Georgia Tech Football: Defensive Grade Report For Win Over Virginia Tech

The Georgia Tech defense forced four turnovers in the win over Virginia Tech

When Georgia Tech has faced two good offenses this season (Ole Miss and Florida State), the Yellow Jackets have not been able to keep up with the playmakers that both of those teams have. The defense needed a bounceback against a poor Virginia Tech offense and that is what they got. 

Virginia Tech may have finished with 27 points, but the defense only gave up two touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets forced four turnovers and got five sacks against the Hokies, including the game-winning fumble recovery on the final possession. 

So how did each defensive position grade out for Georgia Tech against Virginia Tech?

Defensive Line: A

Georgia Tech's defensive line tallied five sacks against the Hokies / Lee Luther Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

The Georgia Tech defensive line was good on Saturday and the leader of the group was D'Quan Douse. Douse finished the day with seven tackles, two and a half sacks, and a forced fumble. For his performance, Douse received a 90.6 grade on PFF (Pro Football Focus) and that is an elite mark for the defensive tackle. 

Kyle Kennard had one sack, Keion White had five tackles, and Makius Scott had two tackles and a fumble recovery. 

The elite play of Douse led the group, but it was a solid effort all around. 

Linebackers: B

Charlie Thomas had 16 tackles for Georgia Tech yesterday in the win over Virginia Tech / Lee Luther Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

The linebackers were led by the performance of Charlie Thomas on Saturday, who had a career high 16 tackles against the Hokies. Thomas was everywhere for Georgia Tech and also one sack and a forced fumble. His grade on PFF was a 75.3, including a very good 87.8 grade in coverage. 

This was not the best performance from Eley, who has been one of the best linebackers in the conference. Eley notched four tackles on the day, which is uncommonly low for him. His PFF grade reflected the tough day and the final grade would be 56.7, which was third lowest on the defense. 

Thomas had a fantastic performance for the Yellow Jackets and I fully expect Eley to rebound this week against Miami. 

Secondary: A

Georgia Tech's secondary shut down the Virginia Tech passing game / Lee Luther Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

The Hokies admittedly don't have a great passing game, but the Yellow Jackets secondary did its job on Saturday. 

Freshman Clayton Powell-Lee got his first career interception in the fourth quarter of Saturday's win. Powell-Lee also had sisx tackles, which was third on the team and led the defensive backs. 

Zamari Walton and K.J. Wallace had good days covering wide receivers, as did Myles Sims. 

There was no standout elite performance from one individual, but they worked well together as a unit. 

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