Everything From Brent Key Ahead of Friday's Game vs Georgia

After the disappointing loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday, Georgia Tech will wrap up their regular season with their big rivarly game against No. 4 Georgia. The Yellow Jackets have not beaten Georgia since 2016, but took the Bulldogs to eight overtimes last year and were closing to finally snapping the losing streak in this rivarly.

Ahead of Friday's game, Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key spoke with the media and here is everything he said:

Opening Statement...

"All right. Getting back out today, really yesterday, I mean, getting in a short week this week. So, you know, as bad as it sucks on Saturday night. Probably the only thing good about it was the fact that we have a short week this week, and you've got to flip the script fast, turn it around. And really today was like Tuesday, Tuesday practice. So, you know, a lot of things getting in yesterday. Had a lot of recruits in, visitors, a lot of recruiting meetings, and then, you know, getting ready for the normal down game plan that we come out with today.

So we addressed the, each side of the ball of teams, address the corrections from the game on Saturday, but not a lot of time to sit around and dwell on it, and we've got to move forward and get ready to roll. So, you know, big game on Friday afternoon. You know, a huge challenge for us. It's a challenge we're excited about. And, you know, very good football team, good players, good coaches. And playing good football right now. So, you know, and we've kind of been the opposite. We have not been playing good football the last few weeks. I'm not going to stay and deny it or hide from it.

So we've got work to do. We've got to improve, but that's what, you know, this week is. It's about what's right now. It's not about anything in the past. It's not about anything in the future. I told the team we got to put all those things away, and time up in a little bag and put them away and deal with full focus has to be, has to be on this game this week."

1. On if his team peaked too early...

"You never know when you're in the moment, really, you know, because you don't know if you're hoping there's still more to go. And what probably, you know, game seven, eight, you know, we're in there, you know, we're hoping we hadn't peaked. So, and obviously we've come down the last few weeks and haven't played up to anyone's expectation of the way that I thought we're capable of playing. And so, you know, I hope that's not the case. I hope we still have some peaking left in us."

2. On Jy Gilmore's injury...

"Yeah, he'll be out the rest of the year. He'll be out of the rest of the year. I hate it for him. What a great addition he was to the team and has been leader in the locker room, and I know that won't change."

3. On the emotions of playing in this rivalry game vs coaching in it and if this game hits different...

"Never thought about that. Thought of it. You know, as a player, you're really more singularly focused on your job and what you have to do, the task at hand. Yeah, you let the emotions, you know, the emotions are all around. You've got to channel that into the energy and the passion to play a game.

As a coach, you see, you know, you feel it, you know it, but you're also so focused on so many other different areas. It's a totally different feeling, but you're also responsible for all those areas. So it's kind of a double-edged, I guess you'd say, swing both ways as a coach opposed to a player. A player is just about to go out and play, but when you see everything and are responsible for it all, it's a little different as a coach. But either way, You know, the passion and emotions about it are strong. You know.

It does for me, yeah. does for everybody on both teams. I mean, that's what in -state rivalries are about. You know, they're about playing against the guys that you grew up with or grew up playing against and grew up playing with. You know, majority of players on both teams are from this state and one of not the best high school football in the entire country. And, you know, to be able to have a showcase what really ends up being a, it's a showcase of the high school talent and the high school programs and the high school coaches of all their players really competing at once.

And, you know, I said that was one of the cool things about last year's game at the end of it, you know, as it kind of went through the weekend, you saw all the, you know, the different things taking place in the games and the fighting and all that stuff. And, you know, you didn't see that in this game, right? And it doesn't mean they don't play hard. They play extremely hard, but fighting is not a representation of playing hard, right? You know, doing those things.

And I think that's because there's respect, you know, and, you know, sometimes the hardest play against the people you know the best or you have the most relationship or experience with because it's like two brothers fighting. And, you know, they're going to go at it. But, you know, after the game, there's still going to be that respect for each other."

4. On how much Haynes King and Gunner Stockton mean to their teams...

"Yeah, I mean, he's a good football player. He's playing good football right now. I don't think you can compare the two. I'm not in their building. I'm not in their locker room. I'm not around them. I'm not so I don't know."

5. On moving on from Saturday's loss and taking advantage of this opportunity...

"I don't know about staring. If they stare, they would just slap in the face. You know, they need to, you know, stop looking and go act. It's part of a problem. You know, people stand around looking. We need to go make things happen."

6. On what a win vs Georgia would mean for this program...

"I'm not going to say it's a, oh, a win's a win. Look, this is a game that means a lot to a lot of people. A lot of people that have gone to school here, played here, have been fans of this place. But it doesn't mean more to them by any means than it does to the players on this football team. And that's what rivalries are, and I've said this before, we've got to do our part in it, right?"

7. On if last year's game is any motivation for this team...

"Yeah, I don't know if it's more motivation. I do not get into the motivating part of it. I get into playing the game for the right reasons. and then 30 football team won't even here. So years don't carry over to each other. They're completely week to week. It's different. Look, I mean, all that matters is this week right now. Everything that's happened in the past, everything that happens future next week. None of that stuff matters this week. Not one bit of it. records, you know, wins, losses of late. I mean, no of that does. That's what I told the team today."

8. On how Haynes King has responded...

"Yeah, well, I mean, we didn't throw yesterday, but, so now, I mean, he's it's fine, no issues. You know, started off that way. You know, one thing I will say, credit to him for kind of pulling himself in and getting right. You know, in the past couple years ago, you know, that kind of wouldn't happen to have been a whole game. The maturity and the focus of him was able to set.

Look, sometimes, I mean, offensive football is similar to golf. You know, and I mean, I'm sure you've got some real golfers out here in this crowd. I'm looking at it. Good guy. Yeah. I mean, you go shoot a 65 one week and the next week on the same course, same pin placement. You shoot a 75. You know, it's the precision in the game. It doesn't travel every single play every single week. You've been on a heater for the last few weeks. You know, missed a few throws early.

And it's not always him either now by any means. He'll sit there and take responsibility for it all. But we had protection breakdowns. We had timing and routes. We had receivers knocked off. We had drops. We had everything. So you can pile it all. Let's not for a second put all that on Haynes."

9. On what he has seen on tape from Georgia...

"Well, I mean, right here, I mean, they're top 30 in the country in total offense, scoring, offense, rushing, pass efficiency. Defensively, total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense. They're top 10, top 15, and all those. You know, they're top 10 national special teams. So, I mean, what are they and they're doing things well. They've got a lot of young guys, too. A lot of young guys that are playing. They've matured over the course of the year, and they've been able to play, continue to build on it and play good football, and they're playing their best ball right now."

10. On Isiah Canion...

"Yeah, I mean, he's progressing, you know, like you'd expect to, you know, sophomore, a second year player, to progress. And, you know, he's a guy that, you know, right out of high school, he's just really new, he's new to the receiver position. And, you know, out of high school, he had a shoulder surgery. He's kind of banged up with that. So he's big, he's strong, he's fast. You know, his concentration's there. You can catch anything that's out, you know, his catch radius is, you know, as big as you can get. So I've been very pleased with him, really excited to see him continue to grow. And on top of that, he's a great kid. I mean, I say he's one of the best kids I've ever been around. Unbelievable."

11. On the team playing better as an underdog...

"You all have asked that before. I don't. There's not. I mean, I don't, I don't think that one bit. I don't see it. I mean, different mentality going into the game. It's nothing that we talk about. It's nothing that we coach up. It's nothing we do different."

12. On Ben Galloway...

"Yeah, I mean, he's a guy was banged up the beginning of the year. And, you know, he's been progressing and played multiple positions and he is a third year player in the program. There is still something to be said about players staying and developing in a program. Everyone wants the quick fix and for people to come in right away and make impacts the second they step on campus. He has earned his way out there."

13. On what changed for them defensively in the second half...

"And we lit them up. Blitz from the upper deck. That's what we did. I mean, we brought a lot more pressure. I'm not saying anything that's not on tape that people can't see. So, you You know, and we're able to get the ball, make plays. But, I mean, we still had instances where we, you know, cut it to one score, and, you know, it's right there and, you know, we bust a gap and, you know, have a missed assignment. And, you know, things spits.

Like I said, after the game, you know, you're playing everybody down in there trying to, you know, trying to stop the run and get the ball back. And, you know, if one spits, it does. And it sure, it sure did. I mean, if you're moving the front, somebody's got to get to their, you know, the D-line's got to get across. They've got to get there."

14. On if there is extra emphasis for this game...

"Yeah, I mean, we talk every week about a different, you know, there's different points of emphasis every week for different teams. This week's no different."