ATLANTA- Georgia Tech continued to work ahead of Saturday's home opener with South Carolina State with a two-hour practice in full pads on Wednesday. Following practice a quartet of Yellow Jackets players spoke with the media both recapping action in the Louisville game, but also sharing thoughts about the upcoming game and what the team is working on this week.


Clayton Powell-Lee spoke with the media first and he was clear from the jump that they need to work on and fix their tackling issues. That has been the main focus and a lot of things wouldn't have happened in the Louisville game if they just tackled better. They could've stopped some drives and big plays. He said they are also working on their communication as well pre-snap.

Powell-Lee said the positives were the team played with great energy and they started with a good opponent and had an opportunity to win the game. They just have to put that game in the past now and focus on SC State.

I asked him about playing with Jaylon King for the first time in a game, since they've both just played with LaMiles Brooks in the past and he said that he knows both FS and SS and when LaMiles went down it didn't really change anything they just did their jobs and that Jaylon knows everything about playing the safety positions. He said the biggest change was just that they had to communicate a little more.

Powell-Lee said they were focused on treatment and staying prepared and getting their bodies right for SC State.

Powell-Lee said the whole team was devastated that they let that one slip away, but it is a new week and they are focused on making corrections and getting ready for the next one. You can't dwell on Louisville for too long.

Powell-Lee said he expects a big jump this week for the defense and they just need to stay together and focus on communication and tackling.

Powell-Lee said seeing the offense put up numbers in the 2nd QT was encouraging for the defense, but they still have goals each week they need to hit and eliminate the explosives and tackle better because that will help the offense get the ball back.

Trenilyas Tatum said it was great to play a full game again for the first time in a long time. He said they need to be more physical and attack the ball more this week. They had goals for the Louisville game they didn't complete and they've got to tackle better as a defense.

Tatum said he just went out there and tried to play his best.

Tatum explained the Darkside term for the defense as he was wearing a "Darkside" shirt. It is the standard they set for themselves as a defense and it about how they attack teams and they came up with the Darkside because it means a lot to them, but there is no real meaning behind it. It just what they call the defensive group.

Tatum said he maturation into a starting LB started back in the winter when he realized that his moment was here and he better take advantage of it. He needed to be the best player, teammate and best person in the moment he could be. He said it was just a different approach he has taken mentally to everything as he tries to elevate his game to another level.

Tatum said that playing alongside Paul Moala is great. He is a 6th year guy and he can give him all types of pointers and just handles everything like a pro out there. He said Moala has really helped the LB room.


Chase Lane said it was amazing to be back on the field in the Benz after he missed much of 2022 with a back injury. He said he felt the love of the game again and he had a great time especially during the 2nd QT run.

On his long TD on the screen, he said he told Haynes he needed a ball before they went on the field and then that call came in and everyone executed and as soon as he caught it and saw the blocking he knew it was a touchdown.

Lane said the biggest change in King is that he has a lot of confidence and neither of them have to walk around on eggshells. He felt like they had to play perfect at TAMU and couldn't make a mistake and King's energy was just totally different here compared to TAMU . He was pulling people up on the sideline and he was really impressed with his confidence.

Lane said a good takeaway from the game is that the offense was able to put up 28 points in a quarter and they haven't done that here in a long time. The loss was devastating to the team and everyone in the locker room doesn't want that feeling again of blowing a big lead. They know they have to work hard to finish each quarter and the game.

Lane on Eric Singleton Jr, he said that is his little brother and he had told all of us to watch out for him. He was impressed with his composure. He said it was really impressive seeing how he played in his first college game and he had to remind him to celebrate his first career college touchdown.

Lane said there is a lot of pent up aggression right now and anger that they want to take to the field on Saturday.

Lane said that he is very excited about his first game at BDS. He really enjoyed watching the spring game and seeing the fans and how excited they were for that and he is looking forward to being on the field this time playing.

Weston Franklin said it was encouraging how well the guard box played in the Louisville game and they made a smooth transition from camp to the game. He said he has been working to make the best calls possible and they are on the same page.

Franklin said with the inside runs they need to improve their double teams and getting to the LB on the second level.

Franklin said the tempo is a lot faster than what they ran last year, but it throttles up and down and they know ahead of time when they are going to push with Coach Faulkner. He said the second quarter was a lot of fun for them when they were coming together and playing well as an offense. He said he is excited to see how much they improve from week one to week two.

Franklin said he was impressed with Connor Scaglione and how he has fit in and how he handled himself when Jordan Williams went out and he had to go in at RG. He said that Scaglione has played a lot of ball at Princeton and he was ready to roll as soon as they called his number.

Franklin said that Ethan Mackenny did great coming in at LT in his first college game as a true freshman. He didn't let the moment get too big for him. He said he also talked with him some during the game having been in his shoes before and knowing how overwhelming that can be, but Mackenny handled it well.

Franklin said he is still adjusting to being the vocal guy in the OL room, but he feels like he is making progress there as a leader.

Just heard on Chuck and Chernoff that Miami is offering a BOGO ticket deal for this weekend with Texas A&M. Buy one ticket for TAMU and get one ticket for the GT game. LOL. They are giving away free tickets to a CONFERENCE game. Holy shit!

Welcome back to another year of the Couch Coach session. Once again, thank you KQ and thank you Yellow jacket for tuning in

Here are a few gifs i decided to breakdown to give an idea of what happened on field vs. UL. These are used to give others a different perspective on how to watch football. I don’t do this to disparage players or coaches, but to give insight to GT enthusiast on what I’ve learned as a player and avid football fan.

This was a big missed opportunity for the GT program. Simple as that. The biggest issues of the game was missed tackles, which led to first downs and TDs & HALFTIME. Our O found a rhythm and was blocking very well, which explains why we attempted to run the ball in the second half.




Really good swim move by the DE. #55 Robinson doesn’t get a hand on him. As bad as he was beat, there was a missed assignment by the RB


#4 Dontae is in Check & release. Since there is an immediate threat in the B gap, he should at minimum Chip the DE so the ball can get out for a 1st down

One of the positives that emerged from the game was Jamal Haynes. He showed that he has that “make you miss” ability when the ball is in his hands. One thing I’ve notice early on, he’s not as patient as a runner he needs to be when running btw the tackles. He needs to set the blocks and follow them Here 2 examples:




Here on the counter play, we get the kick out by Nasty Joe and a great seal #2 Leonard. The crease is not big, but Haynes need to continue running out off Dylan’s but into C gap and cutting into the guy being blocked



Same here on the GT counter. Run off the buttcrack of the pulling Tackle and now you’re in the 2nd level 1v1 vs a Safety



0 TFLs. That happens due to lack of penetration or being out of position. #7 Tatum takes a bad read step when his read keys (the G & T) is telling him he should be coming down hill and filling that gap for a loss. CP does a good job filling, but his head down which led to him missing the tackle



We get pressure up the middle but this a great job by #18 Harvey. Not only getting the PBU but also avoiding the PI by not turning the WR pads with his backside hand




This is what we’ve been hearing all summer about CBF offense. Getting the ball to playmakers and allowing them to make plays in space. A swing pass with a great block by Leonard and great effort from #8 Rutherford downfield. The success of this play setup another play



Great job here on what believe is an RPO. Rutherford needs to be careful avoiding an OPI here




These next sequence of run plays are 😍 Great job OL all around
Great job #72 Franklin handling the DT #65 Scaglione getting up to 2nd level and sealing the LB, and great job Joe and true Frosh Ethan on washing the back side




Great job again by Scag sealing the LB and creating the cutback for Haynes on the inside zone run.




Brent Key and Geep Wade has a serious decision to make here. I think we have our LT of the future. He just needs some more seasoning. I saw some really good things from him when entered in the 2nd qtr. Look at the beautiful dosey doe btw Fusile & Mackenny. MacKenny reaches the backside DE & seals the edge. Joe comes off the block and seals backside LB creating a massive hole for Cooley to burst thru. Good scheme by Faulkner using the jet motion to take away a defender from that side



Look at the bulls run wild on this screen. A devastating block by Franklin on the LB that actually breaks this for a TD. Look at Fusile running down field looking for action. Gotta love it



Imo this is the turning point of the game. This was a throw to see if our DBs tackling issues were a blip or an actual problem. This gave the UL team all the ammo they needed.




Good coverage on the mesh concept. Im very curious for someone to ask Thack what is teaching mid level defenders and on what to when the QB scrambles outside the pocket. Most defenders you see here would rush the QB immediately but over the past 4yrs, our guys also look to be stuck in no man land which allows the play to extend longer.




I thought Haynes King was solid and showed a lot of promise. This is probably his best throw of the night. Far hash to the sideline on a rope is impressive




I thought Tatum and Moala were very solid. QB draw here, Moala does a good job using his hands defeating the OL block. Same for Tatum not letting a RB block him and holding UL to a FG



A simple hitch- this is one of those plays where you throw your headset as a coach. Absolutely no reason for the CB to jump inside bc it is Cov 1 and he has outside leverage. Simply staying outside allows the help to come and make a tackle. These are basic fundamentals that needs to be cleaned immediately

I double booked myself and can't go Saturday. Two tickets in lower west (107) with seatbacks available to a GT fan. $35 for the pair. DM me.

I’m looking to get rid of my stepdad’s 2001 Mercury Sable. 98k only on it. Drives fine if you like a boaty sedan. Would be a good starter car for a teenager. Air probably needs a recharge but works unless it is insanely hot. As is.

My mom wanted to get rid of it from the garage as she has a much newer car and they had stopped driving this one.

Ping me if you are interested. They are selling for like 3500-4600 but I’ll give the JOL discount if someone wants it.

I just cleaned out my email junk mail folder and found an email from December 2018 announcing a new football coach for Georgia Tech. The quotes below were included.


UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOOTBALL HEAD COACH DAN MULLEN
“I am really happy for Geoff and his entire family. When you look at a guy like Geoff and the energy that he brings, the excitement he brings to the sidelines, the juice he has on a daily basis, he will do a great job. I think he will do an amazing job and I think it’s a great hire for Georgia Tech.”

ATLANTA FALCONS CORNERBACK BRIAN POOLE
“I’m thrilled for Coach Collins to get this opportunity at Georgia Tech. I learned a lot playing under him at the University of Florida as he helped mold us into one of the top defensive units in the country. It will be good to have him in Atlanta and I know he’ll put together a strong program.”

ESPN COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYST KIRK HERBSTREIT
“Congratulations to Georgia Tech on a great hire! Geoff Collins is not only an innovative mind but he relates to today’s players as well as any coach in the country. With the recruiting base around Atlanta and the incredible academics that Georgia Tech has to offer, the Jackets are poised to build on their football tradition with Coach Collins at the helm!”

I guess they embedded AI programming in my email system because it sure knew that this email belonged in the junk folder.

THWG

Looks like Garrett Riley got paid to let Dabo run the offense.

Weston Franklin

Chase Lane

Clayton Powell-Lee

Trenilyas Tatum

Following the passing of my stepfather this morning I spent the day with my mom but I wanted to get this knocked out before practice tomorrow. I know how to work and it is what I do.

Which OL players did we lose in the game? Williams? Anyone else? I know LaMiles went out too. Both losses hurt 2nd half play I think.

KQ- Jordan Williams had his pads on later in the game. It looked like he was available. LaMiles was a killer going out, I still have not heard much on him, but I've been very busy. Sylvain Yondjouen was the other one and I fear his is a significant knee injury. We should find out tomorrow.

* With the additions of Cal, Stanford, and SMU, do you expect the ACC to keep the "3 permanent rival" scheduling model and fold in the new additions somehow? How quickly do you expect they will provide an updated 2024 (and beyond) schedule because surely there will be impacts.

KQ- I would assume they will announce the new pairings or whatever the plan is by the end of the football season at the latest. I'd say a few things are safe and a few rotation games as well like GT-FSU that is a showcase game will stay on the books and they will just schedule the rotation around that. I'm very curious how it looks.

* The cornerback play was concerning on Friday night, particularly with zero pass rush to help them out. What is your take on Myles Sims at this point? I was hoping he could rebound from his poor Spring but others seemingly got the nod.

KQ- I think Myles is still not himself and not fully healthy. Until he is playing at a high level and healthy enough to do so I don't think we will see much of him.

Thoughts on the mentality to stick with establishing the run between the tackles for so long in the 3rd and early 4th Q when it clearly wasn’t working? It worked briefly in the 2nd Q but that was also opened up by getting guys to the perimeter 1 on 1 and creating space. Seemed like it was coaching stubborn or coaching scared with the lead or both and didn’t open it up again until Louisville went ahead 29-28.

KQ- I thought many of those plays were RPOs and reads by Haynes King, but I don't have the play calls and/or the patience to sit and watch each one to see what the other players were doing or an All-22 cut of the game where I could see what everyone was doing.

Is the game at MBS supposed to be a home game or neutral? If it’s a home game shouldn’t the in house PA not feature Louisville stuff?

KQ- That was a neutral site game because it was the Peach Bowl-sponsored kickoff game. They pay for it to be neutral. Other Benz games like UNC are home games. It has depended on the set up of the game. I think three were kickoff games and neutral and the other three just home games or something like that. Maybe 2 and 4. One of the games didn't happen due to covid.

I’m sure Key and squad will be dissecting game film all weekend. What changes would you make to the defensive scheme/play calling? What shakeup do you see in the offensive skill player rotation (singelton with a big play at the end of the game)?

KQ- I'm not sure what you do schematically. Louisville is a little different and they had no tape to really work off of with the personnel. It was a guessing game and then they did a Paul Johnson move and just kept hammering the thing that was working, iso on the CBs on the edge. You can't do a ton to scheme for that unless you are very dynamic upfront and can stop the run easily. Skill wise, they need to play Eric Singleton more and they need to keep working to get Jamal Haynes in space and on King's reads in the run game. King has to be willing to run more than he did if they are loading the box like that and daring him to keep it by flowing so hard in the hole. I'm curious what the deal with Jamie Felix was as well. I am not sure if he was dressed or not.

In the 3rd quarter on the play before the Louisville TD, Key was very upset with Thacker and had words for him while walking away. After the TD, Key continued showing his feelings by getting in Thacker's face, which is very unlike what I have ever seen from CBK. Can you tell what the issue was that caused Key's outburst at Thacker? Not asking for any details, that is between those two, but just an idea of Key's concern eg. play calling, poor tackling, etc.

KQ- I would assume it was about the tackling, but it is just an assumption. I did not see the exchange.

I was pretty disappointed by the lack of QB pressure/hits/disruption vs. Louisville. Didn't have great seats to analyze what was happening in the trenches, but I expected more from our DL. What went wrong there Friday night? Did anybody stand out in a good way?

Not tracking all the in game injury stuff, so maybe I missed key guys going out.

KQ- You had your star safety and only returning CB basically out for the entire game. That is going to have a large impact on most programs. Louisville's QB Jack Plummer is excellent at getting the ball out fast and dumping it when it is not there. That was very evident watching him. The Louisville guard box is the best in the ACC with a Rimington Award-level center. Folks need to stop thinking they played Boston College on Friday and realize that was a legit team with a good coach that spent a lot of money on experienced portal guys.

But second half true Frosh Mackenny played the 2 nd half. Was Leftwich hurt, performance, or just my tight seating??

KQ- Leftwich played every snap. Corey Robinson played the first few series and was not good and Ethan Mackenny jumped in at LT.

What prompted Key’s choice to cancel his social media? Is it season long or forever? How does that affect his ability to recruit?

Curious about the entirety of the decision as it seemed to come from nowhere.

Also I’m sure he is glad to not be on it today.

KQ- I had no idea he did that, but I'm not surprised that he would pull it down for a while. They have plenty of ways to talk to kids. Key isn't a guy that is going to be DMing kids, he will be on FaceTime or calls or zoom not DMs. The HC isn't going to be DMing dudes.

Will Colorado or GT win more games this year?

KQ- I don't know enough about the Pac-12 to answer that. I think TCU is very broken. I'm not a big Sonny Dykes guy and his defense was horrendous at times last year and looked worse on Saturday. Don't put a ton of that. TCU had no business being ranked after all that they lost.

Thanks to our new sponsor Inteleca for helping bring back Q's Take my weekly look at things around GT and college sports from my vantage.




I was sort of pleased I was forced to be away from the site for a big chunk of Saturday morning driving up to Kentucky to watch an eerily similar head coach debut his rebuilding program, this time with my number two pick behind Brent Key to be the next Georgia Tech head coach, Alex Golesh. USF jumped out to an early lead and they did their damage in the first quarter instead of the second like the Jackets, but a veteran coach Tyson Helton with a talented roster also counterpunched the same way Jeff Brohm did GT.

Jeff Brohm is considered one of the top coaches in college football and is paid that way (he makes 2x what Key makes). He adjusted well and GT with a less experienced quarterback, offensive line, and minus two starting defensive backs and the top defensive end in the second half didn't.

There were scheme issues, there were play-calling questions but when I really thought about all of it, it becomes clearer as to why some of that happened.

Let's start with the first red flag, the left tackle spot. Corey Robinson was raved about all fall camp and he looked like he was running completely different plays than the other four OLs and on a time delay. It was the worst performance I've seen from an offensive lineman in a long time and I've covered some rough OLs during my long tenure at GT. I assume there is more to the story as to why Corey had a tough day and I'm sure he will bounce back, but when he was pulled that inserted a true freshman Ethan Mackenny into the lineup and I thought he played well, but I'm also going to guess that limited the calls and some of the things offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner was comfortable doing.

I don't have access to the play calls, but I'm going to guess some of those dive runs were RPOs that Haynes King didn't read properly and just handed it off to the RB who was blown up inside. That is a core concept of what GT has in the offense with King and when you misread it, it looks ugly. Go back to CPJ's games and you saw tons of these because it is not easy to do.

Chase Lane and Eric Singleton Jr. were both as good as advertised. Dominick Blaylock was not. I would like to see a lot more from Singleton, like a lot. I'll be curious what the rotation looks like come November as guys like James BlackStrain, Leo Blackburn and young guys like Singleton or Bailey Stockton start to play more.

The running back situation is interesting. I thought it was interesting that Jamie Felix did not play. I'm unsure if he was hurt or just out of the rotation for the day or something else. With the poor vantage point in MBS and my lack of binoculars I couldn't see who was dressed and who wasn't. I thought Trey Cooley bounced back well, he had missed some time in camp and ran hard. Jamal Haynes is a great fit for what Buster likes to do with his RBs in the pass game and in space. I am hopeful for Dontae Smith he gets some more to operate next time. He had one decent hole to run through.

Louisville made great adjustments and GT didn't have great counter moves for some of it but the game came down to three plays that killed momentum and one late drop. The team still had a chance to recover an onside kick with some momentum and win the game, but you wouldn't know it because most of the GT fans left the freaking stadium before the game was out of hand.

The rest of the OL played well. I thought King was pretty good, his clock needs to speed up given the LT issues though or he won't survive if that spot doesn't improve.

Defensively, they had issues tackling in the secondary and Trenilyas Tatum and Paul Moala are not Ayinde Eley and Charlie Thomas yet in this defense where they can erase some of those errors.

Not having either Myles Sims or Zamari Walton and their level of experience was tough at the CB spot. I thought Kenan Johnson played okay but his tackling like the rest of that group was not good. Ahmari Harvey was playing his first real snaps and Kenyatta Watson came off the bench and played so I'd be curious to see how they look more settled in with more real game snaps again. Both played really well in fall camp.

Losing LaMiles Brooks was huge because he is a huge playmaker and when he goes out that duo of Jaylon King and Clayton Powell-Lee didn't look as comfortable. LaMiles only played 16 snaps on Friday before leaving with an undisclosed injury. King and Powell-Lee should be rotating with each other not subbing for the best safety in the ACC IMO. They need Brooks to be healthy to win games this year.

Upfront, Sylvain Yondjouen suffered a knee injury and it didn't look good. I'm very concerned as someone who has known that young man now for five years that his season might be done. Hopefully, that is not the case. If it is, they really need Eddie Kelly and Josh Robinson to step up.

The DL faced one of the best guard boxes they will see all year so I would not put much stock in how the DTs looked and some of the pass rush. Jack Plummer is very good at getting the ball out his hand and avoiding sacks and he did that consistently.

David Shanahan punted the ball better, and Blaylock did a good job with the punt returns. Christian Leary made some very bad decisions on kickoffs early to put GT behind the sticks. Gavin Stewart kicked off well, but the missed field goals are a concern. I told Russell on the second one when King scrambled to the right I thought he would miss it. I didn't like the hash for that short kick for Stewart and he pulled it. The long kick, I'm sure Key told him don't get it blocked and he kicked that one okay.

Overall, I thought they looked better than I expected out of the gate. The offense was significantly better than I expected. The defense was hit-and-miss, but Brohm is a great offensive coach and folks need to remember this is a process.

I mentioned Golesh up top. He took over a team that has 3 wins in three years or something like that. He played 46 guys on offense and defense combined in game one just seeing who can play. Key unfortunately has expectations and can't do things like that and has to win games out of the gate so he has to keep tinkering with things here and there but they have to figure out some key spots like CB, LT and finding a way to be more consistent in the run game.

My ceiling is probably one game lower now, but I'm encouraged by what I saw.

So when is the adidas contract up? Hoping JBatt can get us Nike and I’m sure that would be better for us and Nike is a better brand and has better gear. Not a big fan of adidas.

ATLANTA- Georgia Tech started back up on Tuesday with a full pads practice as the Jackets aim to get back on track with South Carolina State coming to town. Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key spoke to the media for his Tuesday presser following practice and gave some updates on his team ahead of the true home opener on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Key was pleased the Jackets get to face South Carolina State head coach Oliver Pough in his final season as a head coach before he retires at the end of the year.

"Coach Pough is a legend in his conference, in his division and in his level of football. He is finishing up his 22nd year at his alma mater. He will be retiring after this season and we were privileged to play them many years ago (2008) when I was at UCF and you know they gave us a dogfight. His teams are well-prepared. They play hard and they've got some good players on their team. I wanted to make sure I noted that," Key said. "It is an honor to coach against him in his final ride before he retires."

Pough played at South Carolina State and has spent most of his life in two stints as a coach either as an assistant or head coach with the program going back to 1979. He has been the head coach there since 2002.


Key said that Sunday and Tuesday practices have been heavily about Georgia Tech and looking at mistakes and correcting the mistakes not just talking about them. He said he thinks the most improvement all year can be made between game one and game two and they spent a lot of time on Saturday as a staff and then on Sunday with the players being critical with individual players and position groups.

Key said he felt like they did a good job at situational football and that is something they can build off. He said it is also important to not dwell on what happened on Friday too long.

I asked him about Sylvain Yondjouen and the other players who went out with injuries on Friday, LaMiles Brooks and Jordan Williams. He said that Sylvain was "suited up" and that they will know more on him tomorrow. He said the other guys were fine and back practicing. He said that Sylvain would have to go by Wednesday or anyone else who is injured/hurt and missing practice in order to play in a game. (This was an old CPJ rule as well.)

Key said the explosives they gave up on defense swung the game 100 yards the other way. He said they spent a lot of time focusing on why those explosives happened and then adjusted to fix or eliminate the mistakes that led to them.

On Ethan Mackenny, Key said we will see him play again this week and that he is a very talented young man and he has know him and his family for many years. He said that Mackenny was 225 pounds the first time he had him in a camp and he is 290-295 now. He is going to be a fine football player at GT and he plays the game the right way. The moment wasn't too big for Mackenny and he was dialed in and locked in like a guy who had played 15-20 games. Key thought he did really well especially in the run game and they were able to run behind him a few times.

On the DL, Key though they played okay, he said they had some pad level issues at times and issues getting off blocks and that was a problem across the D on Friday night. He said the DL had some stunts that didn't go as designed and guys were a little slow getting into gaps at times and disengaging from blocks and defeating blocks to get extension to disrupt the ball carrier. He gave a lot of credit to Jack Plummer as well for how quick he got the ball out, but they need to get more penetration and get off blocks.

I asked Key about the horrendous edge tackling across CFB that hurt also hurt GT on Friday and said they've been working on it a lot in the last two practices. He said they knew how they played relative to each other but now they've seen how they play against an opponent and it is a lot different and always is so they want to see the jump up from game one to two with tackling in particular and guys rallying to the football. He said they knew how they lined up against themselves position by position and they had 400 live reps ahead of the first game and improved but they still have a ways to go with tackling. He said also guys have to believe their teammates have their back and go for the kill on the tackle instead of just trying to slow down the guy and wait for help.

Key said that he thought they were very good on third downs on both sides of the ball, but the middle downs 1st and 2nd down is where they got burned with negative plays on offense and momentum plays given up by the defense.

Key said they want to be aggressive and that is why he kicked the long field goal and he has a lot of faith in Gavin Stewart who is a great competitor. He said on the missed shorter field goal, Stewart just hit the ball thin and they went live today with the kickers and worked on it and he expects Gavin to bounce back.

I asked about the mental approach coming off a loss and the positives he saw from Friday, he said that if you told him five years ago he would have anything positive to say after a loss he wouldn't believe you. He said he is pissed and the team is pissed they let one slip away. He said that 48 teams feel like they can win the natty after week one and 48 teams feel like the end of the world is coming after a loss in week one. He said his job is to make sure that loss doesn't turn into more losses.

Key said he felt like they were much faster and more physical than a year go and they were better prepared as a team and he credits that to the offseason training and coaching. He liked how disciplined they were in terms of penalties. It meant guys were dialed in but also he saw them having some fun.

On the RBs, he said that Trey Cooley did a nice job, but he can't have the ball come out on the goal line like he did. That was being addressed today and worked on to fix that. He thinks that Jamal Haynes is an electric player with the ball in his hands and can be a factor in the run and pass game. He also has really helped them on kickoff coverage too running down field and he just loves playing the game.

Key said he thought David Shanahan punted the ball really well and he three downed inside the 10 to set up very bad field position for Louisville and that was great to see. He thought the punt coverage was great as well and guys understood their responsibilities and stayed in their lanes (an issue a year ago) and they've got to keep that up. He said that SC State likes to come after punts.


Btw Key is a true Parrothead and was very bummed about Jimmy Buffett's death. He said he went to 22 Buffett concerts and he was truly his favorite musical artist.

Place is a disgrace

Lost his son yesterday. His son was a student at Morehouse. He was an impressive young man who valued education. I hurt for Hugh as I cannot fathom losing a child.

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I know several of us on here will be tailgating in the HD lot for the opener and everyone generally has their own group, but….
What better chance to have a JOL tailgate?
Logistics of trying to enter at or around the same time are improbable, but let’s discuss interest. If there are enough people involved, we can switch to logistics.

This made me laugh pretty hard when I could use a laugh.

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THE FLATS – Erin Dixson has been named an assistant coach for Georgia Tech softball, coach Aileen Morales announced on Friday. The staff’s new addition will serve as pitching coach for the Yellow Jackets.



“I’m thrilled to have Erin join our staff on The Flats,” said Morales. “Through our search, it became evident that Erin not only brings elite pitching knowledge and experience, but is also a perfect fit for our program in aligning with our values and building relationships. I can’t wait to get to work with Erin as she makes her way to campus and becomes an integral part of our staff!”



Dixson comes to the Flats on the heels of her second season as an assistant coach at UNCW in which she helped guide the Seahawks to the program’s first Colonial Athletic Association championship and NCAA tournament appearance.



Tech’s new addition led her pitching staff to rank near the top of the CAA in team ERA, registering a 2.71 mark for just the 13th time Seahawk slingers have posted a team ERA lower than 3.00. Two of Dixson’s hurlers posted sub-2 ERAs, ranking top three in the league and landing first-team all-conference honors as right-hander Janel Gamache was tabbed CAA Player of the Year under Dixson’s Tutelage.



Under Dixson’s watch last season, the Seahawks’ staff tallied 14 complete games and four shutouts while striking out 262 batters, the sixth most in program history.



In her first season at UNCW, Dixson put together one of the top pitching staffs in the country as the Seahawks finished with a 1.85 ERA as a staff and a school-record 308 strikeouts thanks in large part to a freshman duo. The aforementioned pair posted the top two lowest ERAs in the CAA and became UNCW's first CAA Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year honorees.



UNCW tossed 23 complete games and heaved 10 shutouts in 2022, setting a program record with seven saves under Dixson. The Seahawks also picked up a landmark series victory over softball royalty James Madison for the first time since 2006.



Individually, Dixson groomed then freshman Emily Winstead to become an NFCA Top 25 Freshman after setting the school’s single-season strikeout record for freshmen on top of her CAA Pitcher of the Year recognition.



Dixson made the move to UNCW’s staff following two seasons as pitching coach at Georgia State. Tech’s future leader in the circle helped the Panthers' pitching staff lower its ERA by nearly a run during her time downtown.



Before landing at Georgia State, Dixson spent the 2019 season as the pitching coach at Lamar as her ace produced a 2.30 ERA, and the team finished with a sub-3 ERA.



Dixson earned her master's degree in Kinesiology from LSU and served as a graduate manager for two seasons with the Tigers, who reached the NCAA Women's College World Series in 2017.



As a student-athlete, Dixson graduated from Ecker with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2015 after appearing in 52 games for the Tritons from 2014-15. Dixson currently ranks fourth in program history with a 2.78 ERA and sits ninth on the career list with 113 strikeouts, while her 24 wins in the circle are good for sixth in school history.



The Amherst, N.Y., native also excelled at the plate, hitting .308 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI. Her .571 slugging percentage finished third in Eckerd program history.



Dixson received Second-Team NFCA All-South Region recognition as a first baseman during her senior season and was a Second-Team All-Sunshine State Conference pick after blasting 11 home runs with 36 RBI.

About the Fred Haskins Award | Previous Recipients

Columbus, Ga. – Georgia Tech’s Christo Lamprecht, who won The Amateur Championship this summer and earned the Silver Medal as low amateur at The Open Championship, is among 24 golfers named Tuesday the pre-season watch list for the 2024 Fred Haskins Award, given annually to the nation’s top male United States collegiate golfer.

The senior from George, South Africa, currently sits No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and is No. 2 in the pre-season PGA Tour University ranking of the nation’s top eligible seniors. He has been named a pre-season, first-team All-American by both Golf Channel and Golfweek magazine.

Ranked No. 6 nationally by Golfstat and No. 8 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index at the end of last spring, Lamprecht was a finalist for the 2023 Haskins Award and a first-team All-American by both the Golf Coaches Association of America and Golfweek magazine. The 6-foot-8 senior had a victory and three runner-up finishes in 2022-23, winning the Inverness Intercollegiate in the fall, and then finishing second at the Watersound Invitational, the Linger Longer Invitational and The Goodwin in the spring. Selected to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team for the second straight year, Lamprecht led the Yellow Jackets to the program’s 19th ACC Championship, the title at the NCAA Salem Regional and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship. He was the team’s highest finisher in six of 12 stroke play events.

Lamprecht aims to join four Georgia Tech golfers who have previously won the Fred Haskins Award: David Duval (1993), Stewart Cink (1995), Matt Kuchar (1998) and Bryce Molder (2001).

Tech opens its 2023 fall season Sept. 15-17 at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational in Olympia Fields, Ill.

HASKINS AWARD WATCH LIST

• Cole Anderson, Florida State
• Josele Ballester, Arizona State
• Michael Brennan, Wake Forest
• Luke Clanton, Florida State
• Nick Dunlap, Alabama
• Mats Ege, East Tennessee State
• Caden Fioroni, UNLV
• David Ford, North Carolina
• Nick Gabrelcik, North Florida
• Ian Gilligan, Florida
• Andrew Goodman, Oklahoma
• Austin Greaser, North Carolina
• Ben James, Virginia
• Tobias Jonsson, Mercer
• Christo Lamprecht, Georgia Tech
• Christiaan Maas, Texas
• Dylan Menante, North Carolina
• Maxwell Moldovan, Ohio State
• William Moll, Vanderbilt
• Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt
• Cole Sherwood, Vanderbilt
• Preston Summerhays, Arizona State
• Caleb Surratt, Tennessee
• Michael Thorbjornsen, Stanford

Celebrating its 54th year, the Fred Haskins Award presented by Stifel is annually given to the top male U.S. collegiate golfer as voted on by only college golfers, coaches and members of the golf media. Past winners of the Haskins Award presented by Stifel have captured 33 major championships and more than 400 professional tournaments around the world. Named in honor of Fred Haskins, the award is managed by the Haskins Foundation to acknowledge the top male golfer at the end of the season and to match the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel, which acknowledges the top female Division I collegiate golfer.

I just realized that Saturday may be the only game I will be able to take my 6 and 4 year old sons to this season. I may make it to one or two others myself, but they wouldn't be able to join me. Anyone have any good seats for cheap?