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Thought they nailed it—starts with the 2nd down fumble and goes for about 2 minutes after the kick

ATLANTA (Aug. 26, 2024) - Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. today announced that Georgia Tech head football coach Brent Key has been selected as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Presented by PNC Bank.

The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.

Key and the Yellow Jackets captured their first victory of the season with a thrilling 24-21 win over No. 10 Florida State on Saturday at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland. The Yellow Jackets won the game as time expired thanks to a 44-yard field goal courtesy of sophomore kicker Aidan Birr. The field goal culminated a 49-yard drive that took 12 plays and the final 6:33 off the game clock. Georgia Tech finished the game with 190 yards on the ground, led by running back Jamal Haynes’ 75 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. The stout Yellow Jackets defense countered by holding Florida State to just under 100 yards rushing (98) on the day to help secure the program’s first win over a nationally-ranked opponent in a season opener since 2005.

Key now improves to an impressive 5-0 mark against ranked Atlantic Coast Conference opponents following Saturday’s win. It also represents Georgia Tech’s first over a top-10 opponent since the “Miracle on Techwood Drive” in 2015, which was also over then No. 9 Florida State.

“Coach Key and the Yellow Jackets pulled off an impressive upset over the defending ACC champions to open the 2024 college football season,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “This was a historic win for the Georgia Tech football program that truly has the college football world buzzing about the Yellow Jackets.”

Brent Key, a Georgia Tech alumnus and football letterwinner, was officially named the 21st head coach in Yellow Jacket football history on Nov. 29, 2022. After winning just 10 of its previous 38 games, Georgia Tech is now 12-10 in Key’s 22 games as the head coach at his alma mater, including a 7-6 mark in his first full season at the helm in 2023. The winning season was Tech’s first since 2018 and was capped by a 30-17 win over UCF in the 2023 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl.

Off the football field, Key’s players have had success in the classroom during his tenure, recording a 944 Academic Progress Rate and an 88 Graduation Success Rate during the 2023 season. The Graduation Success Rate measures the number of student-athletes who graduate from their school within six years of entering.

In the community, Key recently competed in the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament this spring, where he raised $10,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

“Coach Key is already taking the Georgia Tech football program to new heights his first two years at the helm, both on and off the field,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President, Gary Stokan. “We’re excited to see what additional new milestones he’s able reach this football season and throughout his career.”

The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank – along with the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Award – celebrates the head coach of a FBS team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity.

A panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

See how the Georgia Tech Class of 2025 commits did in their most recent games, including Christian Garrett, who has now moved from the category of priority target to commit. And I'm hearing another Big Body could be joining the class this week too.

Playing in week 0 certainly has its benefits. Every sports highlight is Georgia Tech front and center, every college football
discussion is about the Jackets. There have been other big wins, but I think this is the most wall to wall Georgia Tech media coverage
since the 2003 Final Four.

And I'm here for it.

KEYLAN RUTLEDGE THE MF BIG RED MONSTER!

I seriously doubt we win that game without him plowing through multiple FSU defenders to recover that fumble

Tech will be every ACC teams biggest game this year. Plus georgia State
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I've heard from a few guys in the 2025 class and have seen some other post on Twitter/X about the win. I will include what I have already below and continue to add on as they come in.

-Connor Roush;

"Loved watching them play with a bunch of my friends. I knew they were going to win, Coach Key is changing the culture."

-Grady Adamson:

"Some big things happening at GT, but not a surprise after seeing what they’re putting together!!"

-JP Powell

"Huge win for the Jackets! Super excited to be a part of what Coach Key and staff are building at GT. Even more excited about what the Flyboyz are doing!"

-Andre Fuller Jr.

"What a game that was! The win doesn’t surprise me. There’s something special going on at Tech, and this is just the beginning. Feels great to be the one who kicked everything off this spring recruiting wise having the best recruiting class in school history. This is a glimpse of what is yet to come in the future for GT!"

-Kam Cullins

"Watched the whole game from beginning to end! And really wasn’t surprised about the outcome. I’ve been seeing them work all offseason."

-Kevin Peay Jr.

"It’s a great win for GT and the way them guys compete at practice is what showed up today with the OL."

Team Notes

• Georgia Tech moved to 1-0 overall and 1-0 in ACC play.
• No. 10 Florida State fell to 0-1 overall and 0-1 in ACC play.
• Georgia Tech won the game on a 44-yard field goal by r-So. PKAidan Birr as time expired. It was the first time that the Yellow Jackets scored a game’s winning points as time expired since DB Lance Austin returned a blocked field goal 78 yards for a touchdown in Tech’s 22-16 “Miracle on Techwood Drive” win over No. 9 Florida State on Oct. 24, 2015.
• Saturday’s win was also Georgia Tech’s first over a top-10 opponent since the “Miracle on Techwood Drive” win over No. 9 FSU in 2015.
• Georgia Tech moved to 5-0 against nationally-ranked Atlantic Coast Conference opponents in head coach Brent Key’s 16 conference games as head coach.
• The win was Georgia Tech’s first over a nationally-ranked opponent in a season opener since a 23-14 win at No. 16 Auburn on Sept. 3, 2005.
• The win was Georgia Tech’s first over a top-10 opponent in a season opener since a 24-21 win at No. 4 Alabama on Sept. 12, 1981.
• Georgia Tech snapped a three-game skid in season openers with its first win in an opener since a 16-13 victory at Florida State on Sept. 12, 2020.
• Georgia Tech also snapped a three-game skid in ACC openers (with the 2020 win at FSU also being its last win in an ACC opener).
• Georgia Tech moved to 6-5 all-time when opening the season against an ACC opponent.
• Georgia Tech won for the third time in its last four games against Florida State.
• Georgia Tech moved to 90-38-4 (.697) in 132 all-time season openers.
• Georgia Tech moved to 2-0 all-time in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. In its first appearance in the game on Sept. 3, 2016, the Yellow Jackets defeated Boston College, 17-14. That game also came down to the final minute, as the Jackets scored the game-winning touchdown on a 4-yard run by Dedrick Mills with 35 seconds remaining on the clock.
• Georgia Tech moved to 3-0 all-time when playing outside of the continental United States – 2-0 in Ireland and 1-0 in Hawai’i (an 18-17 win over Stanford in the 1991 Aloha Bowl).
• Georgia Tech limited Florida State, which 401.6 yards per game in 2023, to just 291 yards of total offense on Saturday.
• Florida State finished with just 98 rushing yards on 31 carries (3.2 avg.). After rushing for 58 yards on five carries (11.6 avg.) on their first possession, the Seminoles had only 40 yards on 26 carries the rest of the game (1.5 avg.).

Individual Notes

• Birr’s 44-yard game-winning field goal was the fourth-longest of his career (career long: 48 at Wake Forest – Sept. 23, 2023).
• Castleisland, Ireland native and Sr. P David Shanahan was an integral part of the game-winning field goal as well, serving as the holder on the play. Shanahan also punted twice for 93 yards (46.5 avg.).
• For the first time in his career, r-Jr. RB Jamal Haynes had multiple rushing touchdowns (1 and 2 yards) in a game. It was the second two-touchdown game of his career – he had a rushing and receiving touchdown in last season’s win over Syracuse (Nov. 18, 2023).
• Reserve r-So. QB Zach Pyron scored Georgia Tech’s first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run, good for his first touchdown since a 9-yard touchdown run at Virginia Tech on Nov. 5, 2022.
• r-Jr. DB Ahmari Harvey set a career high with seven tackles (prev.: 7 vs. UCF in 2023 Gasparilla Bowl – Dec. 22, 2023).
• r-Jr. WR Malik Rutherford’s 42-yard reception on Georgia Tech’s first possession of the game matched the second-longest catch of his career (career long: 55 vs. Louisville, Sept. 1, 2023 – matched: 42 vs North Carolina, Oct. 28, 2023).
• r-Jr. LT Jordan Brown was the only Yellow Jacket who made his first collegiate start in Saturday’s game.

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😳😳😳

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Surprisingly positive from Murray.

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I’ll answer these on Monday night. I totally spaced on this.

Josh is easily my favorite YT football guy. He’s giving Tech major props and has all offseason. Better than JD Dick-ell, that’s for sure. Great video.

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We just held fsu to 98 rushing yards. I'd say Santucci has worked wonders with this defense. All those fsu youtubers can shove that where the sun doesn't shine!

Tech is going to be everyone’s biggest game this year in the ACC. Georgia State doesn’t scare me but the team needs to be ready.

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Just got to the stadium. Game thread
1

I may have posted this when it happened but I too agree with Kelly that Pollack is arrogant and overrated as an analyst, but I got him good!
Me and a good UGA friend went to a Falcons game couple of years ago and we passed by Pollack walking thru the concourse. My idea to turn around and run him down and get a pic of Pollack with my buddy. After I took the pic Pollack turned to walk away. Still standing less than 8 feet from him I yelled "hey!" He turned around and I looked him in the eyes as I leaned in and said "To Hell With Georgia"! very clear so he could hear me well. His faced dropped blank and he turned and walked away lol.
Pic Below

Like I said in the story, it's hard to be negative after such a glorious win like today's, but there were a few things that need to be cleaned up.

What was with the sign the defense kept doing? Only thing I could compare it to was the land sharks D at Ole Miss several years ago.

Sorry if this has been addressed already.

Seems a bit high......sets up well for us as heavy underdogs. I am still not in favor of opening games like this every year- give me Wofford or SC State- cupcake city. Sick and tired of starting the season 0-1. Maybe next year will be different, but odds are not in our favor.

Georgia Tech and Florida State are kicking off the 2024 college football season in Dublin, Ireland and it could end up being a huge game in the ACC.

The Seminoles are coming off a 13-1 season in which they won the ACC for the first time since 2014 and while they are losing a lot of talent to the NFL, FSU head coach Mike Norvell has done a good job of adding talent in the portal in hopes of reloading and contending in the ACC again.

Georgia Tech is bringing back 10 starters from one of the ACC's best offenses, including quarterback Haynes King. Brent Key has made three new hires on the defensive side of the ball in hopes of improving what was the worst defense in the ACC last season.

It might be January and a little too early to be thinking about who will be favored in this game, but there are some opening lines for this game out already.

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, Florida State is going to open as a 12.5-point favorite against Georgia Tech. The over/under for this game is opening at 52.5.

Not sure if this has been already posted but it is a great article.
https://www.espn.com/college-footba...tech-statement-win-florida-state-ireland-game

Maybe others can post cool stuff here.
The manager at our hotel went to the game and ended up at Searsons Pub post game when some players from the GT Football Team came in. He said some FSU Alumni bought them all congratulatory drinks.