Everything From Georgia Tech Head Coach Brent Key After The Loss to Pittsburgh

In what was the biggest game of Brent Key's tenure as the head coach of his alma mater, Georgia Tech fell flat in an embarrassing performance at home.

The Yellow Jackets fell behind 28-0 and could not catch up to the Panthers. Trailing 28-14 and at the goal line in the third quarter, quarterback Haynes King was intercepted and it was returned for a touchdown to effectively put the game away. The Yellow Jackets fought back to make it a single score game, but could not get the stop they needed.

After the game, head coach Brent Key spoke to the media and here is everything that he had to say.

Opening Statement....

"Credit to Pitt and uh you know Pat, Coach Narduzzi and they came out and uh you know, gave it to us for sure. We didn't play well enough to win, and that's what happens. You know, you spot a team 28 points. You know, we weren't, we're not executing on offense by any means. You know, I thought we started getting some positive momentum on the defensive side.

And, you know, we were able to come back, you know, what cut it to two scores before halftime. after being down 28, which is. The tale of two halves, I mean, you know, drops and, you know, we had, you know, turnovers, drops, you know, false start, penalties, you know, very poor on third down, and, you know, weren't able to establish the run. And, you know, just all in all, we, you know, didn't play well enough to win the football game. So we got six days to turn around and play another one.

And, you know, I don't want to sit there and say that you, you, you wash it out of your mind because you're not going to, you don't, you don't just forget about a loss. But we have to have the mindset where we can come back in and work tomorrow and take the good and continue to work on ourselves and become a better version."

1. On what happened on the pick six...

" Yeah, I mean, we're in, you had the call, you know, a man coverage deal. We're figuring they were in zero blitz. Everybody up in a line of scrimmage is zero blitz. That's what we're expecting. And right at the last second, they, you know, popped the guy out, copped him out for underneath and he's hit and see him, I guess. I mean, I don't guess, I know."

2. On the offense starting slow...

"If you had a lit checklist, I could probably check all the boxes. I mean, we couldn't establish, you know, we couldn't run the football. Couldn't, you know, we had drops, we had poor protection. You know, definitely got our, got our tails whooped at the line of scrimmage. You know, penalties carried on throughout the game. And so really absolutely everything."

3. On keeping the team focused after falling behind early...

"Yeah, I mean, that's just, and that's an expectation. We got down 28 to nothing. You know, called them together at the end of the first quarter, but end of the day, and there's no justification for it. You lose a game. Loss is a loss. So, you know, they did have a, you know, play the next play mentality, and we're able to keep playing and try to cut it close. But, I mean, that's, like I said, an insurmountable deficit we put ourselves in."

4. On the defense getting more pressure and sacks but still allowing big plays...

"Yeah, they hit 56 yarder. We're trying to, you know, obviously close, you know, get the ball back. So you're playing low safeties and, you know, something pops in the middle. You're going to, that's the nature of it when you got it, you know, 11 guys in the line of scrimmage you know nine to 11 guys in the line of scrimmage you don't anticipate those things pop but you can't let them pop like that so we'll see when we see the tape on it but yeah a lot of the runs they were really hitting in that B area kind of the B gap area you know bouncing in there and spitting outside they were you know push cracking the safety and you know crack the place, didn't show up fast enough on a couple of them."

5. On the team being flat to start the game...

"I mean, we come out, we go three and out. I mean, I think we had one first down in the first, what, five or six drives, you know, four or five drives or something. It was, like I said a second ago, it was everything. You know, weren't able to establish the line of scrimmage and whether that's out on the perimeter, you know, at the top of the line of scrimmage, go sideline to sideline. You know, way too much pressure on the quarterback, and he wasn't able to sit back and delivered the ball with any rhythm."

6. On the message to the team after a loss like that...

"Exactly that. We didn't deserve to win. We didn't play well enough to win. Give credit where credits due. We have six days. I expect them to be pissed and all that but I told them before the game you know, you know we don't get today back we said that before the game we talked about and you know we don't get it back so what I tell them is it's all about how they, it's all about how they respond to today we play a game in six days."

7. On the message ahead of the game against Georgia...

"I don't know yet, once I look at the tape."

8. On any silver linings in this game...

"Loss is a loss. I don't understand how you can justify losing anyway."

9. On the defensive adjustments in the second half...

"Yeah, it was really beginning of the second quarter. It was when we started being able to, you know, well, we had, in first time of the game, we went up, we had a sack, we were able to get off the field. I think it was three and out. Don't go up me on that, but And kind of midway through that second quarter, we started, you know, seeing some openings and some lanes. And we knew if we'd get pressure on them, we'd have a chance. So that was the approach we took. And, you know, added a few more in there in the second half to complement what we were doing and just stayed with it."

10. On the defensive performance and fans being upset....

" They should be mad. I mean, that's why fans are, that's why you love the fans, right? When fans are mad about games and, yeah, that's what is the fans, short of fanatic, right? Fanatical. That's what you want. I hope they are. Right, because I sure as hell I am."