How is Brent Key moulding the roster for the upcoming season? Last year they scored 7-6 overall, winning all 5 home games. This time, the anticipation is high as Georgia Tech, viewed by some as the dark horse ACC contender, will meet Colorado at Boulder. The Buffs are changed team now, as they would not have the backing of Sheduer Sanders or Travis Hunter. While the Yellow Jackets scored 1-4 away from home last season, are they ready to open the season with a W? Well, their scrimmage says a lot…

Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key just wrapped up his final scrimmage. A total of 125 plays. The original target was 100, but the additions look good, right? Everybody got a chance to play on the turf. So, they must have made some explosive plays. Yeah? Only if it could be that merry. Brent Key did not mince his words when talking about the roster’s performance. His words were sharp, biting enough to give the roster a run for its cleats back to the sidelines. “Dog crap,” That’s how he described the scrimmage, and that’s not even just the trailer for what he had to say.

In a press conference, Brent Key was close to the mic, palms flat on the podium, and with a grave expression, clearly not impressed. He started addressing the media with, “Had our final scrimmage of the preseason camp; went 125 plays. I was planning to go about 100, but the first hundred looked like dog crap.” The initial aim of the scrimmage? Gauge the player’s ability. What do they bring to the Yellow Jackets, and how can they help the team? For sure, there was some heat on the turf. But was it enough?

As Key Bluntly laid out, the players couldn’t get through the aches and pains of the rugged sport. They tapped out pretty quickly and are not mentally resilient enough to keep going at it on the turf. “Reached about 94, but about 115 on the turf, which was what I wanted. I wanted to see how these guys could sustain and practice through some, you know, some adversity. I don’t think we did that well today,” he added. He further stressed that the roster is grappling with too many penalties, turnovers, and blown assignments. A lot of the guys on the turf were new players, but Coach Key says that that was no excuse for such poor performance.

The crux of his speech? “I don’t think we’re anywhere close to being ready to play a football game, as Brent Key put it. “We got a lot of damn work to do.” So, now what? How will Brent Key & Co. navigate that, with barely 15 days for the season opener?

How does Brent Key & roster plan to bounce back?

Yes, Brent Key was not impressed, but there was a positive outcome of the, if you could call it a failed scrimmage? They still have a small window to correct their mistakes. Also, the team had better pass protection. But the coach was more concerned about the lack of pass rush. But there was another major issue. ‘Catching the throw’.

“Now I’m concerned about the lack of pass rush and the fact we can’t catch a football when it is thrown,” Brent Key said. Coming to the obvious question, how is the team planning to bounce back? The media person posed this question with a possible improvement window by the week. To which Key was not convinced, given his opinion of the roster presently. “How about in two weeks? Key replied. “How about in two weeks when we play? The only thing good about today is the fact that we have time to correct it.” He further gave the timeline of 13 days, moving forward. Again, the same question lingered about the Colorado Buffs. How does Brent Key plan to square off at Boulder?

“So, we’ll come in tomorrow as a staff, and hopefully it’s being done as we speak,” Brent added. “We’ll evaluate the football team, evaluate the roster, evaluate where we’re at from, and look, I don’t care if we go in the first game, we run two offensive plays and two defensive calls. We’re going to play what we can execute with the best players on the field to do it.” There will be camp practices to further gauge who wants to play. As for the Colorado prep, they will get into it on Thursday and Friday.

Undoubtedly, Haynes King is the seasoned dual-threat quarterback who allowed the fewest sacks last season. Can he shoulder the limitations of the entire roster? Certainly, the Yellow Jackets’ future hangs in the balance. On the other hand, the Buffs are gearing up with full enthusiasm. Prime Time is back, cancer-free and healthy, and will be coldly calculating at the sidelines. Let’s see what happens on August 30 in Boulder.