Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key talked to the media on Tuesday at his weekly press conference. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a loss to Tennessee on Saturday that dropped them to 0-2 and now they face Mercer on Saturday in hopes of getting their first win.

Six Factors

One of the big takeaways was when Key talked about the six factors that go into the difference of a college football game:

“They are explosive differentials. Us to them, pretty simple. Points per possession, red zone touchdowns. So when you get in the red zone- not touchdowns, but when you get in the red zone- scoring touchdowns, third-down percentages, turnovers and takeaways, and then pressuring the quarterback. Not sacks, but pressure. Are you able to get pressure on the opposing quarterback, and are you able to protect the quarterback in those situations? So those are the six things. And when you look at those, those are... And, you know, why have you not had the success you wanted? Okay, well, when you look at the situational aspect of it, those are the things we have to improve on. Those are the things we have to get better at. Those are the things we have to be able to do. Okay? So that's pretty black and white with where the game was,” said Key. 

Jaylen Mbakwe update

Coach Key also updated the status of cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe after a scary situation on the Flats on Saturday. 

“He got released on Sunday. He was at the team meeting yesterday morning. That was something that was important to him: to get back up and get into a routine, get to the team meeting, get to the practice, be with his guys, be in meetings. He's sore. I don't know a time frame on it. It's going to be really up to him, but he's healthy. Prayers answered on that one. That's a scary situation. I also want to say, I thought our training staff and doctors did an outstanding job. You talk about calm breeds calm, and to see them go out there and be able to execute their game plan. That was very comforting to see the execution from the training staff and the doctors. I know for him and his family, that was very comforting as well. He's a great kid, unbelievable relationship with that guy. And he'll be back this year. Once he gets over it, golly, he's in some pain. He is sore as crap. But very blessed that he ended up being okay,” said Key. 

The start to games

He also talked about things the Yellow Jackets must improve on, and it is how they start games. The Yellow Jackets have been behind the eight ball consistently when it comes to beginning the game, and it has affected them in a negative way. They have only two offensive touchdowns through two games and have struggled early in games and the offense as a whole.

“Things we've got to improve on. You know, drive starters and first downs on offense. I mean, big time. Big time. You talk about why third down and get back on track, the second down and get back on track plays. Well, you wouldn't have those if you had more production and execution on first down. You know, red area, I mean, two games now, three of seven scored in the red area, two touchdowns, one of them at the end of the game. That's something that is a major, major focus of being able to score touchdowns,” said Key. 

“Two minutes before the half, 0 for 2 in the last two games. That was a huge turning point in the football game. Okay, two minutes before the half. We're driving down. We end up not putting points on the board there right before halftime. And, you know, instead of going in 24-10 at halftime, you have a chance to, you know, we already had a pick-six, which is a self-defeating error there. And then another one down there where you're looking at a one-score game, now going into halftime or better.” 

Run defense

The defensive issues have also been apparent for the Yellow Jackets, especially the run defense, which has them currently ranked as the No.134 unit. A lot of it was players not filling the gaps in the run game, and when they did, nobody was home to help bring down the ball carrier or rally to the football to be able to slow him down. That has been a big issue for the Yellow Jackets and continues to pose problems for them as a whole. 

“Then we set it defensively. You know, getting off the field on third down. I mean, we had six runs on third down, right, that led to first downs. You know, one yard, one yard, two yards, four yards, four yards, and 11 yards. It led to first downs, and then the holding penalty and the facemask, which we got to do a better job with our hands as a football team,” said Key. 

“Credit to the running back (DeSean Bishop) for being a player, and Shame on us for not having more than one guy there. Rally to the football, get off the block, and have more than one there. I mean, look, there's going to be one-on-ones at all times, but that's when the defense gets off the block and rallies.” 

Running back depth

The running back room so far has been a mixed bag. Yes, last game Justice Haynes was the best player on offense and made a lot of plays, but it feels like the other running backs aren’t being used to the best of their ability so far, which is concerning to say the least. When I asked Coach Key about it, he talked about how all need to get more reps, especially Chad Alexander, and credited their ability to get positive yardage. 

“Chad's one we've talked about that we've got to get in the game. Chad's an explosive playmaker and got to get the ball in his hands. You know, Justice is a really good running back, really good back, all three downs. But that's why we had some other guys in at other times. Trey has a huge package of things that he does across the board. He's also a load carrying the football. But, yeah, we've got to continue to get those guys in different ways, different situations, different D&Ds. But at the same time, I mean, you know, a guy that gets a hot hand, you're going to keep him with a hot hand. He made some – the thing I've seen that I was pleased with was we didn't have – the two yard losses. We didn't have the things in the backfield,” said Key. 

“Something that I thought all the running backs did a nice job of really putting their heads down and getting positive yardage. Some of those hidden yards. So even if it, you know, but like I said, back to the first down stuff, right? The zero and ones. Yeah, it's better than getting a negative play.I think we had five maybe in the first game. I can't remember off the top of my head. And then to have really, you know, I think we had one this past game. That was much improved. But at the same time, we've got to continue to sustain, you know, be able to make adjustments within the play versus the fronts.And, you know, we threw a little more RPO this week and helped open up some of the run game. But it's also, I don't know, is it RPO or PRO? You know, it depends on kind of what they're given, and we've got to make sure that we possess the ball, though. That's the big thing, right? We can't force things.”