Just Four Years Ago In Pittsburgh...
It's a tough time around the Georgia Tech football program right now. The Yellow Jackets' record is 2- 5, and the most recent loss– a 49-27 wallop administered by Boston College--was extra-painful.
"Embarrassing" is the word that most people, including the Jackets' head coach, are choosing to describe Tech's poor play in that big loss to BC on Homecoming Day. Tech's defense was particularly suspect, leading to some cartoonish stats for Boston College– rushing for 399 yards, rushing for 278 in the second half on just 25 carries, running the same play 14 times, etc. To say it was disheartening is an understatement. Embarrassing, yes.
Next on the schedule is Pittsburgh. The Panthers are 5-3 overall, and 2-3 in the conference. One of those losses was to BC, just two weeks ago.
Pittsburgh is a 7.5 point favorite to win on Saturday. The odds seem stacked for Tech to continue its downward spiral.
But Tech Coach Brent Key has a special connection to this opponent in this setting. This was where he captured his fitst win as a head coach. That came in 2022, when Key was named interim head coach after Geoff Collins was fired following his 1-3 start, which itself came on the heels of three consecutive three- win seasons.
There was uncertainty in the air during Key's first week at the helm, and the general tone of the program was lower than low. Granted, a change had been made at the top with the dismissal of Collins, but there was no hint about the identity of the next full- time regime. The team was coming off a lopsided loss to Central Florida, and that loss had followed a 42-0 waxing by Ole Miss. Prior to Collins' firing, Key was the O- line coach and assistant head coach / run game coodinator. The OC was Chip Long . Andrew Thacker was the DC.
From that chaotic setting, Key mustered his troops and headed north to the Steel City to take on the favored Panthers, ranked #24 at the time.
He garnered sufficient order and aspiration to pull off the upset. Tech prevailed 26-21, using a 17- point fourth quarter to get the win. Tech took advantage of three Pitt turnovers and nine penalties to secure the surprising victory.
Those last two stats are noteworthy. Getting any turnovers at all, much less enjoynig a turnover advantage, has been uncommon for Tech this year. Likewise, holding their own penalty count to just four is unusual. On top of that, Tech ran for 232 yards that day, and surrendered only 106 to Pitt that day. And they allowed Pitt to convert only two of 12 third downs.
Those stats in that scenario now seem almost quaint. From his start on that night in 2022, Key asserted that his team's approach would be basic– run the ball and stop the run. That mantra summoned a deep appeal among Tech fans who were fatigued from Collins' poor results, made worse his seemingly endless insistence that his team was " making progress" – in the face of abundant and obvious weekly evidence to the contrary.
Key went on to finish 2022 with a 4-4 record, earning the full- time job. Over the next three seasons, by using that same approach to " run the ball, and stop the run " , his team.posted records of 7-6, 7-6 and last year, 9-4.
This year, by contrast, TechWorld has been shocked by near - weekly displays of feeble football– bad tackling, questionable play -calling, a gone- missing ground game, a porous defense and a pervasive inability to forge any effectve adjustments during the game.
Key seems quite introspective and perhaps overly analytical as he has attempted to address these persistent issues. Those traits show his own bewilderment at this unexpected turn of events– which is not surprising. Nor is it helpful. There are obvious foundational flaws in this team. Probably too many to corral and coorrect in the remaining thirty days of Techs 2026 season. Among other things, who are the team leaders?
Through it all, Key insists that corrective measures will be made , and only with his players' best benefits in mind. He has also promised that there will be no short- term firings or dismissals among his staff for the sake of making a focal change.
He did offer a ray of hope, reminding us, and maybe himself that,
" In times of adversity, when the team pulls together in the right way, they're really capable of doing anything".
That statement rings true...and the potential to bring that type of unity to bear on a taxing situation like this one speaks to the allure of football itself. Many have called the sport the ultimate team game. A football team playing together can, in the moment, become a much greater force than the mere sum of its parts.
That's what happened in Pittsburgh on October 1, 2022. When asked on Tuesday if there was any useful correlation to this week's game, Key initially said no. But after a moment of reflection, he sounded a slightly different tone. " A football team playing together....".
Key's task is to foster the environment in this trying time whereby it can happen again on October 31, 2026 in Pittsburgh.
Patrick Conarro
RamblinSports