Georgia Tech Football: Brent Key Gives Update on Quarterback Haynes King, Says Injury is Not Season-Ending

King missed today's game vs Notre Dame

Oct 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) loosks to pass in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech was not able to matchup well against No. 12 Notre Dame and they were missing quarterback Haynes King today. King is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, but was injured in last week's win over North Carolina and was not able to go today against one of the best teams in the country. After the game, Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key was asked about King and he had this to say:

"You know, it's, you know, you're going to get crazy and say day-to-day, but that's kind of what it is. I mean, you know, I don't know. I don't know where it's at as far as... it's not, it's not season-ending. I can tell you that. It's not a season-ending injury. You know, it's going to depend a lot upon just, you know, how quickly you can, you know, react and come, you know, ready, ready to roll."

Key did not provide updates to any of the players that missed today's game, including linebacker Kyle Efford.

Zach Pyron got the start today and it was an up-and-down game for him. He did not have any help from the No. 1 rushing offense in the ACC, but he also made some mistakes in this game and he does not have the same effectiveness as Haynes King does in the ground game.

Speaking of the Georgia Tech run game, it was dismal today. In every loss prior to this (Syracuse and Louisville), Georgia Tech has not been able to get things going on the ground. Jamal Haynes was playing his best football coming into the game, but give Notre Dame a lot of credit for not letting him get going. He finished with eight carries for 15 yards. Chad Alexander had five carries for 19 carries and Pyron finished with 13 carries for 45 yards. He threw for 269 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, one of which ended up being a pick-six.

The offense scored on their second drive and on their last drive. Everything in between was pretty ugly and that was not out of the realm of possibility considering the caliber of defense they were playing. Notre Dame limited Georgia Tech to 333 yards and five yards per play. They got two sacks against Georgia Tech today and four tackles for loss. They did a good job of bottling up the offense today, especially after Georgia Tech took an early lead.

The Georgia Tech defense played well at times, giving up only 24 points in the game. Notre Dame gained 385 yards on 69 plays, averaging 5.6 yards per play. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard finished 20-29 for 203 yards and also rushing for 51 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Georgia Tech was facing one of the nation's best running games and they did not play poorly. The Fighting Irish ran for 168 yards on 39 carries and averaged just 4.3 yards per carry. If you came into the day, that would probably have been an acceptable number for the Yellow Jackets defense considering the opponent. However, there were several missed tackles, particulalry at the second level. The defense did get six tackles for loss in the game.

Overall, a lack of running game did not help Pyron today vs a very good Notre Dame defense, and special teams miscues doomed Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets now fall to 5-3 and they will go on the road to face a 4-3 Virginia Tech team that is still hoping to make the ACC Championship Game.

Additional Links:

Bleav Georgia Tech: Instant Reaction to Georgia Tech's Loss to Notre Dame

Georgia Tech Football: Everything From Brent Key After The Loss to Notre Dame

RECAP: No. 12 Notre Dame Bottles up Georgia Tech's Offense, Defeats the Yellow Jackets 31-13