Everything From Head Coach Brent Key Ahead Of Matchup Against North Carolina

Key spoke with the media ahead of Georgia Tech's game on Saturday at North Carolina

Sep 21, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key looks on during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Louisville defeated Georgia Tech 31-19. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

After beating Duke last Saturday, Georgia Tech turns its attention to another team in the state of North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets head to Chapel Hill this weekend to face the Tar Heels in hopes of improving to 5-2 and winning their second consecutive game. Ahead of the matchup against North Carolina, Key spoke with the media on Tuesday and here is everything that he had to say.

Opening Statement...

"Closing out the game last week. I thought it was a good football game. Just obviously there's things we got to work on and continue to get better at. But just overall, that was a good football game. It was one of two good teams that played hard, played good football. As a fan of the game, it's one that I have enjoyed watching. So we're very fortunate to come out of the game with Wynn. Get back on a good track. Thought the things we did in the bye week really helped us. Thought we were fresher. Looked faster out there and continued to make progress and improvements. I think the best thing about the game was just the environment of the stadium, the students. The students have been awesome. I mean, they have been absolutely outstanding this year. The more we can continue to build on that and get more and more people here and be in loud and really helping to impact and be a factor in the outcome of the football games here at home, really, really setting up a really nice building blocks for what we want to continue to do with that. So I just want to take a minute and thank all the students, all the fans that were there at the game, but particularly the student body that's continued to show to come out and support their fellow classmates here at Georgia Tech, so really appreciate that from all the students and look forward to the next time. You know, it comes the week from the game, defensively, JJ. I mean, just he was active, he was all players of get out, he was all over the place. Got his first start on Saturday, you know, opposite of Zeke, and man, he was a force in the run game, force in the, in being able to affect the quarterbacks, a couple of TFLs. Really proud of JJ and the development he's had. And in the job that Jess has done with him over the last, really the first six games, offensively Ryland Goede. A couple guys down at the tight end position. I think Ryland played 70 plus plays in the football game and just blocks his tail off, played as good a football game as he's played up to this point and was really excited for him to be able to get out there and have that success and kind of the journey he's been on and along with the offensive line I thought they got back in a groove again and the fourth quarter were able to do what we wanted to do and what we needed him to do to be able to win the football game so you know along with JJ I've been proud of the defense and the improvements they've made week to week.

We still got a long way to go. If you ask Tooch, he'll he'll agree with that. We met on Sunday morning going over the game and it's really cool to have coordinators that really have the same mindset and the same belief and thoughts that I do of improvement. Nothing's ever gonna be perfect but you're not gonna sit there and kiss the crack of you know all day long when we still have a lot of improvement to do so but I've been proud of the defense especially particularly the run defense they were improving dramatically in that in that regard and we were much better on third downs getting off the field on Saturday we got to continue that this week going into a you know conference game on the road early kickoff versus a very talented UNC roster they've had They've had a tough stretch the last couple of weeks and those are the scariest teams to go up against. They really are, man. They were playing at home, playing early, they've got some things going on up there. And to have those guys know the talent they have, know they'll be in NC, the glimpses of how they played in a lot of times this year. So it'll be a challenge for us on Saturday, we're looking forward to it, looking forward to going against Coach Brown. He's just one of the, you know, the activists, the active, active winningest coach in college football. I think he's, what, six or seventh all -time. The 279 career wins. I mean, not just a legend in the game to be able to compete again. So we're excited, the team's excited, and we need to continue to have a good week of preparation to be able to go up there and play a good football game."

1. On the improvement that the run defense has made...

"We broke that down on Sunday. Number one, I think the depth on the defensive line has helped a ton. Those guys are playing 25 -30 plays in a game. There were times last year where we had guys play in 60 -65 plays, so they're fresher. The scheme is what we talked about throughthe whole process back when Tooch came on and Jess came on of how we play the game, how we play blocks up front. We're not necessarily a penetrating, gap penetrating disruption type front, and that's going to lead, especially normal downs, first and second down, you're not going to have the pressure back on the quarterback, but you're also not creating those vertical seams in the defense, walling it and allowing the linebackers to be able to run free and make those plays. The defensive line understanding and learning the game. Jess, y 'all heard me say before, Jess is such a great teacher and with Tooch behind with the linebackers, those guys playing together is one unit and then I think they're playing, they're playing hard. I think that's something that we want to be that identity for football teams, how hard we play for four quarters and those guys are doing that."

2. On how the run defense will have to contain UNC running back Omarion Hampton...

"Yeah you know they're you hear about about the running back all the time time, and rightfully so. He's a good, good, good football player, a really good player. But when you look at their offense, they're pretty balanced. I think they're 55 -45 somewhere in there as far as run past. So it's not like they're lining up and running 65 -70 % of the time, you can just load the box. I mean they are gonna add in the RPOs and the And then they take their shots down the field, which, you know, their last game, they were trying to get a few more of those shots down the field vertically. So, you know, it's a challenge. We've got to be able to make sure we read our keys, we get aligned with the tempo, reading our keys. That's going to be big, especially at the second and third level, you know, for the run pass. And then we've got to be able to control the front, you know, control the game up front and not to, obviously, D -Lines is the one position that didn't have conflict run pass he played the game, so we've got to be sharp with our keys and our reads."

3. On facing Geoff Collins again and going against his defense...

"Yeah, I mean I wish nothing but the best for Geoff in the future except for this Saturday. Yeah, so good football coach, he's on the staff, good football coaches. It's not been the first time we've gone up against someone that I've worked with before."

4. On the two scoring drives in the 4th quarter vs Duke...

"You know when you play a game something I've learned a long Long time ago, the first quarter of the game, you're seeing the flow of the game. Guys kind of get through their opening screw -ups offensively, the opening calls on defense, start to settle into the game in the second quarter. Third quarter, you've come out of halftime, usually is a pretty, unless it's just a lopsided game. Fourth, the third quarter is usually that quarter that it's pretty balanced and fine. This is overall, this isn't just last game. And then the fourth quarter becomes where you use your best stuff. What would be your best calls? You know the game, you know how they're playing the game on both sides, and then situational football. That's what it comes down to in the fourth quarter, that we're going to play for four quarters, and the body blows are going to add up over the course of the game and I thought that happened on Saturday where some of those you know two and three yard runs you ended up being bigger runs and not necessarily you know us doing something different to them but all of a sudden you know if you're blitzing you're a step slower get into the gap where you're getting you know creased out of the gap or what not you know the line movement is a step slower so that's what we've got to challenge our guys on is continue to be that type of play early on in the game. I thought Buster did a good job in the game, you know, put them in position to not, not, not get a bunch of negative. They lead the country, I think, in negative plays last week, you know, 42%. And I think we had six in the game, which is too many for us. But at the same time, it's a lot less than they were doing that type of operation. So those combination of all those things and then guys, you know, having a will to win."

5. On if there are similarities between Geoff Collins defense at UNC and his defense while he was at Georgia Tech...

"Yeah, I mean, there's similarities in every defense, but each week's a different game, different game plan. We got to prepare for things that have not shown up on tapeI mean, people are always going to have wrinkles and twist things, whether it be from mechanics, whether it be blitz patterns, you know, third down, third down matches."

6. On the tight end position...

"Yeah, everybody's really, a couple guys have been out for day to day, Jackson's day -to -day right now, tried to make it go over on Saturday, just was not ready to go. We're not gonna put him out in the way of harm if they're not ready to go. So he's a tough kid. I mean he is a tough, tough kid. You know then some other guys on team kind of, you know, day -to -day week -to -week there, but within our tight ends, we ask a lot of our out of our tight end group. They're versatile. They have to play at the line of scrimmage on the ball, off the ball. Split wide, a lot of motions, a lot of shifts, a lot of things they do. So, we have a deep group there. We have been hit with some injuries at that spot, but we're fully confident the guys are gonna be able to come out and play force this week."

7. On if Geoff Collins knowing the personnel impacts the game plan...

"Yeah, it really doesn't, not one bit. I mean, I think it's kind of the same question as before we played Georgia State. With guys that have been on the staff here and we've worked together, it doesn't. You might know a little bit philosophically, the way they think. But I mean, look at Georgia State, You go out there, you plan for one thing, you get some other things, you have to make adjustments and go play."

8. On building consistency and winning consecutive games...

"Yeah, well, I mean, nobody wants to lose momentum when you're playing a game or when you win a game and then lose a game. I mean, look, we're playing on the road in the conference North Carolina, which has been a traditional rival for Georgia Tech for many, many years. If you can't get excited and get up for this game, you got ice water running through your veins."

9. On the running backs, including Trey Cooley and Trelain Maddox's health, and Chad Alexander being put on scholarship...

"Yeah. Again, those guys are week to week, day to day, week to week. So we'll see where they're at. Probably won't expect them this week, but we'll see how they progress as the week Yeah, and Chad Alexander, I mean his guy came in as a true freshman last year, played on all our special teams, was really raw as a running back. He's really worked his butt off over the last year to become a better running back. And I keep going back to this one play and a scrimmage in the stadium over the summer where he finally got the ball in his hand and he hit it full speed and I pulled him back out of the game and I was I mean that's it, that's it. We finally saw it. It's like ever since then and credit you know credit to Norve and Buster they've really believed in that kid and spent a lot of time and energy on him developing him as a running back. And to his work to ease the solid solid number two force and had some really you know hard runs the other night explosive runs you know he was one guy that was banged up after the first game or to really happy for him, really happy for him to the point where we're able to announce the team today that he'll be going, he'll be a scholarship player for us and he's earned every every bit of that."

10. On how guys have handled roles and not leg egos get in the way...

"Yeah, first off, LaMiles Brooks is one, I've known him since 9th grade and started recruiting him when I was in Tuscaloosa when he was in 9th grade, you know, soaking what, 138 pounds of him. Great kid, great family, Played a lot of football for us here. Played a lot of winning football for us here. And it really goes back to the coaches, the honesty that they give. As a coach, you've got to be honest with players. They have to know why they're playing, why they're playing if they're not playing, what they need to do to be able to play, what they're doing well, what they're not doing well. And that way there's no surprises. And, you and the honesty of the offensive staff, the defensive staff of showing guys. So you don't want guys to live in a world of a fake, of a false, where they think they're playing really well or they think they're not playing really well, but they are. So it's about being honest with guys and people know that we're our jobs to put the best -loving guys on the field in those times. And those guys have been able to split the reps. We believe in playing guys in defense, so the most critical times in the game, guys are fresher than they would be, so I think it's been a good rotation for him. It's helped, it's definitely helped the development of Taye. I think he's getting better and better."

11. On the biggest growth for Jamal year over year...

"I think the biggest thing is handling setbacks. Overcoming a little bit of adversity. Last year we've been running back and things came pretty easy. And this year having to handle a little bit of a setback and seeing him then on Saturday night be 100 % full speed and the Jamal that we know and love and the fun that he has playing and the energy that it brings and he way it affects other people in the football field."