Entering the fourth quarter in Saturday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl, Georgia Tech held a 21-10 lead over BYU.
But the Cougars clawed back to score 15 unanswered points in the final frame, stunning the Yellow Jackets 25-21 and clinching the victory with an end zone interception of Haynes King.
“Congrats to BYU, Kalani (Sitake) and their victory in the game,” Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key told reporters postgame. “Good football team. (They) play the game the right way, (they) play hard.
“... Unfortunately, we didn’t make plays down the stretch to be able to come out with a win. Again, credit to BYU for how they played. But I’m going to soak in every last moment that I have with these guys.”
With a number of teams having opted out of bowl games — including Notre Dame previously declining Georgia Tech’s invitation to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl — Key said he didn’t understand such thinking and expressed gratitude for playing another game with his team.
“Competitors compete. It doesn’t matter where it is, what time it is, where you are playing, competitors compete,” Key said. “We have a team of competitors. We will always have a team of competitors. I am a competitor, and that is what we do.
“I really don’t understand the narrative that has been created the last couple years about these (bowl) games aren’t important. I mean, who’s to say a football game isn’t important? There are 365 days in a year that we live, breathe and work for 12 guaranteed opportunities. There is no other sport like that ... I don’t understand people saying the devalue of a bowl game. It is a game. It is another chance to play a game.”
In the past three seasons since becoming Georgia Tech’s full-time head coach, Key has led the Ramblin’ Wreck to a 23-16 record, helping establish the program as a legitimate ACC contender again thanks to the contributions of current seniors such as King.
“That was established by these seniors and by these guys, the identity and the culture,” Key said. “When you have that set the right way, regardless of guys that come in your program, the guys that are remaining from the year before, they are the ones that carry it on. They carry it on, because of how these guys built it. They know that is what they wanted to do.”
With Saturday’s loss, Georgia Tech falls to 9-4 on the year after having opened the campaign with eight consecutive wins.
“We have work to do. We have to make sure we have the best roster we can possibly have, put together the best staff that we can possibly have. It will be here fast. As quick as this season went, the next one will be here. We have to continue with the identity that these guys have built. We are rolling into the next one, because we have a lot of work to do,” Key said.
“... We are all judged by the wins and losses, but when you put it together the right way, those all become a by-product of having everything in the right place and the kids all believe in the same thing and the staff believes in the same thing.”