Georgia Tech Head Coach Brent Key Comments On Rivalries & What Clean Old-Fashioned Hate Means

Perhaps one of the biggest rivalries in the country is set to commence on Friday afternoon between Georgia and Georgia Tech. It is one of the oldest rivalries in college football. It is the sixth-oldest and the 11th most played in-state rivalry in FB.S. It is a rivalry that began in 1893, which was Georgia Tech’s second season of football since they have played every year outside of 1901, 1908, 1917-1924, and 2020.

The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 72-41-5 Georgia has won the last seven matchups over the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech is looking for its first win since 2016. Friday will be just the 12th time that both Georgia and Georgia Tech are ranked heading into a matchup to play each other, and it is the first time that has happened since 2014.

Head coach Brent Key talked about rivarliers and what the specific one between Georgia Tech and Georgia meant.

“A rivalry is important to the people involved, right? You look anywhere outside of the state of Georgia, they're probably going to say theirs is. You look anywhere outside of the state of Alabama, you look anywhere outside of, you know, that in the Midwest area up there. Rivalries are great because of what's involved in it, because of the people that are involved, because of the, you know, the next-door neighbors, the people that grew up together, the people grew up playing against each other. I mean, you have two head coaches that are both played in this game, that both played against each other. You can't make anything more than that. It means a lot to a lot of people. Means a lot to a lot of people who aren't here and aren't going to be at the game that aren't around anymore. There are 133 years of football and played at these places. I mean, so a lot of history is involved when you talk about two schools that have, been as close as they are that's what makes it a rivalry,” said Key.

“But I've said numerous times, I mean, there's competitive rivalries, and there's rivalries. I mean, that’s up to both teams to make them competitive rivalries. Um, look, I grew up in the state of Alabama. Um, but everything I have is here in the middle of Atlanta, Georgia, here at Georgia Tech. All right. This is the most important thing to me. There's a reason why they call it clean old-fashioned hate. There's a reason for that, right? To be able to go out and play the way we have to play, the way I know we'll go out and play. Then, after the game, be able to show the respect that each program has for each other or each group of players has for each other. To me, that's what makes it special.”

Rivalries are a tradition and special in college football, especially when anything can happen and any team can win. The last iteration of this rivalry gave us a historic contest between two good teams that required eight overtimes. It was the second-most overtimes in FBS history in a stunning 44-42 defeat for the Yellow Jackets. It is a game people are still talking about today and one that showed Georgia Tech is not far off from taking down its archrival. This year’s game probably won’t reach the pinnacle of 2024, but it could do a lot for both teams looking to make the playoffs. With that on the line, expect an elite matchup at Mercedes-Benz on Friday afternoon.

More Georgia Tech News:

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•Three Storylines To Watch On Friday As Georgia Tech Takes On Georgia

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

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