Weak where it was supposed to be strong, Georgia Tech flubs opener

A new era of Brent Key’s tenure officially dawned Thursday night at Georgia Tech.

Fireworks and a halftime drone show in the airspace above Bobby Dodd Stadium. A sellout crowd enduring the humidity. The expectant air of a season opener.

And a bit of a faceplant on the field.

The offense did not produce a touchdown in its nine possessions. The defense had its moments but gave way when the game was on the line. Special teams made what appeared in the moment to be a game-saving field-goal block as well as a kickoff return for a touchdown but also missed two field-goal tries, the latter a 45-yard try blocked on the final play of the Yellow Jackets’ 14-13 loss to Colorado. Tech also committed nine penalties, the most in Key’s tenure as full-time coach.

“I don’t think it was a lack of effort,” Key said. “I think it was a lack of execution.”

After hitting the high point of his tenure with a 9-4 record in 2025, Key refashioned his staff and the roster with a vision of a tough, physical team that would not buckle like the Jackets did in the final five games of last season. With an inexperienced quarterback replacing the legendary Haynes King, Key secured a star running back from the transfer portal (Justice Haynes) to ease pressure off him. He also fashioned a defensive line that has been touted as bigger, stronger and deeper than teams past.

And then in the very first game of this next phase, Tech was outrushed 183-51 and new offensive coordinator George Godsey was forced to rely on new starting quarterback Alberto Mendoza’s arm to move the ball, precisely the reverse of the envisioned plan.

Even though the Buffaloes didn’t score on the drive, maybe the most galling moment for Tech and Key may have been Colorado’s second-to-last possession, when the Buffaloes were down 10-7. After a pass to open the drive late in the third quarter, Colorado ran the ball on 15 consecutive plays (one pass play was wiped out by a penalty) and drove from its 30-yard line and advanced as far as the Tech 19. And it wasn’t clever misdirection, but mostly straight-ahead power football.

Only a botched snap stalled the drive, which ultimately ended in a blocked field goal to keep the score at 10-7 in Tech’s favor. But it was jarring to see a team built to stop the run get shoved backward by an offense that a year ago finished 104th in FBS in rushing offense.

And on the flip side, Haynes ran 19 times for 64 yards with a long of 11 yards. Ten of his 19 attempts gained two yards or less. You’ll remember that Haynes, the former five-star prospect from Blessed Trinity and Buford, was an All-Big Ten running back a year ago at Michigan.

Tech fans do not want to know the following. The game statistics in the Stathead database apparently go back to 1995. In that time, there have been only three games in which Tech’s opponent ran for 175-plus yards while the Jackets gained less than 60 rushing yards.

Two were in the forgettable tenure of Geoff Collins and the third was in the final game of Key’s interim stint after Collins’ midseason dismissal.

“We rushed for a buck-83?” asked Colorado coach Deion Sanders as he sat down for his postgame news conference. “My God. They rushed for 51? I thought we were small.”

He chuckled, enjoying the last laugh at an apparent jab at the Buffaloes that spread across social media before the game.

“They played good football,” Key said. “We did not play good football.”

It’s not the end of the world for Tech. Season openers can often be poor indicators of what lies ahead in the next 11 games. It wouldn’t be surprising – though hardly a certainty – if the Jackets played significantly better next week at home against No. 20 Tennessee.

The secondary covered well. Particularly for the first start of his career, Mendoza (17-for-23 for 237 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions) held his own.

But for the two field-goal misses and a questionable call that wiped out a fumble return for a touchdown, this could have been a “Well, we have a lot to clean up, but we won” season opener, not unlike the Jackets’ win in Boulder, Colorado, last season.

“I’m still bullish on this team,” Key said. “I’m very confident in this football team.”

On the other side, a former Atlantan of note celebrated a meaningful win with a number of Georgians on the roster, including quarterback Julian Lewis.

“We beat a really, really good team and a really, really good coaching staff,” Sanders said. “Our guys were resilient, I’m proud of them, I’m truly happy for them.”

The former Braves and Falcons star was asked how he ranked this moment among the many he created in the Georgia Dome and Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

“I don’t rank moments,” he said. “I try to turn them into monuments. That’s all I do.”

At the expense of the Jackets, he built one Friday.