Brent Key Discusses Handling The Emotions of Senior Day

Brent Key discussed Georgia Tech's upcoming senior day game against Miami

The last game at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the 2022 season will be this Saturday and it will be the last time that some players are going to get to play in front of their home fans. 

Saturday will be the final home game for Georgia Tech in 2022 / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Senior Day can be an emotional game for players, but when asked about the emotions of the day this week, Brent Key made sure to talk about how if they win the game, that will be the memory that the players will love:

"My emotions are no different, there is nothing emotional, it is all trying to give these guys the best ability to win a football game, and the kids... that is the part that becomes emotional. What is the thing we talk about in football, you can't be an emotional player, you can't play with emotion, you have to have energy over emotion and when you play emotional, bad things happen. One of the big points of emphasis with the entire team was execution over emotional and they did that and they went out and executed that. Now to tell them to take a time, that is a very special time in their lives and as we get older, we are kind of emotional about things like that, I can tell you first hand, all I wanted to do was get back in the locker room with my guys and get ready to play a football game. Now our parents, that was a different story, our parents, let them carry the emotion, but our guys gotta go out there and take the picture and give their mom and dads a hug and get back in and get ready to play a football game because if they really wanna remember senior day, go win the game, that is the best memory of a senior day"

While Key played down the emotions of the day, he did say that the final home game will give the players energy and motivation:

"Anytime you are able to play at home it's an advantage, its the travel, the time on your body, whether it be cramped on a plane or in a hotel room, I mean, that is why it is home-field advantage. Then on top of that with your fans and the student section and the band, it is a huge advantage, it is. At the same time, it is senior day. We have seniors that are playing their last game at Bobby Dodd and you wanna go out and play your best for them and put your best during the week for them. You also have to understand that is only going to last so far during the game. You can have a great pep talk before the game, but after the first hit, it is over. It is what you have done to sustain that during the week that is really going to be the difference in the outcome of the game."

While Georgia Tech might be playing with energy this weekend, it will be interesting to see if Miami will be able to. The Hurricanes have been one of the most disappointing teams in the country and after losing 45-3 against Florida State, it might be a big challenge to get up for a game on the road this weekend. 

Georgia Tech and Miami will kickoff at 3:30 on Saturday. 

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