Everything From Brent Key's Tuesday Press Conference Ahead of Matchup With Syracuse

Georgia Tech was back on the practice field this morning as they get prepared for their Saturday matchup with Syracuse. After practice, head coach Brent Key spoke with the media and here is everything that he had to say.

Opening Statement...

"We have a really good opportunity coming up this week and this will hands down be the biggest challenge we have as a football team this week. Good opponent, we are going on the road, have an ACC opponent on the road so our preparation is super important this week. This is going to be a game that, I just told the team, this has nothing to do with plays, calls, passes, coverages, fronts. None of that. This game's about our ability to go to the most physically tough football team we can possibly be from 12 until about 4 o 'clock on Saturday. That's it, hands down. That is the only thing. How physical we play, how tough we play, how much discipline we play with, how we've improved on things that we've done in the first two games or haven't done well in the first two games. That's what this that right and it's a big challenge for us as a football team and we're in the midst of working to get ourselves in position to be able to go up there and accomplish those things and play with you know play with toughness play with physicality tackle well block well play with discipline trust our fundamentals and techniques trust the plan believe in the plan you go out there and play a play complete football game."

1. On the holding calls in the game and his evaluation of that...

"In the history of football, I have never seen a flag pulled off the ground unless it was by them after their conversations. We coach our guys a certain way and there is a standard that they have to meet when it comes to blocking and finishing is involved in that standard. I expect guys to block with proper technique, to have their hands inside and to have guys finish."

2. On his prior relationship with Fran Brown at Western Carolina...

"I was only there for like four months. I got there in early August and was at UCF by December or January. He was a good football player when I was there, a defensive football player, that was a long time ago."

3. On the tight end position and what they have added to the offense...

"It has been. They've got how many catches they have two four seven I mean, the quarterback has done a good job of distributing the ball to all the guys and Buster has done a good job with playcalls and getting guys touches and they can be explosive players for us."

4. On his team's level of physicality...

"We've been physical at times. We haven't been physical at times. A lot of things we have to do better. There's no ceiling on the toughness and physicality that you have as a football team. At least for me, there's not. You know, my vision and standard of what that is is extremely high. And I challenge every single person on this team, coaches, players, staff, myself to elevate their standard as well every single day."

5. On Trelain Maddox and some of the other young running backs...

"We'll see. Hopefully, as guys become available, and they're cleared medically, and they're in the right mental space to be able to play. We haven't played, but we're not ever going to rush anybody back too soon and put them in jeopardy of hurting themselves again."

6. On the challenges of playing on the road...

"There's knowns and there's unknowns. You have things to look at schematically. Look, there's not one thing that Georgia State knows that they've seen on us. They were able to expose on us, that Syracuse does not know. they're gonna know It's in about scheme and plays and calls. It's about us, you know, go out and be the most physical football team, play controlled, have controlled aggression, which turns into discipline across the field. That's what we've got to be able to do in a hostile environment on the road."

7. On if there is a challenge playing another transfer quarterback at a new school...

"They're in a new place. They didn't get there just a few weeks ago, a few days ago. They've been there for several months. They've been in the system. I don't really see that as a challenge. What I see as the challenge is the player himself. I think he's a tremendous quarterback. He gets rid of the football and throws the football really well. He has good skill guys on the outside that he can deliver them too. He has size and experience on the offensive line, it is going to be a big challenge for us."

8. On if the team has hit their stride...

"I've never feel like we've hit our stride. I mean, if you want to play 15 games in a season, you better not be peaking at week one or two, right? You know, no one really cares what you do in September. People care what you do as the season goes on. You've got to continue to build and get stronger as a football team. As far as being pleased about things now, but look, I said this last week. When we win football games, we have to enjoy winning football games. I don't care if you win a game by 60 points. You win a game by one point or who you play. We put a lot of work and a lot of time into 12 guaranteed opportunities to play this game. And that's one thing that we have to, as an entire program, and that starts with me, that we have to enjoy these things. And I told the team that right after the game on Saturday. I told them that again on Sunday. We got to enjoy these things. Now, it's a double -edged sword where there's an expectation internally from coaches and from players alike that they want to play at a certain level. And when they don't, you know, guys aren't going to be running around doing cartwheels and flips. But at the same time, we work our tails off to go enjoy those opportunities on Saturday. Played against them last year. You know, they've got some experience on the O -Line. They've got really, they've got two tight ends that are really good football players. They do a lot with them. They have a, you know, a pro -style passing attack with the quarterback. Good skill guys on the perimeter, you know, slot receiver that's as good as anybody in the conference. And they do a good job of getting those guys open, creating space across the field for those guys to work and become open. We're going to have to close coverage. We're going to have to, you know, tackle well. Then on defense, I would expect to see more multiples created this week from their defense. You know, they'll move. They'll pressure. They vary the fronts and shell of the coverage as you get tighter into the goal line. But, again, it's one game, one game of film. Look, at the end of the day, when you play a game, there's always going to be 11 guys on the other side of the ball that you're going against. Defense is either going to be three down, four down, or are they going to play a bear front? There are only so many things you can do. The coverages are going to be open or closes coverage, are they going to play four down or are they going to blitz. Offensively they are either going to run it or throw it, sometimes they can make it look like a throw and run a draw or they can play action and throw it. We have to understand, this game is about us and what we bring on that plane when we leave Atlanta, Georgia and to Syracuse, New York on Friday afternoon. It is about the energy that we bring and the physicality that we prepare to play with, it is about the toughness and mental toughness to be able to play on the road ina tough environment at a 12:00 game. That is what is important. They have good players and Fran has done a good job of instilling his personality into his team. It was a long time ago when he played at Western and I was there a very short time but I know the men that he has worked for. I know the programs he's been involved with, right? And they are physical, tough, hard -nosed programs, right? Whether I like him or I don't like him. Not for him, the program. But, you know, this, you know, he's, this is a, you know, just worked at Temple. I mean, he's worked for some good football coaches right and you see that really just in one one game you see that you see that in his program from from top the bottom"

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