Before Saturday, November 10, November 17 of 2018 was the last time Georgia Tech won back-to-back games.
That was Paul Johnson’s last season on the Flats.
Georgia Tech never won back-to-back games during the ill-fated Geoff Collins era.
Saturday’s 23-20 OT win over Duke gave HC Brent Key and Georgia Tech the program’s first back-to-back wins in nearly 4 years.
It wasn’t pretty, that’s for sure. Up 20-6 in the 4th it became a comedy of errors for the Jackets. Duke returned a punt for a TD that cut the score to 20-13. Then the Jackets couldn’t do much with a couple of offensive possessions. They did a poor job of managing the game clock constantly leaving anywhere from 10-15 seconds on it once the ball was snapped.
Duke’s game tying drive consisted of several defensive breakdowns aided by officiating that had Georgia Tech fans ready to lose it.
In OT Jeff Sims who played a very efficient game at QB, got hurt it appeared pretty bleak for Georgia Tech. Gavin Stewart has been a revelation at kicker making all 8 of his attempts in two games gave the Jackets the OT lead after making it 23-20.
The Jacket defense held on Duke’s OT possession to escape with the win.
Think about what HC Brent Key has to deal with in the less than two weeks he became interim HC. He had to prepare for a road game at defending ACC Champion Pitt, and come back and face a much improved Duke team. At the same time, he had to undo the culture of losing, and poor coaching from Collins to just make Georgia Tech a functional football team.
He’s done that even with some late-game hiccups.
It’s been a whirlwind for several days for Key, the Georgia Tech coaching staff, and the players. The goal after 6 games was to be at least 3-3 and have a shot at a bowl game. It’s where Georgia Tech is at.
Reeling Virginia is next on October 20 at home. That is a must-win if Georgia Tech is to continue to think about the post-season.
Now Georgia Tech can catch its breath with a BYE week ahead that comes at a perfect time.
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