Brent Key Discusses The Officiating and Unsportsmanlike Penalty Called On Him During Yellow Jackets Loss To Vandy

Key was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the third quarter of the Yellow Jackkets loss to Vanderbilt

Dec 27, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key tracks his team during the first half of the 2024 Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Turnovers, poor defense, and some questionable officiating calls in the second half of today's Birmingham Bowl between Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt sent the Yellow Jackets home with a bowl loss and a poor finish to what has otherwise been a solid season for Brent Key's team.

It was the above three things that killed Georgia Tech today. The defense, which was down key players today such as Romello Height, Taye Seymore, Kyle Efford,, and Rodney Shelley, but they looked unprepared for this Commodores offense, but a lot of credit should go to Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia for making plays. He was the best player on the field tonight and was a huge reason they won.

However, it should be mentioned that the officiating was also an issue. Trailing 14-13 in the third quarter, Georgia Tech was called for pass interference on third down and that would have ended the drive and gave the ball back to them. Instead, that call seemingly sent the Yellow Jackets into a spiral and it turned into an unsportsmanlike conduct on head coach Brent Key. After that, a defensive holding was called on Georgia Tech and then another scuffle between the two teams resulted in offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Vanderbilt scored to make the game 21-13 and then it was an avalanche of turnovers and mistakes for the Yellow Jackets that sent them into a defeat in Birmingham.

After the game, Key was asked about the officiating, incuding the unsportsmanlike penalty that was called on him after the pass interference and he did not say much about either:

"Yeah it was dialogue and we have to control what we can control as a football team.

Yeah, I think anybody that knows me and has seen me the entire time I've been a head coach knows that I never let emotions become part of the game with me. everyone knows how I coach on the sideline, and the reason I coach that way on the sideline."

Despite everything, Key still says this program has made strides from where it was a year ago:

"Yeah, we made a tremendous amount of improvement over the course of a year. I'm excited where this team will continue to go. You learn lessons through every experience in your life, and the football team learns and grows through experiences, and where this team is today, compared to where this team was a year ago, I'm extremely proud of where they are, and I'm sure extremely excited about where we're going moving forward."

This was a disappointing way to end the season if you are Georgia Tech, but they are returning some of their best players for next season and are bringing in one of the program's best ever recruiting classes. There are pieces there for a big 2025 season, but there are lots of things to work and improve on ahead of next season.

Related Links:

Everything From Brent Key After Georgia Tech's Bowl Game Loss to Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt Pulls Away From Georgia Tech In The Second Half to Win The 2024 Birmingham Bowl 35-27