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.
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