Brent Key offers little commentary about matchup with No. 12 Clemson
Brent Key’s latest piece of performance art was to be brief and peevish when meeting with reporters Tuesday inside Bobby Dodd Stadium.
The Georgia Tech coach speaks with media members each Tuesday before a Saturday game in a question-and-answer session that typically lasts 20-30 minutes. Not this time around.
“Got a new target this week. We hit our mark last week. Mission hasn’t changed for this football team,” Key said in his opening statement. “This target, it’s a big one. Biggest one up to this point. Big challenge for us. We’re in the middle of preparation, we’re busy preparing and working on a plan and we’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”
From there, whether strictly focused on the task at hand, which is defeating No. 12 Clemson on Saturday (noon, ESPN), or to avoid giving Tech’s ACC rival any locker-room fodder in the coming days before the Tigers travel to Atlanta, Key dealt in brevity.
Some of his responses to questions were as follows:
- On the challenge of breaking a nine-game losing streak to the Tigers: “Every game’s a challenge, and this is the next challenge, and it’s a big one.”
- On how Clemson looks on film: “They’re a good football team. And we’re excited to play ‘em.”
- On Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik: “He can run. He can throw. He’s got experience. Got a good scheme, good coaches, well-coached, good football player.”
- On Key’s relationship with longtime Clemson coach Dabo Swinney: “Got to know him like most of the other coaches. We have some similarities in our background. He’s a good man, good football coach, respect him a lot.”
- On the Yellow Jackets’ 12 penalties in a 59-12 win over Gardner-Webb last time out: “Unacceptable.”
- Was Tuesday morning’s practice a good one or not? “I think our guys had good intensity and good intent.”
Key suffered a 42-21 loss at Clemson in November 2023. As the Jackets’ offensive line coach from 2019-22, he watched Tech lose 52-14, 73-7, 14-8 and 41-10, respectively, to the Tigers.
Swinney’s squad comes to Atlanta with a loss at home to LSU and a win at home, in come-from-behind fashion, over Troy on Saturday. Key was a little more loquacious about the matchup Monday when he was a guest on 680 The Fan.
“(Swinney’s) been there for a long time and the culture of his team is intact, and it has been for years. It’s not surprising that they would come back and win the game last week,” Key said. “I’m looking at personnel and schematically and what they’re doing, how they match up with us, how we match up with them. Very rarely do I look at the score of a game, I’m watching the film and the players.
“They’ve got really good talent, they’re well-coached, they got some resiliency in ‘em. It was the last play of the game in the first game they ended up losing a very close one against LSU. They’re a good football team.”
With Key not giving much insight into his feelings toward the season’s third game, at least Swinney was willing to discuss the matchup with reporters during his own news conference Tuesday in Clemson, South Carolina.
“Brent Key has done an amazing job down there. This is a tough, physical, well-coached team. They’re battle-tested, especially with Haynes King at quarterback. He is a warrior,” Swinney said, according to On3 Sports.
“They have good skill around him, and they’re tough and physical up front. They put a lot of strain on you defensively. They’re going to put it in their best players’ hands. They’ve done a nice job on the perimeter with some guys they’ve brought in there. They’ve also blocked a couple of kicks. Defensively, they’re not giving up a ton of big plays. They do a nice job of executing their defense. They’re active up front, thick and stout.
“This is also a rivalry game. It’s one of the older rivalries in college football. It’s always been fun to be a part of this game.”
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