ATLANTA (Interstat) — Alberto Mendoza threw three touchdown passes and Justice Haynes ran for 141 yards and multiple scores as Georgia Tech defeated Mercer 44-11 on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech scored 17 points in the first quarter, 13 in the second, seven in the third and seven in the fourth. Mercer scored three in the first and eight in the second. The Yellow Jackets improved to 1-2, while the Bears fell to 2-2. Mendoza, a Miami, Fla., native listed at 6-2 and 203 pounds, completed 15 of 21 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns. He was the top star for Georgia Tech, which had dropped its first two games of the season before breaking through at home.

Mendoza’s previous recent performance came against Tennessee on Sept. 12, 2026, when he completed 26 of 40 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown in a 45-24 loss. Against Mercer, he found a rhythm early and distributed the ball to several receivers. Debron Gatling caught one pass for 33 yards and a touchdown, Jaiven Plummer caught one pass for 37 yards and a touchdown, and Kevin Roche Jr. added two receptions for 38 yards. Dalen Penson had three receptions for 58 yards. Trelain Maddox rushed five times for 11 yards and caught two passes for 22 yards. Chad Alexander rushed four times for eight yards, returned one kickoff 41 yards and scored a touchdown. Malachi Hosley rushed four times for seven yards. Jordan Allen caught two passes for 10 yards and returned one punt 12 yards. Isaiah Fuhrmann caught one pass for 19 yards, and Chris Corbo caught one pass for six yards.

Haynes powered the Georgia Tech ground game with 22 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns, and he also caught two passes for 26 yards and recorded another touchdown. Tawfiq Thomas anchored the defensive front with six tackles and one sack. Braylon Outlaw and Savion Riley each made six tackles. C.J. Gamble recorded one tackle and one interception. Amier Clarke added one tackle. Amontrae Bradford made two tackles. Rahkeem Smith returned one kickoff 35 yards. Alex Bacchetta punted four times for 205 yards. Aidan Birr made a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter, and Christian Speakman was listed among Georgia Tech’s key contributors.

Mercer’s offense had moments but could not keep pace. JP Pickles completed 7 of 11 passes for 82 yards and ran 11 times for 53 yards. Jaylen King completed all three of his passes for 20 yards and ran five times for two yards. Zahmari Palode-Gary led the Bears on the ground with 15 carries for 71 yards. Devon Caldwell ran seven times for 28 yards and caught three passes for one yard. Eric Rasheed ran four times for 24 yards and caught two passes for 23 yards. Brayden Smith ran once for eight yards and caught four passes for 58 yards. Zachary Lowe ran once for six yards. Jackson Kostmayer caught one pass for 20 yards. Micah Bell was listed among Mercer’s key performers.

Defensively, Jyarius Carter made 12 tackles for Mercer. Ronin Dangler also recorded 12 tackles and added one sack and one quarterback hurry. Mac Bradley, Jeremy Richardson and Ethan McDowell each made four tackles. Sam Martin Jr., Kobe McInnis and Mike Polke each had three tackles. Cam Moore finished with three tackles. Nigel Gay, Aiden Holewski, Delano Marcelus and Cameron Goggins each made two tackles. Antonio Butts Jr. and Emmanuel Lane each had one tackle. Javious Bond was credited with four tackles. Senin Seymour punted six times for 254 yards. Simon Zeidan handled kicking duties and made a 21-yard field goal in the second quarter.

The key plays unfolded in the second quarter. With 8:19 remaining, Zeidan made a 21-yard field goal for Mercer. With 3:35 remaining, Mendoza rushed left for a 6-yard gain to the Mercer goal line, but the touchdown was nullified by a Georgia Tech holding penalty. With 1:56 remaining, Birr made a 32-yard field goal. Georgia Tech’s defense protected the lead from there, and the Yellow Jackets finished with a decisive home victory.

Mercer entered the game after a 20-13 home loss to Furman on Sept. 12, 2026. The Bears had beaten Presbyterian 62-3 on Sept. 5, 2026, and Texas A&M-Commerce 23-15 on Aug. 29, 2026. Georgia Tech entered after a 45-24 loss to Tennessee on Sept. 12, 2026, and a 14-13 loss to Colorado on Sept. 3, 2026. Next for Mercer is a road game at Abilene Christian on Sept. 26, 2026, followed by games at Virginia Military Institute on Oct. 3, against Western Carolina on Oct. 10, at Samford on Oct. 17, against Citadel on Oct. 31, at Chattanooga on Nov. 7, at Tennessee Tech on Nov. 14, and against East Tennessee State on Nov. 21. Georgia Tech next plays at Stanford on Sept. 26, 2026, then hosts Duke on Oct. 10, travels to Virginia Tech on Oct. 17, hosts Boston College on Oct. 24, travels to Pittsburgh on Oct. 31, hosts Louisville on Nov. 7, travels to Clemson on Nov. 14, hosts Wake Forest on Nov. 21, and plays at Georgia on Nov. 28.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Georgia Tech 35, Mercer 14. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Georgia Tech with a 93.1 percent probability to win. Mercer had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus 39.5. The total score of 55 went over the over-under line of 59.5. Georgia Tech’s victory at Bobby Dodd Stadium gave the Yellow Jackets their first win of the season and sent Mercer to its second loss of the year.