Brent Key Says He Has Done A "Massive" Deep Dive on How to Fix One of Georgia Tech's Biggest Issues

Georgia Tech has been ahead of many games at halftime, but then don't play well after the fact

Sep 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key on the sideline against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are a lot of problems with Georgia Tech Football right now, but one of the biggest issues has been how the team has played when they come out of the half.

Georgia Tech led 10-7 against Colorado at the half, a 24-3 lead against Mercer, a 20-10 lead against Stanford, a 14-10 lead against Duke, and a 13-12 lead against Boston College. Yet, the Yellow Jackets have lost three games they have led at the half and the team has failed to play well.

The most painful of these results was against the Eagles. Boston College, who nearly lost to Maine earlier this year, outscored the Yellow Jackets 37-14 after halftime and Georgia Tech could not stop their lethal rushing attack.

So how can this problem be fixed? Today when speaking with the media, head coach Brent Key said that he has done a "massive" deep dive on the problem while also saying they are not going to change every aspect of what they are doing:

“I've done a massive deep dive into halftime. I won't get into all the specifics of it, but from the time we step in the locker room to the time the ball is kicked off in the second half, I have really made a massive change with all those things. When we talk about change with the team, standards, expectations, those don't change.

A lot of things don't change. We have to do them better, do them more efficiently, do them more collaboratively, whatever that is, that specific thing. But then there are things that you look at and say, at the end of the day, guys, we're two and five. So to keep doing everything the same is the definition of insanity. 

I told the players they would see the change, but there are a lot of things they won't see change. how we're going about the daily planning, responsibilities in different facets within the organizational structure of the program. So a lot of those things are things that people won't see; players won't see, until they see the final part that's given to them on a Tuesday morning or a Wednesday morning, just the preparation part of it,” said Key. 

What can Georgia Tech do?

Is it as simple as just playing better?

Not every second half performance has been poor for Georgia Tech. They outscored and outgained Virginia Tech two weeks ago, but the first half put them behind by 21 points and they could not come back. Against Duke, they were able to finish the job and get a big win.

The defense being able to stop the run and prevent explosive plays would go a long way to playing better after the half. Key said that Boston College was running the same play over and over again and that his team could not find a way to stop them, which is a huge problem in itself:

“There was not one player on defense that looked calm, set, and ready to play ball. There was a panic. There was a sense of panic from the second and third levels, you know, where to go, how to align, what to do. And that's an alarming thing when you see that early in the game. So, again, without getting into all the, you know, X's and O's part, but talk about common sense. Common sense tells you to. If you're not doing a bunch of things well, simplify it down and do your best to do one thing well, right,” said Key. 

Pittsburgh has lost three straight games since losing quarterback Mason Heintschel to a season-ending injury and it is not out of the question that the Yellow Jackets can win. Fixing their poor play in the second half is going to be key to pulling that off though and we will see if Key's "massive" deep dive on this problem has worked.