Georgia Tech heads into Pittsburgh with Brent Key stressing the same simple formula over and over: protect the ball, win the trenches and keep developing the pieces around quarterback Alberto Mendoza.
Pittsburgh’s three-game losing streak doesn’t change how Key sees this matchup. He called the Panthers a “really good football team” and pointed to their offensive line, noting that five players have played there and that all are seniors, with three fifth-year seniors among them. For Key, that group is a reminder that “development within your program still matters, right?”
He also made it clear that the Yellow Jackets can’t get casual with what they see on film. Key said Pittsburgh has an attacking defense, but there are also “holes in in in the coverage back there,” and he pointed to Malachi Tony’s production last week as proof that numbers can be misleading.
Georgia Tech, he said, has to be calculated when it takes shots and, above all, “We got to be smart with the football. I mean, hands down number one thing.”
That emphasis on ball security is hardly accidental. Key said Georgia Tech’s record over the last four years when it wins the turnover battle sits at 93 percent, and the win rate when it wins the rushing battle is around 87 percent. He wasn’t completely sure which number belonged to which category, but his point was obvious: those numbers matter.
A big reason the Yellow Jackets have had some flexibility on offense is Dalen Penson, who has emerged as one of Mendoza’s most dependable options after moving over from defensive back. Key said Penson comes to him regularly asking to play both ways, but the staff has kept him focused on receiver because he’s still only about six months into learning the position.
Even so, Key called him “one of my favorite players on this football team” and said he’s part of the “true core” of the program. He added that he’d like to keep feeding him on simple routes like first-down slants so he can keep rolling.
Defensively, Georgia Tech has had to lean on younger players because of injuries, especially in the secondary. One of those is cornerback Trae Stevenson, who Key said missed a lot of time early after legitimate injuries and had also dealt with an issue in the spring.
Because of that, the staff couldn’t just rush him back into the lineup. Still, Key said he’s been pleased with Stevenson’s progress and believes the freshman is a core player who could have been starting already if not for the missed time.
With more reps over the last three to four weeks, Key expects him to keep playing more.
Then there’s Josh Petty, who missed the first six games before stepping in at left tackle last week. In only 27 snaps, he graded as Georgia Tech’s highest-rated offensive player, and Key said he is now in line to start against Pittsburgh.
The coach described Petty as a player with an “alpha personality,” someone who spent the weeks on the sideline and in practice pushing teammates with energy and constant communication. Key said Petty is not shy about speaking his mind, but that it usually comes across as challenging others rather than tearing them down.
Key also noted that Petty is still young and has not started a college game yet, so mistakes are going to happen. Even so, he made it clear the staff is glad to have him back in the mix.
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Georgia Techs Offense Just Made A Bad Stretch Feel Even Worse
Georgia Techs latest loss had the familiar feel of a team searching for answers on offense while trying to hang around long enough for something to break its way. In the defeat to Pittsburgh, the Yellow Jackets managed just 238 yards and 95 on the ground, a frustrating night in which the offense never found much rhythm and the defense had to keep making plays just to keep the game from slipping further away.
There were still a few bright spots on the other side of the ball, with Jonas Duclona turning in one of the more active defensive showings of the night as Georgia Tech tried to slow Pitts run game and create a takeaway or two. But the bigger issue remains the same one that has shadowed this stretch: when the offense is this inconsistent, every mistake feels magnified, and another loss only makes the margin for error feel smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Atlanta Just Got Pulled Into Georgia Florida's Biggest New Tension
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Kirby Smart, meanwhile, has been focused on Floridas offense and the challenge it can present if the Gators get their ground game rolling. One of the names he singled out was running back Jadan Baugh, a player Georgia will have to account for if it wants to control the tempo and keep the rivalry tilt from turning into a track meet. With the game landing in Atlanta, the stakes around this edition feel a little different, and the tension is already building around the details both sides think can swing it. [Read more 🡒]