Let’s say a Georgia Tech fan who knew nothing about the Yellow Jackets’ season through the first six games was told the following:
Tech already had demoted defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker, had allowed South Carolina State of the FCS to rush for nearly 200 yards and had had two games in which it was called for 11 penalties or more.
But, then, as that fan was muttering “it figures” and lamenting that the home games probably all had been noon kickoffs, too, he or she also was told this:
Tech twice forced five turnovers, held a Top 25 team to its lowest yards-per-play average of the season on the road and quarterback Haynes King was tied for the ACC lead in touchdown passes.
The response might be more direct this time: “Who are you, and why are you doing this to me?”
It is quite fitting that the Jackets are at the halfway mark of coach Brent Key’s first full season at 3-3. They lost a game they led by 15 points at halftime (Louisville) and were demolished at home by a MAC opponent, but then also won two on the road as underdogs, including the miraculous win over then-No. 17 Miami.
Georgia Tech football – keep your hands, arms and legs inside the ride at all times.
For this team, being 3-3 at the midway point is fine, but the path to get there wasn’t one that you would expect for a team whose coach has preached playing one play at a time for 60 minutes, ignoring the scoreboard and becoming a team that opponents hate to face.
Tech eased up on the gas in the season opener against Louisville, allowing the Cardinals to rally for a win. At least one Jackets player acknowledged overlooking Bowling Green in the team’s embarrassing home loss to the Falcons. But the same team also gave Wake Forest its first loss of the season and was rewarded for its persistence in the win at Miami.
In struggling to consistently prepare and play with effort, Tech and Key have company with virtually all of college football. This past weekend alone gave thorough evidence. Colorado lost at home to Stanford after taking a 29-0 halftime lead. With nothing less than a spot in the College Football Playoff to play for, No. 10 USC was thrashed by No. 21 Notre Dame, turning the ball over five times and being limited to 302 yards. Michigan State led 24-6 in the fourth quarter against Rutgers but lost.
You never know. Depending on your vantage point, that’s part of what makes college football so thrilling or infuriating.
Perhaps especially so for Key, who at his news conference Tuesday ahead of the Jackets’ Saturday home game against Boston College hit again upon the idea of playing without regard for the clock or the scoreboard.
“We’ve got to continue to keep that mindset, whether you’re up or whether you’re down in a football game,” he said. “That’s the biggest challenge right now, is the continued coaching and teaching and developing of the mindset that we have to have going into each week but also into each game.”
The first six games have shown clearly that Tech can be competitive in the ACC. King has been effective at quarterback. The kicking game is solid. The defense is a work in progress, particularly against the run, but has generated 10 turnovers in the past three games.
The Jackets have six games remaining – Boston College, No. 10 North Carolina, at Virginia, at Clemson, Syracuse and No. 1 Georgia.
Putting the Bulldogs aside, Tech likely would need North Carolina or Clemson’s help to pull off an upset. But the Jackets can win against Boston College, Virginia and Syracuse if they play a B or B-plus game. By the accounting of ESPN’s power index, Tech ranks 56th in FBS. Boston College (3-3) is 89th, Virginia (1-5) is 95th and Syracuse (4-3) is 36th, which seems high for a team that has lost its past two games by a combined 81-10 (to North Carolina and Florida State).
Winning all three would put Tech in a bowl game for the first time since 2018 and rate Key’s first season a success. And this isn’t even to say the Jackets can’t beat the Tar Heels or Tigers. (Again, let’s put Georgia aside.)
It’s just that easy. (Note: That was sarcasm.)
Clearly it is not. Key, for instance, noticed on his team’s trip to Miami that the whole team was asleep 10 minutes into the flight. He reasoned that that in part explained how Tech has posted so many significant wins on the road in his brief tenure (Top 25 wins at Pittsburgh and North Carolina last year and Miami this season) but has stubbed its toe at home (we won’t revisit that list). As a result, he rearranged the home-game Friday schedule to make sure that players get enough downtime before the team meal and meetings.
The relatively flat environments that the Jackets have played in at Bobby Dodd Stadium hasn’t helped, either. But that’s also something that Tech players shouldn’t depend on to give a determined effort for four quarters.
Of course, Boston College, which nearly upset No. 4 Florida State in September, can bring its top form to Bobby Dodd Stadium, too. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos (from Ware County High) might be the most exciting player in the ACC and is a dangerous dual threat. All the more reason for the Jackets to reach the highest gear they can and stay there.
“There’s always going to be ups and downs and highs and lows,” Key said. “The thing that we can’t do is, we can’t have a run and get up and act like we’ve never been there now.”
Developing a team that practices and plays with consistent effort and avoids mistakes not only is what Tech is paying Key to do, it’s something that he very much wants for his team’s identity to be. If the Jackets continue their up-and-down course, they’ll be like most every other team. For a program that has championship aspirations but will never have the talent of its behemoth rivals, it won’t do.
Key clearly can see Tech’s path forward – by being the more prepared, disciplined and tougher team for four quarters. It’s the playbook his mentor George O’Leary employed with considerable success. The job now is leading his team in that direction. With half of the regular season remaining in his first full season in his dream job, Key can show his value by transforming the roller coaster of the first half into a chugging locomotive.
Choo, choo.
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