ATLANTA- Georgia Tech football coach Brent Key spoke to the media for the final time ahead of the Jackets' second ACC tilt of the season as they face Syracuse on the road Saturday at a noon. Key recapped the week of practice and his expectations for the team going into the game against the Orange.
The Jackets knocked off Syracuse in Atlanta to secure bowl eligibility last season in Dino Babers' final game as head coach 31-22. This will be Tech's first trip to the JMA Wireless Dome (formerly known as the Carrier Dome) with fans in the stadium for the first time. The previous only trip to Syracuse came during the 2020 season and no fans were allowed into the stadium in a game that Tech lost 37-20.
Key opened his presser with some thoughts and prayers from the entire Georgia Tech football family to the Apalachee HS community and those whose lives have been impacted by the tragedy in Winder, GA.
Key said that Saturday is the biggest game of the year for Tech and it is a noon conference game on the road against a new coaching staff who are trying to instill their values into Syracuse football. He said they are driving home the identity of the type of football team they want to have there and knowing Fran Brown and his personality and toughness, you are seeing that start to show with their program. He said they are a good football team and they play really hard and last week was their first game and you'll see a different better version of them this week than you did last week.
On being ranked, Key said they celebrate that but it is not something to let become more than what it is.
Now fixed with the missing parts, my laptop had a stoke while I was working on this and somehow deleted 3/4 of the story.
E+R=O and that ranking thing falls right into that and it is about how they respond to winning and the things that come with it. They will never let other's opinions dictate their future, only they control their destine or future, all of their goals are in front of them and they have an opportunity to play another very good team and GT players have worked their tails off since January and throughout a tough camp to position themselves for this opportunity.
I asked about Chad Alexander, Horace Lockett and Trey Cooley. He said that Lockett has been working his way back into the rotation coming off an injury and the DT room is very stacked with talent so he has to be at the top of his game.
He said that Alexander is fine and practiced.
He said that Cooley is out for Saturday and they are taking time with him to get him back to a good place so he can play. **Didn't sound encouraging.
Key said that Kyle McCord is a heady player and smart and knows where to go with the ball. You have to mix coverages. He knows they won't have zero catches. He will complete balls and they need to guard their man and protect the zone and know where the drops are on defense and the patterns they are running need to be matched. It is a big challenge facing the Orange offense.
DE Kevin Harris is one of the captains and is having a good week. He accidentally dropped an S-bomb when Key asked him to share his thoughts on the game during our media avail and then Harris spilled his drink all over the floor.
He crapped on Rod's statement about RBs, but said that they need to have 5-6 RBs and keep some tread on Jamal Haynes's tires as the season goes along by rotating the RBs some.
I asked him about the importance of the game and how that ratchets up with each win, Key said that have the 12 guaranteed games and anything after that is earned. Key said his job is to make sure no complacency takes place with the team and Key believes in these young men and when he stands in front of 120 players and tells them they have ownership of the program and his trust they are going to have to believe him and trust him and the players have done nothing to lose Key's trust in them and believe in them.
Key said that during practice on Thursday, he walked around to the different position groups and every player was talking football and that doesn't happen anywhere. They were talking about adjustments, the opponent they are playing, specific football plays and they are preparing the right way and practicing the right way and he expects the outcome to reflect that and they completely understand the importance of every game.
The Jackets knocked off Syracuse in Atlanta to secure bowl eligibility last season in Dino Babers' final game as head coach 31-22. This will be Tech's first trip to the JMA Wireless Dome (formerly known as the Carrier Dome) with fans in the stadium for the first time. The previous only trip to Syracuse came during the 2020 season and no fans were allowed into the stadium in a game that Tech lost 37-20.
Key opened his presser with some thoughts and prayers from the entire Georgia Tech football family to the Apalachee HS community and those whose lives have been impacted by the tragedy in Winder, GA.
Key said that Saturday is the biggest game of the year for Tech and it is a noon conference game on the road against a new coaching staff who are trying to instill their values into Syracuse football. He said they are driving home the identity of the type of football team they want to have there and knowing Fran Brown and his personality and toughness, you are seeing that start to show with their program. He said they are a good football team and they play really hard and last week was their first game and you'll see a different better version of them this week than you did last week.
On being ranked, Key said they celebrate that but it is not something to let become more than what it is.
Now fixed with the missing parts, my laptop had a stoke while I was working on this and somehow deleted 3/4 of the story.
E+R=O and that ranking thing falls right into that and it is about how they respond to winning and the things that come with it. They will never let other's opinions dictate their future, only they control their destine or future, all of their goals are in front of them and they have an opportunity to play another very good team and GT players have worked their tails off since January and throughout a tough camp to position themselves for this opportunity.
I asked about Chad Alexander, Horace Lockett and Trey Cooley. He said that Lockett has been working his way back into the rotation coming off an injury and the DT room is very stacked with talent so he has to be at the top of his game.
He said that Alexander is fine and practiced.
He said that Cooley is out for Saturday and they are taking time with him to get him back to a good place so he can play. **Didn't sound encouraging.
Key said that Kyle McCord is a heady player and smart and knows where to go with the ball. You have to mix coverages. He knows they won't have zero catches. He will complete balls and they need to guard their man and protect the zone and know where the drops are on defense and the patterns they are running need to be matched. It is a big challenge facing the Orange offense.
DE Kevin Harris is one of the captains and is having a good week. He accidentally dropped an S-bomb when Key asked him to share his thoughts on the game during our media avail and then Harris spilled his drink all over the floor.
He crapped on Rod's statement about RBs, but said that they need to have 5-6 RBs and keep some tread on Jamal Haynes's tires as the season goes along by rotating the RBs some.
I asked him about the importance of the game and how that ratchets up with each win, Key said that have the 12 guaranteed games and anything after that is earned. Key said his job is to make sure no complacency takes place with the team and Key believes in these young men and when he stands in front of 120 players and tells them they have ownership of the program and his trust they are going to have to believe him and trust him and the players have done nothing to lose Key's trust in them and believe in them.
Key said that during practice on Thursday, he walked around to the different position groups and every player was talking football and that doesn't happen anywhere. They were talking about adjustments, the opponent they are playing, specific football plays and they are preparing the right way and practicing the right way and he expects the outcome to reflect that and they completely understand the importance of every game.
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