BRENT KEY turned adversity into opportunity And Turned Around GT’s Season

By Banner Staff

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - December 27, 2024

Georgia Tech’s loss to Virginia Tech wasn’t necessarily a turning point of the football season for the Yellow Jackets. But the way that they responded to the 21-6 loss to the Hokies on the road certainly propelled them into a chance to finish off the season in style during the postseason.

Brent Key, the Hewitt Trussville High graduate, who is in second full season as the Georgia Tech head coach, was asked what he’ll remember about this team after the season concludes on Friday in a Birmingham Bowl matchup with Vanderbilt at Protective Stadium. He began by mentioning his team’s resiliency, toughness and mental toughness before telling the story of the response to the Virginia Tech loss, which dropped Georgia Tech to 5-4 at the time.

He took time to self-reflect on the plane home and also had discussions with offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci and associate head coach Chris Weinke.

“We knew, at that point in time, we needed a strong voice in front of them, something had to be said,” said Key, whose team lost to Notre Dame the week before playing Virginia Tech. “So instead of getting home and going on our way and catching up the next time we got together, I had everybody get off the bus and go straight to the team meeting room and we had a team meeting. Really from that point forward, you've seen really a driven team. You've seen a team that's playing for each other, a team that's playing together. A team that truly buys into the no scoreboard, play the next play (against a) faceless opponent. They could have gone one or two ways that night.”

The Yellow Jackets had a bye week following the trip to Blacksburg, Viriginia before grabbing national attention with a 28-23 win over then-No. 4 ranked Miami. Georgia Tech then concluded the season with a 30-29 victory over North Carolina State and a 44-42 loss to then-No. 6 ranked Georgia in eight overtimes. Now, they have a chance to end the season with a bowl win, like the Yellow Jackets did last December with a 30-17 triumph over UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl.

And it all began with the post-trip chat after the loss to Virginia Tech.

“We had adversity hit two weeks in a row,” Key said. “I told them, I said ‘Guys, 50 percent of the teams in the country right now are getting their cars, going to their apartments, going to their dorms, right, and they're not gonna be a team anymore. They're gonna be thinking about what's next. That's not who we are. That's not why we worked the way we've worked.’ They all agreed. They all believe that. We end up playing Miami the next (game). You grow in life from the challenges in the obstacles that you overcome. And, you know, that's what we've continued to do. At the same time, as you continue to grow from overcoming those obstacles and those challenges, you have to grow with understanding how to handle success and have continued success. It’s all part of the journey, it's all part of the process. You have to have a high sense of urgency daily. You just have to have patience for the long term.”