Info, stats, players to watch analysis and game picks for the "Techmo Bowl" at high noon in Blacksburg.

Wanted to go ahead and get this on here with another ACC Thursday night matchup this week.

As you will see below, the crew is high on Georgia Tech's chances of a bounceback this week. You can decide if that is a good or bad thing, but usually we've been pretty good about these situations.

Updated Standings:

Bronston 44-33 (6-2 last week)
Kelly 40-37 (6-2)
Sed 34-43 (2-6)
Alex 27-50 (2-6)

Games for this week:

-Syracuse at Pittsburgh (-6)
Cuse: Bronston, Kelly, Sed❌
Pitt: Alex✅

-Louisville (-7.5) at Boston College
Louisville: Bronston, Kelly, Sed, Alex❌
BC:

-North Carolina at Virginia (-4)
UNC: Sed, Alex✅
UVA: Bronston, Kelly❌

-Wake Forest (-3) at Stanford
Wake: Kelly, Sed, Alex🟰
Stanford: Bronston🟰

-Oregon State at California (-10)
Oregon State: Bronston, Alex❌
Cal: Kelly, Sed✅

-Florida State at Miami (-21)
FSU:
Miami: Bronston, Kelly, Sed, Alex✅

-SMU at Duke (+11.5)
SMU: Alex❌
Duke: Bronston, Kelly, Sed✅

-Georgia Tech (+10.5) at Virginia Tech***With score prediction
GT: Bronston (VT 27-24), Kelly (GT 27-24), Sed (GT 31-17), Alex (GT 34-30)❌
VT:

From California. 6-foot-4, class of 2026, fastball in the low 90s right now.

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My son and I are making the trip to Blacksburg (and hoping for a much better outcome than this past weekend). Does anyone have any experience parking there?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/58...llege-football-playoff-nil/?source=nyt_sports

Ole Miss built a $10M roster to reach the 12-team Playoff. With 2 losses, now what?​

If you get the Athletic, this is a solid article: spending money doesn't guarantee outcomes, but does not spending money guarantee a team won't get there? Clearly Kiffin isn't the end all be all.

With Stockton's quotes from yesterday and some about him from Key from today's media. Keep that Prince Avenue Christian pipeline coming from the Bulldogs' backyard in my opinion.

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Was the coach that orchestrated the turnaround at Kennesaw. Just awful

Anyone who was at Tech in the early 90's probably remembers "Dan the Man" who played around campus. He's hosting a charity event Thursday the 7th if interested. I know it's pricey, but it's charity.

Join us for Ramblin' Aid! An evening with "Dan the Man and Friends" on Thu Nov 07 2024 at 7:00 PM at Torched Hop Brewing Company. Get ready for a night filled with great music, good vibes, and unforgettable memories. Don't miss out on this opportunity to see Dan the Man and his talented friends perform live. Grab your friends and come enjoy some amazing tunes and delicious drinks. I hope to see you there supporting this special event.

Dan Shinedling says, "As a GT student who put himself through school, I know how hard it is to balance the extreme rigors of GT and your check book at the same time! There were times when I felt I had no where to turn. The SGA Relief Fund can provide some relief to students in need, and we want to help!"


linky

ps the discount code still worked as of this morning.

5 teams bowl qualified - Miami, Clemson, Pittsburgh, SMU, and Duke

4 teams undefeated in ACC, 2 undefeated overall - Miami (7-0; 3-0), Clemson (6-1; 5-0), Pittsburgh (6-0; 2-0), and SMU (6-1; 3-0)

Path to ACCG and CFP: Miami, Clemson, and SMU do not play each other....could this lead to 3 ACC teams getting into CFP if all 3 run the table in regular season and Clemson wins the ACCCG? Some national guys are talking about that possibility now. Of the four undefeated ACC teams, only Pittsburgh & Clemson, and Pittsburgh and SMU, play each other. (Yes...of course I want GT to beat Miami, but this conversation is with ACC hat on)

Key Injury for SMU: SMU lost leading WR R.J. Maryland for the season with a torn ACL...NFL level kid with experience. Who steps up?

California 4 losses by total of 9 points: California is 0-4 in ACC play by a total of 9 points....3 games where the kicker missed relatively easy FGs to win it. This includes loss to Miami by 1 and Pitt by 2.

Duke Home Field Advantage - Duke has won 12 of their last 13 home games.


ACC begins to separate top and bottom half...

STANDINGS
Clemson 5-0 (OFF)
Miami 3-0 (v FSU)
SMU 3-0 (at Duke)
Pittsburgh 2-0 (v Syracuse - Thurs)

Duke 2-1 (v SMU)
Syracuse 2-1 (at Pittsburgh - Thurs)
VaTech 2-1

GaTech 3-2
Louisville 2-2 (at Boston College - Fri)
Virginia 2-2 (v UNC)

Boston College 1-2 (v Louisville - Fri)
Wake Forest 1-2 (at Stanford)
NCState 1-3 (OFF)
Stanford 1-3 (v Wake Forest)
FSU 1-5 (at Miami)
UNC 0-3 (at Virginia)
California 0-4 (v Oregon St)

ATLANTA- Georgia Tech football coach Brent Key spoke to the media for the final time before his team heads up to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon in Lane Stadium. The big story remains the status of starting quarterback Haynes King and when will he return to the field.

Key said that King would not play if the game was played today, meaning the Jackets faithful should expect to see Zach Pyron make his second start of the season and second straight start at Virginia Tech. Pyron led the Jackets to a 28-27 win in Blacksburg as a true freshman in 2022.

"Haynes, you know if we were to play right now it would be a no. I'm still gonna keep him day-to-day but I would say it is a capital H hopefully that he would be able to go, but those things have different timetables. He is improving every day. Hopeful is closer to doubtful and if it was something that would definitely have him out we would say it, but I'm still holding out hope and I'm confident in the other guys too."

Starting slot receiver Malik Rutherford is good to go per Key. Starting middle linebacker Kyle Efford is hopeful according to Key.

"Kyle has been practicing but is still limited in practice and we will see where he is at on Saturday," Key said. "It will probably be a truly a pre-game decision, see what he if he is able to go out and do it or whatnot. The other guys (Tah'j Butler and E.J. Lightsey) are getting reps and preparing."

Key also offered updates on running back Trey Cooley who has not played since the first kick return of the Florida State game and nickel/corner/punt returner Rodney Shelley.

"(Rodney) was close last week so if he continues on that trend if continues on the trend he is on I would say he is hopeful. I know there is questionable, doubtful and probable right, but I've got hopefully on a lot of them right now," Key said. "That is a new category on the injury report."

This week was the first significant work Cooley has seen at running back since the preseason and Key says he is getting closer to returning.

"Trey Cooley has had the most practice reps he has had in quite a while," Key said. "I've been pleased to see him be able to come back and start to progress at a good pace again. He is in that H category."

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Key talked about being 48 hours from kickoff and they are excited to play a good VT football team and thinks people have overlooked them some because of how close their losses are this season in OT to Vanderbilt, a three-point loss to Rutgers and the Miami game that you could argue could've gone the other way at the end. He said looking around CFB you notice the parity all around and he was preparing for the game last night and looked up and saw the KSU-Liberty score and flipped it one. He said that it shows the parity of CFB this year and how any team can beat anyone else on any day and it is becoming more common not less. He said that was a huge win for Brian Bohannon and his staff.

Key said that VT and GT are very similar teams down to two Brents coaching them (both 3-letter last names that end in Y as well) and two even teams that might do things in different ways but they are similar in all three phases. He thinks Brent Pry does a good job and is a good football coach going into his third year now and you see them improving each year and getting better and getting better each week and correcting mistakes week-to-week when you watch the film. He said he expects a good environment, an ACC game and an early kickoff so they get to wake up and just play football.

I asked Key about preparing to stop/slow down VT QB Kyron Drones and he said that anytime you have someone that can do both (run and pass effectively) it can really break you down and you have to play more man-to-man coverage and you got guys turning their backs to the LOS and you have to be cage responsible in the pass rush and not let him leak out and they've had some issues with that. He said that Drones reminds him of Jalen Hurts with what he does on the field, he can run, big and strong kid who does a good job with the concepts them use and where he throws it and who he throws it to and they do a good job with the run game on QB runs, a draw or a scramble.

Key said that Corey Robinson is one of the captains this week and he has a big challenge ahead of him against VT's DL and he has done well with the opportunities he has had against those types of teams and Corey has kept battling and working and he was playing good football at the end of last year and injuries caught him early this year but he kept pushing, he has been very proud of him and Jordan Williams and then the guys on the inside. He said that VT will move, stunt and blitz and they've got to be responsible with their assignments on the O-line and the rules they have in the run game and protection, so it will be a big challenge.

Key was asked if he made changes to coaching responsibilities or personnel on special teams and he said he isn't going to talk about personnel before the game, but they will put the guys out there that give them the best chance to succeed based on the information they have this season and from previous games. He said he talked on Tuesday about practice during the week and the execution on Saturday and they've got to marry up.

Key was asked about tackling and how that is very important against VT's run game and pass game. Key said that in the first third of the season they were okay, they had some missed tackles in the second game and kind of came back from that and they've had an upward trend on that and he talked very strongly to the defense as a group about making tackles and the same with the offensive guys on special teams making tackles and having the confidence to do it. That doesn't mean they are afraid or can't do it right, but when they number is called let's go and pull the string and go do it and trust that those other guys are gonna be behind you. I want them to cut it loose, don't try to be perfect, don't try not to make a mistake, mistakes are going to happen, we know that, it is about cutting loose and going to play.

I asked Key about the opening drives of the third quarter and how that middle third of the game seems to be the difference in winning or losing. They scored TDs against GA State, VMI and UNC on the first drives of the 3rd QT and got a FG against Louisville and a missed FG against FSU, but had three and outs against Cuse and ND. The only game they won where they punted there was Duke. Key said that there hasn't been a common thing to each of those drives out of the half but it is something they are meeting about today at 2pm and he is a believer in making adjustments mid-game and not during halftime but he said they have to come out and sustain drives out of halftime and do a better job of that and sustain drives in the third quarter.

Key said whether Efford is in the game or not and Efford is their eraser in the run game, the other guys need to step up and play well, Efford can't carry their run D. They've all got responsibilities they have to carry out and Tyler Santucci has done a good job of developing those guys by playing them and there is no better way to develop a player than playing them, especially at linebacker and safety. You want them attacking al l the time and there is a reactionary part based on where the gaps open and gaps start to develop and the keys between run, pass, play-action and RPOs so the experience is only going to continue helping those guys out there by playing.

I asked about Bailey Stockton's development behind Malik in the slot and Key said that Bailey is a really good player and he has improved a lot in the last year. The staff are extremely confident in Bailey in there and he can help take some reps off Malik and as he gets more experience he can be more crafty like Malik is. Malik is a crafty little player that knows the game very well and has lots of banked reps behind him. A lot of things have happened and Malik is in year three and there are things like breaking in or breaking out or different things when you play in the slot and a special skillset you have to have in there and a lot of that position is mental too, understanding coverages, understanding adjustments and how defenses play you and being on the same page as the QB. He has been extremely happy with Bailey's development.

Bowl Projections

Mark Schlabach ESPN Sun Bowl vs Oregon State (12/31)
Sports Illustrated Pop Tarts Bowl vs Cincy (12/28)
CFB News Pop Tarts Bowl vs BYU (12/28)
Kyle Bonagura ESPN- Fenway Bowl vs Memphis (12/28)
Bleacher Report Pinstripe Bowl vs Michigan (12/28)
247 Sports Military Bowl vs Navy (12/28)
USAToday- Birmingham Bowl vs Arkansas (12/27)
Jerry Palm CBS Boca Raton Bowl vs Miami (OH) (12/18)

I’ll start with the big news in hoops. As far as team stuff goes, look for that next week during the second bye week

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He needed to. Poor kid has taken a pounding and this year it was much worse.

I mention this in the analysis at the bottom, but Virginia Tech doesn't have a single starter that was rated higher than a 3-star recruit. Doesn't mean much now, but I just found it kind of weird. I thought the Hokies usually hit on a few higher rated recruits per class back in the day.

click here to listen to Key's presser

Side note: Along with him being one of the player interviews, I got to meet Bailey Stockton up close and personal twice on Wednesday as almost as soon as I got into the media viewing portion of practice, Bailey ran a route during a drill close to the sideline, came off full speed and narrowly missed a big collision with yours truly. I still like to think I have a little bit of cat-like speed and reflexes left in me.

But elsewhere at practice today, Key made his voice heard at certain times over the loudspeaker to make sure the intensity and focus was to his liking.

Here's everything from player media below:

A few weeks ago, we were talking about a lost picture of one of our players with pieces of the hedge in his mouth after the 2008 win over there... well, I think I found it on my own computer. Welcome back to the Internet, Andrew Smith & Hedge.

Really having a top tier offseason over there.

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🤦🏻‍♂️

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How long do you think Efford will be out?

KQ- He is day-to-day, like I said before the ND game, they were trying to get him ready in case he could go.

When we (finally) have a winning program?

KQ- This is the groundwork stage of it, compare it to GOL's second full season. I think that is where they are at right now. It wasn't exactly a turnkey operation hence why GC3 got fired four games into the year and not at the end of the year like most coaches. It was a mess and it was so bad the school president fired everyone. Key is fixing it block by block.

I’ve got two:

Is it me or does ot seem like we quit before the whistle? Multiple games we’ve got the stop and then the runner/qb breaks free for an extra five yards. Not sure if we are afraid of a penalty or think we’ve got the stop.

KQ- I get what you are asking, you think guys are pulling up a little bit. I haven't seen that as much as just unsound tackling at times at the second level and some guys regressing to what they did under the previous staff.

What a dumpster fire special teams we are, getting as bad as GC3 days. What do we have to do to turn the page? Brumfield was courted and we ponied up, but wow are we bad.

KQ- There are a few different pieces to the special teams puzzle and it is not just Ricky, but also Tim Salem who Key brought in from Pitt who is the primary person who works with that group and then some other people who help in different areas. The mistakes have been all over the place too. It is not just on Aidan Birr or David Shanahan or Henry Freer. Each one of the breakdowns or miscues has been a different thing. It is super weird to me. With GC3 they couldn't get off a punt at all. That is a different issue.

When does Brunfield get fired and who do you think we will look at the replace him?

Also, are we recruiting another punter and/or kicker?

KQ- As I said above he isn't alone in coaching this thing and Key has to figure out why they are having mostly mental mistakes in multiple areas. It is easy to point the finger at the special teams coordinator but he didn't snap the ball high like the first missed FG Saturday or tell the outside protector at Louisville to let a guy run by him untouched without so much as an arm grazing the guy. I'm not sure why they are having so many mental breakdowns though.

Asking for a friend, How does one reconcile the posture of Brent key being all about toughness, physicality, and accountability…and then watching his team and unit (OLine) play not to that level of talk and hype?

KQ- Physical superiority cancels out a lot of stuff. Notre Dame is a big physical team especially upfront on D and they kicked GT's butt. It has happened under coaches from Heisman to Key at every school. I think it is clear the OL's strength isn't run blocking either in the scheme and they need to continue to adjust there.

Why does Buster lack the ability to adapt? Multiple games now where the run hasn’t been there and he continues trying to force it.

KQ- They ran the ball fine the previous two weeks, ND did a great job of taking away the run. You talk about him trying to force the run, but ZP had 49 dropbacks on 67 snaps, that is not forcing the run. You have to try to loosen it up with some runs. Adapting the run game is a different question with different types of runs, that is a better thing to discuss but above my paygrade in football understanding.

Why do we look like such a poorly coached team? We looked really well coached at the beginning of the year and as the season has gone on, we make more and more mental errors.

Are the systems we’re running too complicated for our kids? I love Key but a lot of this has to fall on him I’d imagine.

Or have we always just been bad and our schedule is nowhere as hard as we thought it would be?

KQ- GT played a top-15 team and it was a one-score game at halftime and a two-score game in the fourth quarter. This isn't Alabama. I don't get this idea of why people think they team is significantly better from a talent standpoint than it is. I never thought they were going to win this game, but they actually played better than I expected.

What changes need to be made to this staff? Why can’t we tackle?

KQ- I think they need better players at some key spots defensively. As far as staff goes, I am not going there.

1) Would we have won this game in Bobby Dodd?

KQ- No, I think it might've been a closer game though.

2) Where is the best chicken sandwich in MBS?

KQ- I have no clue, I try to get into the AMG lounge when I go to MBS for soccer and I never go to Falcons games because I'm always zapped after CFB Saturdays.

Will you please ask Key why we continue this asinine running to the los on every punt. I assume it would open the opportunity for successful fakes, and possibly effect the return team’s responsibilities. However, when every single punt is rushed or nearly blocked and we have poor punt coverage, I think we would all prefer them to line up and execute their blocking assignments. Maybe we have personnel issues on that unit. I recall CPJ saying that was the issue when USF ran those kicks back several years ago.

KQ- Interesting question I'll jot that down.

Was this our fourth year out of five in MBS? Is the UGAg game the last one? Attendance was 59K so that's a positive. Conession prices are more reasonable and it's an awesome stadium. My greivances are I think we'd have better energy at BDS and I go from the 30 yard line in the lower west to the corner of the end zone in MBS. Seems J Batt fixed that for UGAg. What other positives do we get?

KQ- The last year is 2026, I expect that will be it and that is why they did the cash in on the UGA game. Once BDS renovations start they will want to be there for every home game.

Do we use O & D starters on Special Teams, or 2nd stringers ?

KQ- Depends on the unit, the FG unit is a mix of guys starting and backup OL/DL. Something like FG block is all starters. Kickoff coverage is the most varied one because you have guys like Austin Dean the walk-on LB or freshmen like Christian Pritchett or Amontrae Bradford out there and they had quite a few guys having to jump into roles because of injuries so Will Kiker was playing on Saturday on two units or Jacob Cruz who I haven't seen much of on teams.