Georgia Tech football’s annual White and Gold game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, and while many major college football programs have deviated from playing something that resembles a real contest, the Yellow Jackets will line up and play ball under coach Brent Key.
“We’re gonna play football,” he said this week on radio station JOX 94.5 in Birmingham, Alabama. “We’ve got some (limited) player availability right now in certain positions that’ll change how we have to play it a little bit. On Saturday, we’ll be six weeks out from summer training, and I don’t wanna lose anyone for an extended time during summer.
“But we’re still gonna play football. I wanna get some two-minutes situations in. We wanna have some short-yardage situations come up, some third downs, possibly some fourth-and-go-for-it (situations) within the scrimmage that we continue to need to practice and need to work on.”
Any Tech players who have a sore hamstring or tender ankle or any other minor affliction likely won’t participate Saturday. Veterans like quarterback Haynes King, running back Jamal Haynes, wide receiver Malik Rutherford, offensive linemen Keylan Rutledge and Joe Fusile, defensive linemen Jason Moore and Jordan van den Berg, linebackers Kyle Efford and E.J. Lightsey, cornerback Ahmari Harvey and safety Clayton Powell-Lee are just some of the Jackets who may not play as many snaps as some of their younger teammates.
But the day will still be a showcase for a Tech team now firmly cemented in the ways of its third-year coach and third-year offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. It will also be an opportunity for fans to take notes on first-year defensive coordinator Blake Gideon’s system, a system not to dissimilar from the team’s setup in 2024.
“I wanna keep it simple on offense and defense. I wanna see the guys play,” Key said on Atlanta’s 680 The Fan. “I don’t wanna see ‘em paralyzed by overthinking and all the adjustments and the exceptions and all those things. I just wanna see guys go play and play fast and have fun and compete. See who can compete.”
Bobby Dodd Stadium is scheduled to open at noon Saturday, with gates 8 and 9 being the entryways to the venue. General admission seating will be located in sections 119-131, and concessions stands in sections 121, 123 and 128 will be open during the free event.
The Jackets available to play Saturday will be split into two teams — Team Swarm and Team Wreck ‘Em — with some players being asked to play on both squads. The game will consist of four quarters, with the first half having 12-minute quarters and standard clock operations. The second half will include two 15-minute quarters and a running clock.
Saturday’s game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra, and the radio call of the game will be carried in the Atlanta area on Xtra 106.3 FM and 1230 AM.
The White and Gold game will mark the end of Tech’s spring practice and the last time the current roster will be together before reconvening in the summer for offseason workouts.
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