Stewart missed a chip shot and all went downward

Brent Key

Trey Cooley and Haynes King

Jaylon King

Q. Haynes, in the second half, why was it so difficult to get it going offensively?

HAYNES KING: I mean, at times we couldn't run the ball. And then couldn't get anybody on the perimeter, get people loose.

That's what happened in the first half. We got a couple of people loose on the perimeter. They made plays. Second half, just didn't happen. They made a couple of adjustments, and we didn't respond well to it.

Q. You talked about them making some adjustments. Did they double up on the perimeter with their coverage? Or what were they doing out there?

HAYNES KING: They were just flying faster, just making tackles. At the end of the day, that's what it is. If you're going to get the ball on the perimeter, defense is going to have to tackle. If you miss tackles, you saw what happened the first half.

Q. The first three drives you guys went 0-3. After those, the next three you guys got into a momentum and a rhythm. Talk about what were the things you saw differently after those first three drives, where it started clicking for you guys offensively?

HAYNES KING: We just got things going. A big part of our offense is tempo. After the first three drives we ended up getting a couple more tempo plays in, and they worked out perfectly for us.

Second half, it just wasn't working for us. Sometimes it's like that.

Q. Haynes, obviously a tough game. You guys were in control for much of it, especially in the second half. How do you kind of rally the team? I guess, you're a new guy as a leader, and you guys obviously made a comeback, came close. But what is your message to the teammates and the offense after the way the game unfolded?

HAYNES KING: Times like this, you've just got to stay together. You've been through a lot -- summer workouts, fall camp. You've been through a lot. You've got to stay together. You're family.

You mentioned leader. I read something the other day, a leader is when you look at a person and he gives you confidence. I feel like if I continue to bring this team along and they can look at me and still have confidence in me and what I can do with this team and what we can do on offense, we'll be just fine.

We can score points when we have stuff rolling. And that's the key, just gotta keep stuff rolling. Can't get cold.

Q. Trey, you're facing your former team. You have a pretty good game -- two touchdowns, 50 yards. Any comments? Did you have any back and forth with your old teammates? Or what were your reactions to playing the game that you did?

TREY COOLEY: No, there was really no back and forth comments. But it was just a regular game, honestly. We just wanted to go out and execute and that was just the plan. We're taught just to hit somebody in the mouth and not say anything out there. Just line back up.

Q. The second quarter, the running game got going, and then what was the difference between in the second quarter when it was going and the second half when it seemed to not be going as well?

TREY COOLEY: I think, as you guys could see, they kind of went from four down to a mint [phonetic] front. So three down linemen in a stand-up. It was sort of an adjustment to the run game. I think in the second half, there was more a focus trying to stop the run game.

I think the first half they were trying to get a feel of things and what we were going to come out and do.

Q. Haynes, one, in the second quarter, especially the drive that you threw to Malik, you had the 55-yard gain -- it seemed like kind of whatever Coach Faulkner was dialing up was working. I'm curious what did you get a sense that he was seeing or you guys were seeing that kind of unlocked things? And the other thing, obviously a tough play, the fumble, when you're in the pocket. Is that something where you feel like you probably should have got rid of the ball or done something different with it?

HAYNES KING: Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, like you said, the second quarter we were on everything. We were on a roll.

And then the second half, I feel like I gotta do a better job putting all the offensive players in better situations.

Like you said with the fumble, just throw it away. I had two costly interceptions, one at the beginning of the game, one in the fourth quarter. I've just got to get rid of the ball.

We were in plus territory there, field goal range. Just can't hold onto it. That was a mental error by me. And at the end of the day, second half, I just gotta do a better job putting people in better situations.

Q. Trey, with the running back by committee you had to wait your turn to come into the game. What was that like? I imagine you weren't necessarily sure how many touches you would get and make the most out of those opportunities when you got your number called?

TREY COOLEY: I think we have a really good running back room, and I'm confident with any of us going out just having a good game. Like you said, you wait your turn and obviously you show them what you can do. But we're all capable of doing what I can do and what the next person can do.

Q. Coach has spoken throughout the offseason and into camp about the process of establishing an identity. Now at game end, what identity do you think you guys showed tonight?

TREY COOLEY: I think, as you could see, I think our team is a lot tougher. Obviously we never quit no matter the circumstances during the game. I'm very proud of our team because even though the odds were against us, we kept fighting.

I think we just seen a lot of goals, we put a lot of work in the summer, spring, fall camp like you mentioned. It showed. We're definitely on the climb. We're not done yet.

HAYNES KING: I'd like to add on him. Our four pillars are toughness, discipline, execution and commitment. That's what we try to model this team around.

Like he said, toughness, toughness was the biggest one. You've got to be mentally tough, physically tough, and it will put you in the battle at the end of the game. It will always give you a chance, if you're mentally tough and physically tough.

And I'd like to add, be explosive. Like I'd say this game, it showed we were tough. We were explosive. Now we just gotta work on these upcoming weeks, just being consistent, holding it throughout the game.

Q. Dez, second quarter wasn't too good. What changed in the second half where you guys basically shut them down until the last drive?

DEZMOND TELL: Well, I feel like coming in at halftime, Jeff Brohm had got us hyped. He told us, don't quit; there's still some time left. Got us hyped. We came out and we played our butt off until the clock hit zero.

Q. Dez, what did he say at halftime, and have you seen a coach that fired up?

DEZMOND TELL: Well, I ain't going to lie. I don't even remember anything. I was just hyped. It was crazy, felt like a dream. I felt like we were going to win, regardless. I felt like everybody had the energy back that we brought in first quarter, and we just came out and competed.

Q. What happened on the sack? Take us through what you saw on that play and how it --

DEZMOND TELL: Well, I did a quick swim -- I know I did a quick swim on the center, got through. I seen his back was turned and he still had the ball, so I said, oh, it's time. Made that play. That made the game change.

Q. Jack, you looked like you were pressing a little early. Is that fair to say? You got maybe an easy throw to Ahmari, got you in more of a rhythm, and then from there better?

JACK PLUMMER: Not my best first half of football, that's for sure. I came back. Proud of myself for battling back in the second half, and I thought I played really well in the second half. Just got to start off quicker, and it's probably a different game if I start the game off right and do my job.

Q. Jamari, coming back to Georgia for you, having the game you did, how good does that feel for you to debut like this and come back here and do that?

JAMARI THRASH: I mean, it was pretty cool coming back home, playing in front of the hometown. My biggest thing, I just wanted to make sure that we got the win.

Q. For all three of you, you did this on a national stage. Having a comeback like this on a national stage, what kind of statement do you think you made today?

DEZMOND TELL: To be honest, I feel like we made a great statement. It shows that we can compete for four quarters straight and we can finish, and that's something we didn't have last year. We couldn't really finish like that, but this year I feel like we're finishing way better, and it started in practice.

JACK PLUMMER: Yeah, I think it just goes to show the guys we've got on the team. Collectively we didn't play great in the first half, and for us to kind of put that aside and hit the restart button at halftime and come out and play really good football in the second half, I think that goes to show the character of our team and that guys care and that they want to win.

JAMARI THRASH: It also shows that we've got guys that are willing to rally each other up and come together just to win the football game. I feel like that's a good sign early.

Q. Jack, when you have admittedly not your best first half of football, what are you saying to yourself in the locker room to bounce back, and how important is it for you at your position to be able to battle back the way you did?

JACK PLUMMER: Yeah, I think Coach Brian Brohm came up to me in the locker room and he said, hey, man, you've just got to go be Jack Plummer. I've seen it before. You've just got to go play quarterback like Jack Plummer knows how to play quarterback.

I think I did that. I started to play my brand of football and put that first half aside. I was able to kind of forget about it luckily, and then just go and play my game.

Q. Jack, you've been around Coach Brohm before. How was his performance at halftime compared to the way you've seen him in past years? He told us that he told players if he didn't see effort from some of them, they might not play the rest of the year.

JACK PLUMMER: He had some choice words for us at halftime and got us going and lit a fire under us.

I mean, Coach is here to win games, and so when we play like that in the first half, he's got to do something. Luckily he did, and we were able to respond to his challenge.

Q. Jack, you mentioned it was kind of a struggle to start off. How much does it help to have guys like Jawhar and Isaac and Maurice that can take a little pressure off you and get that running game going and open up some things for you?

JACK PLUMMER: Yeah, I thought at times the run game was really good when we got into short yardage and just being able to run the ball on 1st down. Just getting a good chunk on 1st down was huge.

I think we had a lot of yards rushing today. I think we'll continue to even build on that.

Q. Jack, can you talk about Jamari here? Obviously he had a couple great catches for you.

JACK PLUMMER: Yeah, just him being able to catch the ball and get yards after the catch is huge. Made a big catch on the 3rd down and was able to take it for a lot of yards, and then two touchdown catches is huge, him being -- it's a game of one-on-ones and he won those, so it was huge to see Jamari and all the receivers really playing really well.

Q. On the touchdown pass that he caught that put you guys ahead, did he tell you anything like that move is there, he could get it, or was it just a play that you read and saw him in the end zone?

JACK PLUMMER: Yeah, the play that was called from the sideline, we had a double move called, and they brought the corner blitz, so we had Jamari on the safety and he bit on the double move, and he was wide open, so just pitch and catch at that point.

JAMARI THRASH: All I can really say is I just appreciate them giving me the opportunity to make a play and Jack trusting me and making the play on the ball.

Press Conference​

Louisville 39, Georgia Tech 34

JEFF BROHM: Well, we're happy to get out of there with a win. As everyone saw, it was a tough football game for our team. It wasn't a great performance in the first half for sure. So that was disappointing.

But that's how college football works. I talk about it all the time to our football team. Nothing will ever be easy. We challenged our guys at halftime to play much harder, play much tougher, figure out a way to grind this thing out, and just try to win the half.

Also, we said look, we're going to judge effort, and if you're not giving more effort than the other guy, you won't play the rest of the year. I think our guys stayed together. They gave way better effort.

Fortunately for us, our coaches hung in there, too. We found a way to coach better in the second half and have a better plan and some adjustments, and it took everything to win.

We have a long ways to go, but like I told them, every college football game is going to be like that, and if you're not ready for that, you might as well not show up for the game.

Q. In addition to the effort thing, did you change anything schematically defensively in the second half, because they had 282 yards in one quarter and then the rest of the game they had less than 200.

JEFF BROHM: Yes, we did. You know what, we got in a rut there playing too much man coverage in the second quarter. We had some guys running all over the place and not knowing where to be. I thought we played the same front too much. We were on our heels. The linebackers weren't attacking downhill.

Fortunately we've worked a lot of things throughout fall camp, the summer and the spring, and we made adjustments, and we used different calls, changed the front, stemmed the front, played more zone, and we did a much better job.

I just think you come into the game thinking you can do something, and if it doesn't work, you've got to be able to adjust.

I applaud our defensive coaches for making those adjustments. Our defensive players were coming out and really doing a heck of a job in the second half in the the last drive, getting the ball back for us when we needed it. It really was a great team effort in the second half that we had to have or we're not going to win the game.

Q. Can you give us some insight into how much -- given all the veteran guys you brought in from the portal and everything, was halftime a matter of you having to lift any spirits in terms of having confidence that you can come back from this, or with the older guys was it easier just to be like, okay, we do this execution-wise we're going to be fine?

JEFF BROHM: I didn't lift a whole lot of spirits at halftime. (Laughter.)

I try to be as positive as I can, but it came down to somebody needed to challenge our players to do more. It's got to come from me. Somebody needed to challenge our coaches to do more. That's including me. I made too many mistakes.

There's a lot of things we've got to clean up. Football is a game of toughness, intensity, passion, and that's just how the game works.

You know what, if you don't have that, you're not going to win.

I just think that with all that said, you know what, we communicated what we needed to do. We didn't give in. We didn't give up. We didn't feel sorry for ourselves. We just came out and played football much sounder and much better and found a way to win in the end.

Q. Jeff, what did you see from Jack? He looked like he was pressing early, missed some easy throws, then maybe you got him an easy throw, and from there he played better. What did you see from him? Did you talk to him about that?

JEFF BROHM: Well, I've coached Jack a long time. It wasn't his best first half, without question. I thought he was misfiring. He was timid. He wasn't cutting it loose. He was throwing it late. He missed some open guys.

If we're going to throw the ball, we have to hit those.

So in the second half we ran the ball more. We got some easier completions. He got a little bit better of a rhythm, and he hung in there and played hard.

I applaud him for his effort the second half. He really wants to win. I think sometimes he's the type, he cares so much that he will press early on, and I think like everybody, he was nervous and wasn't playing as confident and as sturdy as he easily could.

I just think he's got to learn from it. That's one thing about quarterback play, that you have to either have that skill or you have to continue to develop that skill that when it gets game time, the mentality has got to be that you will stand in that pocket and you will throw it with conviction, you will not allow anything else to detour you, and if you get in a little rut, you've got to be able to bounce back.

Fortunately for him, he bounced back. A lot of other guys played better around him, and it helped us score enough points.

Q. Not to get too sentimental about the game, but how does it feel to actually have that first win as head coach back home at your alma mater and do it the way you guys did tonight?

JEFF BROHM: Well, every win feels good. It's funny, as I've been a head coach, especially at Purdue, there's not one win that's easy, and just when you think you're feeling good and you're in a good place, man, you're going to fall flat on your face.

I just think having the mental fortitude and toughness to just know hey, this is how it's going to be. Sure, I'd love to play a perfect game, I'd love to win by double digits, all those things. You've got to find a way to win.

I just think we have a long ways to go. I didn't think we were gelled together as a team early on, and yes, there are new pieces, but I thought we'd be gelled together better, but we were not.

But we regrouped, and we just have to continue to help our players get in the best position to succeed, help them make plays more consistent, have answers when bad things happen, which I do think we eventually did, and just hang in there and get better.

Q. You spoke all off-season about what happens when your team faces adversity when that happens. Do you think you got your answer?

JEFF BROHM: Well, we got our answer for this week. I like our guys. They really care. They work hard. Just like I tell them, I said hey, you know what, you guys have worked really hard to get to this point. You've put in the effort. You've put in the time. Sometimes when you prepare this hard you think you can go out there and win.

Guess what; the other team prepared just as hard and they worked just as long. So no, you still have to perform on game day. You have to perform. You have to ring the bell, meaning play your best game that you've had to date. Otherwise we're not getting better.

I just think that's how football works. It's not an easy game. Different things come up.

But I think we have enough leadership in the room that, you know what, they'll hang in there and they'll fight until the end, and hopefully we can get better as we proceed forward.

Q. Jeff, talk about that run game; you had three guys with Isaac and Jawhar and Maurice. What did you like from that rotation and what they were able to do tonight?

JEFF BROHM: Well, we needed all of them, and I think it's a good crew that this year we're going to have to be able to run the ball, and we're going to have to be able to hit some play action. But the running game is critical.

So those guys ran hard. They were able to rotate in there, give us different elements. Isaac stood out a little bit, made some good runs. Maurice made a couple. Of course Jawhar hung in there and got on the edge a few times and hit the big run that got us the lead.

We needed all of them, and we're lucky to have them, and we've just got to continue to press forward with those guys and make sure they get enough touches because I do think they can make people miss and get extra yards after contact.

Q. There are going to be big plays obviously throughout a game, but take us through the stretch where it looked like you all are arguing, you went over to review what looked like might have been an incomplete pass up until the snap, and that's the play you get the sack, you get the turnover, and then Jawhar gets the touchdown run?

JEFF BROHM: Well, sometimes you just need to shut your mouth and let the referees call the game. (Laughter.)

The ball popped out. I'm thinking, really, did he have it long enough? Of course sometimes when you talk to referees, they don't look at you and don't tell you anything.

So I'm glad that they got their way.

You know what, we made a good play on defense. The turnovers were crucial for us. It got us points every time we got the turnovers. We were awful on 3rd down. We couldn't convert, which is disappointing. But we took advantage of a few good plays by our defense, and that was one of them.

Aaaaaaaaaaaakdndjsjsns

ATLANTA (Aug. 30, 2023) – Fans will have an afternoon filled with free activities around Mercedes-Benz Stadium before attending this year’s Aflac Kickoff Game between Louisville vs. Georgia Tech on Sept. 1. The “Capital of College Football” will feature an outdoor extravaganza at Tailgate Town presented by PNC and Team Walks built by The Home Depot to celebrate the start of the season in Atlanta.

Tailgate Town Presented by PNC is the ultimate pregame tailgate destination for Louisville and Georgia Tech fans on game day during Labor Day weekend. Located in International Plaza just outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, fans can enjoy live entertainment, food and interactive activations, as well as a variety of contests and giveaways.

In addition to Tailgate Town presented by PNC, fans will also have the opportunity to cheer on their team during the Team Walks built by The Home Depot. Players from both teams will make their Team Walks from The Home Depot Backyard and into Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Team buses will arrive and an area that stretches into the stadium will be sectioned off so that fans, cheerleaders and team marching bands can welcome the teams.

Game Day Schedule:

2:30 – 6:30 p.m. ET Tailgate Town presented by PNC (GWCC: International Plaza)



5:15 p.m. ET Georgia Tech Team Walk built by The Home Depot

(Inside The Home Depot Backyard)



5:20 p.m. ET Louisville Team Walk built by The Home Depot

(Inside The Home Depot Backyard)



5:30 p.m. ET Gates Open (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)



7:30 p.m. ET Aflac Kickoff Game (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Georgia Tech volleyball (2-0) has been ranked No. 11 in the week one AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Women’s Poll, the organization announced on Monday. The Yellow Jackets made the largest improvement of teams in the preseason poll, rising nine spots from their previous rank of No. 20.

Reappearing in the top 25 for the first time since 2005 at No. 12 on Sept. 30, 2020, Tech has since been listed in 56 straight top 25 polls to date. The Yellow Jackets reached as high as No. 5 during that stretch for two consecutive weeks from Aug. 29 – Sept. 5 a season ago, the highest ranking for the White and Gold since 2003 and the second-best mark all time.

Tech is one of three ACC teams inside the top 15. Having bested No. 14 Penn State last time out, the Jackets are slated to face three more opponents currently ranked in the top 25 this season in No. 3 Louisville, No. 10 Pitt and No. 12 Ohio State. Each of the aforementioned teams reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022, highlighted by national title contenders Louisville and Final Four foe Pitt. Familiar future opponent Ohio State (Elite Eight) and recently topped Penn State (Sweet 16) also made deep runs in the 2022 postseason.

The Yellow Jackets enter the second week of the season amongst the top three in the ACC in four major categories – second in assists per set (13.57), second in digs per set (15), third in blocks per set (2.43) and third in opponent hitting percentage (.121).

Individually, sophomore middle blocker Liv Mogridge has anchored the defense with 1.86 blocks per set to lead the league and rank 11th in the nation after tallying 13 blocks in week one. Senior setter Bella D’Amico has run the show offensively, owning 10.57 assists per set, the third-highest mark in the conference.

Tech has won 81 of its last 101 matches dating back to 2019. The Yellow Jackets have also claimed 46 of their last 53 matches at home in O’Keefe Gymnasium, now owing over 300 wins inside the raucous arena.

Georgia Tech will remain on the road for the second straight week, heading to Ohio State (3-0) for two more consecutive ranked matchups on Friday and Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. Both matches will be broadcast on B1G+.

Who all gone be there raising hell Friday night? I got 5 for section 104.

All of my ESPN/Disney channels (including the ACC Network) on my Spectrum Cable went dark tonight. A message appeared indicating that Spectrum rejected the excessive increase from ESPN. Planning on watching the game at the local alumni club watching party here in Orlando. Hope they solve their contract issues soon.

Currently: Atlantic Coast Conference ACC

1. No Change
2. Keep The ACC Logo/Initials but change the name
3. Start new

Thoughts, ideas

American Collegiate Conference
National Collegiate Conference
Pan America Conference
Athletic Academic Conference
All American Conference

We finally made it, Jackets by 50

Found this buried on ESPN this morning and thought it was a good read.

I've been searching RamblinWreck.com and Android Gameday app. I cannot find a working link to live audio. Anyone know where these links are?

THE FLATS – Bret Hardin has been named associate athletics director for major gifts at Georgia Tech. He officially began in the role on Friday.



A metro Atlanta native, Hardin returns home after serving as associate director of athletic development at Alabama for more than four years (2019-23). In that role, Hardin worked alongside J Batt, who led the Crimson Tide’s fundraising efforts before being named Georgia Tech’s director of athletics in October 2022.



“As a former collegiate student-athlete from the Atlanta area, Bret understands the fabric of the community and the passion for athletics at the Institute,” said Robby Poteat, executive associate A.D. and executive director of development (athletics) at Georgia Tech. “His work ethic and intangibles are highly spoken of, an through his previous experience, he brings the pace and championship-level preparation and execution that we value. We are incredibly excited to have him join the team.”



Prior to his four-year stint at Alabama, Hardin also held fundraising roles at Southern Miss (assistant director of athletic development – 2018-19) and West Georgia, where he served as the director of the athletics annual fund for a year (2017-18).



He began his career in athletic fundraising as a graduate assistant at Alabama (2015-17).



“I’m incredibly excited to return home to the Atlanta area and Georgia Tech,” Hardin said. “The chance to work alongside J, Robby and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund team is an amazing opportunity. I look forward to meeting the student-athletes, coaches, community and supporters of Georgia Tech athletics and can’t wait to get to work on building out the vision that J has for the Yellow Jackets.”



After graduating from Harrison H.S. in Kennesaw, Hardin attended Marquette, where he was an all-Big East performer in the weight throw and hammer throw and a four-time academic all-Big East honoree. He finished his collegiate career ranked second in Marquette history in the outdoor hammer throw (60.59m) and third in school history in the indoor weight throw (18.84m). He also held Marquette’s freshman record in the outdoor hammer throw (57.03m), a record he set en route to being named the Big East’s Most Outstanding Freshman in 2011.



Hardin graduated from Marquette in 2015 and earned a master’s degree from Alabama in 2016.

What happens to this big game?

Any other bowl game tied to PAC 12?

I have two tickets to tonight’s game at Section 107 Row 36 Seats 21 & 22 for sale. I upgraded to the delta sky view section and no longer need them. I bought them for $92 each and will sell them for $40 each. DM me if anyone is interested.

Dear JOL friends. After a thorough asswhipping today on the hardwood, lets still enjoy NYE with our loved ones and favorite libations. Im a bourbon in the winter and tequila in the summer kinda guy although i’ll be drinking Miller Lites and Tequila tonight.

Here’s my current collection:

Bourbons:

- Weller Special Reserve
- Blantons
- Balvenie Carribean Cask
- Basil Hayden Toast
- Forrester 1910 ( my “daily” drinker)

Tequilas:

- Kah Extra Anejo (my drink of choice tonight)
- Addictivo Reposado
- Don Julio Private Cask

It appears they have posted seat locations in your ticket account. Take a look. Section 124 for me. Louisville side of the field, corner. Appears to be even with the goal line. Screwed again by the GTAA.

Welp it looks like Disney is trying to excessively raise prices on Spectrum and forcing them to expand their channels which forces us to pay for programming we dont want. I cant watch ESPN on the day CFB starts. **** you Disney.

What old games or Derrick Moore hype videos are you watching. What are you doing tonight to get your mind rite for tomorrow night? Can't help but to be overly optimistic for this season and think we will over perform what the national media thinks we will do.

What's The Good Word?!?!

He would be a good tv guy... I think his fball coaching days are behind him, unless getting on his knees is a part of coaching

ATLANTA (Aug. 28, 2023) - Officials today announced that Amobi Okoye and Ron Rogers will serve as honorary captains for their respective alma maters at the Aflac Kickoff Game between Louisville and Georgia Tech. The honorary captains will join the team captains at midfield for the pregame coin toss prior to the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Sept. 1 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Representing the Louisville Cardinals as honorary captain will be former Louisville and NFL defensive tackle, Amobi Okoye. As the youngest player in the history of college football, Okoye began his collegiate career at the age of 16 and played for the Cardinals from 2003-06. During his senior year, Okoye started all 13 games registering 55 tackles, eight sacks and recovered three fumbles. Okoye later became the youngest player to ever be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft at 19 when he was selected 10th overall by the Houston Texans. He then went on to play eight years in the NFL for the Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys.

The honorary captain for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will be Georgia native and former NFL linebacker Ron Rogers. At Georgia Tech, Rogers started 32 games where he had 11 tackles for loss, four sacks and four interceptions. Rogers ranks third in school history with 435 career tackles, ninth in single-season tackles with 145 (1995 season) and third in school history with 21 single-game tackles vs. Clemson that same year. Rogers was then selected in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens in 1998.

In recognition of the Aflac Kickoff Game’s “Kickoff for a Cause” mission and September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, each honorary captain will be accompanied by a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta patient from the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center who is a fan of the teams playing in this year’s game. Joining Ron Rogers at midfield will be Will Chastain, a freshman at Georgia Tech studying Industrial Systems and Engineering, who was diagnosed last December with an ultra-rare vascular cancer, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. Amobi Okoye will be accompanied by Drew Lawrence, a 12-year-old Cardinals fan who has spent the last three years fighting acute lymphocytic leukemia at Children’s.

The 20th edition of the nation’s longest-running kickoff game will feature an all-ACC matchup when the Cardinals and Yellow Jackets face off to open their seasons and conference play.

Today was the final day of pre-Louisville media and we had players. Tomorrow's media with Brent Key was canceled as I sort of expected because of logistics with it being a day away from kickoff.

RB Dontae Smith was up first.

He said it is bittersweet getting ready for his final and 6th! season on the Flats.

Very excited and confident in what we are doing and if we do what we practice in spring and summer, the byproduct will be what we want to be. I’m excited about my first last game here. Some of my boys have been here a long time like Jaylon King and we are ready to go.

The intelligence level of the OL is way higher than it has been. Dontae said that Coach Wade has done extremely well in coaching them up and how detailed the OL is with him.

The RB room is still detailed and disciplined in everything and he made camp hard for us and that way the game is easy. We have to stay on those details and all those little things.

On how he prepares his body after six years, Cold/Hot tub, do more stretching, steam room and you can start to feel it after six years, my body almost feels like 2 years ago and not like my 6th college season. You work with S&C and do what you need to do on the side too.

It was a hard camp and we made it through as a group we have a good group, what the coach expects, and play up to our standard. Coach Key put on a hard camp.

On the hype about the season opener, It is very different, I try to stay off social media, but every day I’m getting tagged on a post or DM’d about the game. There is a lot of hype, but to us, it is one game at a time.

WR CHASE LANE

On how preparations have been, I came from TAMU and we did a lot of similar things to coach Key, at A&M we did more fall camp things going into game one there. We’ve taken more time to break down film and watch Louisville/Purdue tape and an array of clips ahead of the game than we did at TAMU.

On Haynes King, I met Haynes in 2020 when he came to TAMU and from day one he has been a warrior and he is the toughest guy in the room. When he came there in that January he was eager to learn. We built a chemistry and a bond, he is one of my guys. "He is one of the most personable guys I've been around on the football team so to be on this journey with him here it just makes it that much sweeter."

On how he ended up at GT, I got my degree at TAMU things didn’t pan out the way I wanted to and I hit the portal in 2022 in December, I was going to Arizona State and Haynes hit me up before I signed there. Haynes talked with Coach Faulkner, coach Key and coach Weinke and Haynes had known Coach Weinke for years and he asked me if I wanted to meet them. "From my first conversation with Coach Key, coach Weinke and Coach Faulkner, I just felt like I had known them for years and that was really the biggest thing I was looking for in a new school, just going into a family atmosphere and being able to start brand new on a team where I could have a potential role in the offense. I committed here, I didn't come here in the spring, I got here in the summer, but I've been happy with my decision ever since."

On comparing the TAMU WR room to the GT one, similar with a lot of guys who haven't seen the field much yet either due to youth or injuries. He said that people think because he played in the SEC there would be a dropoff but the room is loaded with guys like Eric Singleton, Avery Boyd, D.J. Moore, Abdul Janneh and Christian Leary. It is loaded from top to bottom and there are guys the coaches can trust to have the ball in their hands and make plays.

Lane thinks the offense will be explosive on Friday and they want to get up and down the field, he said that he thinks Georgia Tech fans will have a lot to look forward to this season.

Lane likes Faulkner's offense because it isn't focused on a player is in one box X, Y, Z or whatever, a player like him has played all of those can just get in space and make plays and Faulkner trusts them with the ball in their hands and he wants them playing loose and free.

Lane said that Haynes King has really helped him with the learning curve since he wasn't here in the spring and if he has a brain fart on a call, Haynes can even give him the TAMU version of that call. He said that Coach Weinke and Haynes really helped him with the terminology of the offense to make it easier for him.

LB PAUL MOALA

Moala was last up

On Friday's game, I’m real excited to play football again at a high level and the guys I’ve created a bond with over the last few months.

Louisville has a good group of guys and a lot of athletes and transfers and to take on that challenge, we are excited as a developing group to take that on and see how we are as a defense. We want to focus on how we look at the end of game one vs the results.

We’ve created our identity in the last couple of weeks and we’ve been flying around and been more confident in our play. Having a mix of older guys and young guys has been great.

On the GT DL, The guys upfront are bigger guys than Idaho, but being around those guys and playing at a different speed has leveled up my play and encouraged me and this style of football and where I was at last year.

Moala said his duty is to be the vocal guy in the LB room and they have some good leaders on D like LaMiles Brooks as well as Trenilyas Tatum at helping him out with certain calls or if he can't find the words for a call.

Moala said he is playing the MAC LB spot (Middle) and Trenilyas Tatum is playing MONEY LB. He said that when GT recruited him it was as a MONEY LB (weakside linebacker) when he heard from them he googled Charlie Thomas and watched all his film on youtube and how dynamic that position is. With Tren Tatum there now he has big expectations to live up to and he will probably exceed them. He is very excited to see Tren in action.