Two weeks until kickoff, and there is a real sense of something exciting and different building inside Bobby Dodd Stadium. Brent Key can feel it.
“We have a good football team. We have a good football team, we do,” Georgia Tech’s second-year coach said Saturday. “Now, how we are in relation to our competition, I don’t know. That’s why you play the games. We’ve challenged these guys every single day. And there has not been a day go by that they have not answered the challenge as a team.
“Now offense might have success at one point, defense might have success at one point, back and forth, back and forth. But there has not been a day, most coaches are accustomed to, where these guys have come out and it’s, ‘Aw, I don’t know if I can do this again.’ It hadn’t happened. They’ve answered that challenge without me even having to say anything to ‘em. That’s something I hadn’t been a part of. It’s a special group that can go out and do that.”
Speaking after his team’s second full scrimmage of the preseason, Key went on to note how obstacles and adversity certainly will continue to dictate the makeup of the 2024 Yellow Jackets. But so far, through an intense, tough and hot preseason camp, the returns have been positive for a team looking not only to make noise Aug. 24 against the defending ACC champions Florida State in Dublin, but for the next four (possibly five) months.
Key will be looking for more of the same when practice resumes Monday, the final stretch of workouts before classes begin Aug. 19.
“I don’t think anyone’s ahead of anybody. I think we all understand that we have a long way to go. I don’t think anybody’s leading this race by any means. All you gotta do is turn the tape on and watch it,” Key said. “If you’re truly being honest with yourself and the players are being honest and the coaches are being honest and the coaches are being honest, which they all are, there’s no one that thinks they’re out ahead of anybody.”
As for Saturday’s session at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Key said the Yellow Jackets ran 120 plays and put an emphasis on penalties. A week ago Tech was flagged 16 times, and Saturday that number dropped to five, Key said.
There were 20 total possessions, and Key said he and his coaching staff mixed and matched personnel between first-, second- and third-team players to see who may be able to elevate themselves on the depth chart, which will be penciled out Sunday. Key also was thoroughly impressed with his new-look defense, under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci.
Tech’s defense recorded 11 tackles for loss and six sacks Saturday. Key highlighted defensive linemen Sylvain Yondjouen, Amontrae Bradford, Jordan Boyd, Romello Height and Kevin Harris as individual standouts.
Saturday’s scrimmage ended a certain segment of preseason training for the Jackets. They now will turn their attention to the Seminoles and the opener at Aviva Stadium.
“We got game-planning to do. We have work to do as coaches,” Key said. “In order to game-plan, you gotta know who your two-deep are gonna be, who your guys in all three phases are. So we can’t let this hang over our heads and go into the next week and the next and whatnot. We’re in game-planning as coaches. (We have to have to) hard conversations, hard talks. Everybody’s gotta be willing to look themselves in the mirror and do what’s best for the Georgia Tech football team.”
D.J. Moore’s ACL injury
Key announced Saturday that D.J. Moore tore his ACL during practice recently and likely will miss the entire 2024 season.
Moore is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore and graduate of Archer High School.
“Really hate it for (Moore),” Key said. “Somebody who has really worked hard from being a receiver, transitioned over to the defensive side (to defensive back), was really progressing, doing a good job on that side, was gonna be a huge special-teams contributor for us. But he’s in the right frame of mind now to work and get back and be ready to go.”
Moore played in two games in 2022 before redshirting. He missed most of the 2023 season with injury before playing in four of the team’s final five games and recorded a tackle at Virginia.
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