THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) kicks off the 24th-annual Michael Isenhour Toy Drive in November. Toy donations will be accepted at Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball game versus Georgia on Friday, Nov. 15 (8 p.m. – McCamish Pavilion), women’s basketball contest versus UGA on Sunday, Nov. 17 (2 p.m. – McCamish Pavilion) and home football finale against NC State on Thursday, Nov. 21 (7:30 p.m. – Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field).

Benefitting the Atlanta Children’s Day Shelter, fans are asked to bring donations of new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages. Georgia Tech student-athletes will be stationed at selected entrance gates at both facilities on the days of the drive.

Monetary donations can be made digitally by clicking HERE. Cash and checks cannot be accepted at the games, but student-athletes will have flyers on hand with a QR code directing fans to the online donation page.

For fans that wish to contribute but are unable to attend one of the games, toy donations can be shipped to Georgia Tech at the following address:

Georgia Tech Athletic Association
Attn: Kevin Cone – Michael Isenhour Toy Drive
177 North Avenue NW
Atlanta, Ga. 30332

The Michael Isenhour Toy Drive was founded in 2001 by Georgia Tech men’s basketball student-athlete Michael Isenhour, whose inspiration was to assist families impacted by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Isenhour, who was battling leukemia when he started the toy drive, passed away in 2002. SAAB renamed the toy drive in his honor to create an enduring legacy in memory of their fellow student-athlete.

The Atlanta Children’s Day Shelter was founded in 1986 with a mission to break the cycle of generational poverty for families facing homelessness by building pathways to long-term self-sufficiency by providing quality early childhood education. All families served at ACS live in poverty and have young children under the age of 6. Donations made by Georgia Tech fans help enhance ACS’ annual “Holiday House” event.

Bruce Feldman has him as a strong candidate at both ECU and Southern Miss

Bailey Stockton

Corey Robinson

Romello Height

Sunday, November 10th

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I found a way to go with my 10 month old and wife. Why can’t we get Tech fans to games when we aren’t awful? Are you all dead?

Early line has VT -9.5. Ouch! This tells me Vegas thinking King is out again. Hope ZP is ok. With only 4 games left we may see some Philo since his redshirt will be intact. I think he is the future. For those not paying attention, VT is playing well. We need one more W to make a bowl, and 2 more to make a decent bowl.

Here are a few gifs i decided to breakdown to give an idea of what happened on field vs. Notre Dame. 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.

My keys to winning the game was:

Secondary tackling

Being able to pass and take advantage of man coverage

Secondary tackling was horrible and I thought Pyron did ok vs man but his 2 INTs, i believe he would want back bc both should’ve been big plays for us. Experience reared it’s ugly head as well

Oh, and if anyone tells you we lack physicality in the trenches, particularly, on the DL. Tell them to Just watch the LOS and watch how well the DL played this game



The absence of Efford was evident early on. Here we have a TE screen. Every defender should be cognizant of the formation and offensive alignment. Some miscommunication by the safety andLB Butler as both cover the RB out of the backfield leave the TE alone for a 10 yd gain



Typical stuff that made this game so frustrating for coaches and fans to watch. Again formation and alignment tells you a lot. TE has a tight split . 9x out of 10 he’s either dragging or trying to pin a defender. The safety goes inside instead outside to the flat, which is his assignment. The CB doesn’t bring his lower half or arms and whiffs on the tackle. This play should have been a 3rd down stop



Another missed assignment by the youngster. ND run read option with TE leaking to the flat. We have an unblocked defender here to make the play but instead, Butler and the Safety both take the TE to the flat creating a hole for Riley Leonard to scamper in for the TD



I thought Zach played solid. He showed he can really throw it. This is something fans have been asking for all season with the intermediate passing. Glad for the completion but i also believe the OL protection was good enough to wait on the wheel route by the RB for a tuddy



This is one of the plays Zach may wish he can have back. You have Cover 1 hole from ND. ZP stared at Singleton but did not trust to it. I posted 2 clips so you can see the hesitation by the deep safety. If Singleton is a 10.2 sprinter as we know, you got let this rip and let him run under it. Even Rutherford on the over route with the defender trailing is a better option. Just needed to throw it with air and upfield. All are better then throw to Jannah who gave on the route as well


Great play by ND. The DE makes this happen by crashing hard to influence the give. If he feathers like most unblocked EMLOS does, Pyron would keep and followthe pullers with a really great chance of picking up the 1st down.

GT secondary this is how you break down and tackle


Our Special Teams are Special and not in a good way.


Assignment and execution. For one, this is the longest developing fake punt I’ve ever seen. I know this is seldom something our guys see, but backside edge guy cannot fold inside like that. Bailey Stockton, i know you are a wide WR, but this is poor here. I need you to go at the ball carrier and not dive. This is a play we need to get back in the game and it has to be made



Like i tell my teenage daughter as she’s about to start driving. Don’t assume anything. A blinker doesn’t mean someone is going to turn. A red light doesn’t mean everyone is going to stop. Make sure the action is completed before executing your maneuver. Taye Semore is the safety valve here. He needs to carrying out his assignment every time towards the flat or things like this will happen. His assumption the ball will be kicked cost seconds and gave the kicker enough time to get by him to sticks.


Another one ZP wants back. Footwork appear to have gotten lazy and flatfooted due it being short throw. IMO, that is what led to the ball sailing over Singleton head. A better throw and this is going a long way due to everyone having their back turned their respective receiver

J Batt stopped by our tailgate at the Home Depot Backyard yesterday for a nice visit. He is a great guy and he treated my nephews like they were his kids. Granted it was my first time meeting an athletic director in person but I’m glad we have him leading GT Athletics. Now let’s go knock off the cHokies!

And will be broadcast on The ACC Network.

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Since I'm not there in person, you can probably tell it's not going to go Georgia Tech's way (there's always a 1 percent chance of something crazy though at the last minute in recruiting). But here's the link to watch it live that the OTE media relations guy sent to me:

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ATLANTA- The elephant in the room during Brent Key's Tuesday media avail was the status of star quarterback Haynes King for Saturday's game at Virginia Tech. King missed his first game in two seasons on the Flats last Saturday with an undisclosed injury.

Key responded to a report from a 247Sports reporter covering Virginia Tech that declared King was out for the game against the Hokies.

"Haynes is still day to day," Key said. "Mike (Flynn) told me before we came down there that there was some report that someone said he is not playing. There is one person in this entire stratosphere or universe, something only Shane Kimbrough (GT grad and NASA astronaut) would know of that makes that call and that's myself. There has been zero call made on that, zero. He is day-to-day."

Zach Pyron started for the first time since 2022 against Notre Dame last week and true freshman Aaron Philo assumed the QB2 duties for the game. Key said they are preparing all of their quarterbacks for Virginia Tech.

"Are we preparing other guys to play? Yes. Have we ruled (King) out? No. You heard it from the horse's mouth right there."

Key said that he was pleased with Pyron's performance in King's place on Saturday. Pyron threw for 269 yards and one touchdown but two interceptions including a pick-six against the highly-rated Irish defense.

"Zach is full of grit and toughness and he wills people around him to play that way. He started off hot, really hot and I thought Buster (Faulkner) did a really good job of getting a rhythm going and completing passes early to move us down the field," Key said. "I was very proud of the way he went in and performed. That is not saying the 72 plays were perfect, there are things we got to do better, but the guy made his first start in two years and gave us what he has."

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Key opened up the presser talking about how he was real with his team after the win over North Carolina about the issues they were having and the differences in that game that made that game close and then mistakes in the Louisville game that cost them a win, he said they have to be honest with themselves and they were as they watched the Notre Dame tape and it showed what he thought it would show and it was a culmination of issues that were cropping up before. They had things they needed to address and clean up and they didn't accomplish that and get them cleaned up properly. He talked about how you practice is how you play and what matters is winning a football game on Saturday and what occurred and what didn't occur last week is on him and it starts wit him and begins and ends with him as the head coach.

He said they don't have effort issues, it is not a playing hard issue, there isn't an issue competing for the whole game either, he said it comes down to the detail and execution within the game where they are struggling in multiple phases as well as the deep down belief and expectation that they are going to win the football game. He said from the staff down they have to instill that belief they can win and that confidence. He thinks the guys wanted to win and were playing to win, but they didn't play like that the whole game. He said they can't just flip a switch in the second quarter and start playing harder from the start to the end of the game. Making a block, tackling one-on-one in space, blocking one-on-one, running routes, everyone has to do their job and have confidence built on the repetition of practice and those experiences of doing the job.

Key said the identity of his team is a one that competes hard for four quarters and prepares the right way and then coaching them up to their best of their abilities and he spoke to the team on Saturday about that. They have been working on identifying those issues, GT's Achilles heel and fixing it. They had a lot of conversations about it this week and things have started to take place to ensure there is not a repeat at VaTech which is a hard place to play with a good fan base and it is going to be loud. He thinks they are two evenly matched teams in a lot of ways.

I asked him about the special teams issue and how it seems to be a different problem each time there is an issue and it getting worse over the last four games. Key said there is no seems to it, they have issues and he is has made some adjustments to get them fixed. He said they made massive improvements in special teams for a year and four games and then the second four games it has been an issue. They did a deep dive into and have made the necessary adjustments.

Key said he can live with a missed tackle here or there, it happens and you aren't coaching it to happen but multiple missed tackles is an issue and he knows they aren't afraid to hurt the other person, so are you afraid of contact, are you not confident in your ability to do? They don't go into the game saying I don't want to make a tackle. Ability is ability, that is built into your DNA, they coach up ability, you are not changing that, but are you afraid to get hurt, are you afraid to miss the tackle, you can't be scared out there and in those one-on-one situations, you have to have the confidence to do it, also it helps if people swarm the ball, have the 10 other guys come help you clean it up, gang tackle and leverage the football. It comes down to understanding your keys/responsibilities and then having the confidence the player behind you is going to step up and make a play if you miss.

Key talked a lot more about the confidence piece as part of culture building, check out the audio or video. He was asked how long it takes to develop that and he said it took a few years when he got to GT as a player and 5-6 years at UCF for them to build that consistently within the program where the 60 players who carryover year to year taught the new ones the culture in the locker room. He said last year's team by the end of the year had confidence off the charts and played like that, but it took some bad things to get there and he isn't sure how to bottle what makes that happen into something he can just use at the start of each season. Key said at Alabama it was year nine of Nick Saban being there and 11 out of 12 times they got off the bus the game was over before it started.

Key also said Notre Dame is a good team and they had good players who were disciplined and played a lot of tight man-to-man coverage and their QB did a great job of running the offense. He said that some plays that would've been a 30-yard gain the week before were a 1-2 yard run or catch and run because of guys playing really well. He said at this point in the year there is also a book on every team and things you got away with early in the season and those small margins are erased by good teams exploiting your weaknesses. He said he works every day to build up the culture of the football team and in their locker room so they can be one of those good teams who play like that.

I asked about Kyle Efford's status and he said that Kyle was at practice today in the black non-contact jersey and he is improving but is day-today, they don't want to rush him back if he isn't ready and put the rest of his season in jeopardy.

I asked about EJ Lightsey's first game playing real defense since HS, Key said that EJ has been through a lot since HS and he is excited to see him back out there and the improvements he is making, he said that he could see him improving as his snaps went up during the game and he got more comfortable.

Key then sidetracked into talking about the middle eight of the game and how awful the defense was during those 22-25 plays and they haven't really seen that his year, it is not acceptable and not Georgia Tech defensive football.

Key said that Zeek Biggers is really coming into his own now and their big thing with him is to just do his job and not try to do too much. Key said that he thought that was the best the D-line has played all year against ND. The depth they've added has been crucial to their success and he is enjoying seeing the improvement week-to-week.

On Aaron Philo, Key said he is a freshman and he had the luxury of being here in the springtime and he is ahead of some of the younger guys, but he is a great kid and is awesome to be around. He loves playing football and the guys rally around him and raise up around him. He broke some records in the state of GA for QBs and he is going to be a really good player for him, he is happy with how he is developing.

Brent Key said that reports of Haynes King being ruled out are not accurate. He said only one person knows his status and it is him. He said no decision has been made on King's status for Saturday at VT. He said King remains day-to-day. He said the only person in the stratosphere that knows anything is him. lol

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The Minister of BS is on full display.

Having a solid senior season and is in position to help his team to an undefeated regular season and a region title if they win at home on Friday vs. Hiram.

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Just a clip from their podcast. I remember GT going after Nate for a little but and their were rumors GT had a chance.

After watching this, I know GT never had a chance. He isn't about any school life.

BUT I will say this...... To compete with the top tier of football you have to submit to the idea that they come to play football not school. There will be kids who want to use the benefit of the free education. Then others who simply want to go to the league. You need your roster to be made up with at least 50% of kids with a real shot at the league (blue chip ratio). Hopefully students possibly becoming employees will relax the school part for them if they don't want to heavily pursue it. Have to remember we want to have a large portion of 3 year kids on the team. Meaning they are going top 3-4 rounds after 3 years. GT should be trying to get 4-7 kids drafted every year. That's a start.

All in all kid seems like he has a decent head on his shoulders. Not paying out 50k to a random old acquaintance.

Updated standings:

Bronston 38-31 (4-2 last week)
Kelly 34-35 (3-3)
Sed 32-37 (3-3)
Alex 25-44 (3-3)

Games for this week:

-Boston College at Virginia Tech (-7)
BC: Bronston, Alex❌
VT: Sed, Kelly✅

-Florida State at Duke (-3)
FSU: Sed, Alex❌
Duke: Bronston, Kelly✅

-Miami (-4.5) at Louisville
Miami: Bronston, Kelly ✅
Louisville: Sed, Alex ❌

-Virginia at Clemson (-21.5)
UVA: Bronston, Alex✅
Clemson: Sed, Kelly❌

-Wake Forest (+1) at UConn
Wake: Bronston, Kelly✅
UConn: Sed, Alex❌

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

-SMU (-16) at Stanford
SMU: Bronston, Sed, Alex, Kelly✅
Stanford:

-Georgia Tech (+11) vs. Notre Dame, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium***With score prediction
GT: Bronston (ND 31-24), Sed (GT 27-24), Alex (ND 30-20)❌
ND: Kelly (ND 31-17)✅

***The Tech-ND line has been changing all week, but when I sent everyone the picks it was at +11 so that's what we're going with

Featuring big performances by Kam Cullins, Kevin Roche and others...

I love Brent, but our special teams remind me of Scooter. I hope I never see 43 on the field again, though I recognize he is just one of the culprits.

Here are a few of my thoughts after the disappointing day. But lot of season and goals still out in front of the Jackets. Can't let this one linger very long with a huge one next week.

Is there a group tailgate at the Benz or somebody around to say hi to?

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We’re not a very physical team. We looked very soft today.