Georgia Tech football: Spring game proves there’s hope on The Flats

“We have a long way to go make no mistake about it. Today was to have some fun for the fans and see where we were at and to see the players run around and make some plays.” – Head Coach Brent Key

Georgia Tech football just finished their 2023 spring game as Team Wreck ‘Em topped Team Swarm, 42-24, as the Yellow Jackets wrapped up the spring by putting on a show in front of 10,000 fans at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Head coach Brent Key, who went 4-4 as interim last season is wanting to cultivate a culture of toughness within his current squad. After the game Coach Key stated:

"“If you’re smart, tough, disciplined, don’t beat yourself, you can win a lot of games. People ask: What are your realistic goals in a season? If you set a realistic goal, you’re setting yourself up for failure. What are you going to say? ‘Well, we want to go to a bowl game.’ So you just want to win six games? Now you’re saying you want to lose six games? I don’t believe in that. I want our players to be process-oriented, to understand what it takes each day and then move on to tomorrow. As an alum, and one of the most passionate fans of Georgia Tech athletics, there’s a common denominator on successful teams at Georgia Tech that have won championships. All of them had an edge about them. They had a sense of toughness about them. That’s what we want to instill here.”"

In his first spring game as Key accomplished two primary objectives: first, no injuries from the contest, and second, to put on a show for the fans.

With new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner leading the Georgia Tech football offense, it becomes critical that the best quarterback wins the starting job. All three have made progress this spring. Besides everyone wanting to see the new offensive scheme, the quarterback battle this spring has attracted the most interest.

The biggest thing that stood out was the wide distribution of the ball among the offense. Coach Faulkner seems to have a complete grasp of what everybody can do and what everybody is good at and how to call plays to put the players in the best position to move the ball. The second biggest thing was the pass completion percentage and yards per completion. Not including the 0-3 by the two freshmen, the quarterbacks were a collective 34-for-55 (62 percent) with zero interceptions and a whopping 18 yards per completion.

All the quarterbacks looked sharp for Georgia Tech football, throwing with accuracy and touch and finding open targets.

For the purposes of determining a starter, the spring game is probably not going to do it, as the competition is expected to continue into the fall. The uptick in depth at the position is what stood out.

The stats:

• Zach Pyron: 9-for-11 153 yards 1TD
• Haynes King: 13-for-22 276 yards 3TDs
• Zach Gibson: 7-for-12 106 yards
  Brody Rhodes: 3-for-5 83 yards  1TD

Hope is back.