Tech to overcome. Duke 21, Georgia Tech 10.

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