We are thankful to once again have my friend Wiley Ballard give us his insights into this old blood rivalry between Georgia and the Jackets. Wiley is an outstanding young announcer, the voice of Yellow Jackets baseball and a member of the Atlanta Braves broadcast crew for television and radio. He does an outstanding job, and it’s always enjoyable to read his insights.
Can you talk about what Brent Key has meant to the team and the Tech fanbase?
Georgia Tech occupies a unique space in the college football landscape. It has a rich tradition filled with transcendent coaches and players, difficult and uncommon academic challenges, and a location deep inside the heart of a sprawling metropolis. Therefore the formula for success on The Flats requires a deep understanding of all the nuances and subtleties that come with those parameters. I say all of that to make this point: Brent Key is quite possibly the most qualified active football coach to lead Georgia Tech, in my opinion at least. He’s experienced it as a student, an assistant coach and now a head coach. With last week’s win over NC State, Georgia Tech has now clinched its second consecutive winning season (first time since 2013-14). Statistically there have been improvements in all three phases since he took over in late September 2022. And not to be overlooked, his demeanor and passion have resonated strongly with the alumni and fanbase. The pride that many Tech fans felt for so many years under coaches like Bill Curry, Bobby Ross, George O’Leary and Paul Johnson is starting to swell again under Brent Key.
Haynes King is a lights out quarterback, one of the best I’ve seen on the flats. Talk about his impact …
In King’s first year as Tech’s starting quarterback he delivered a sparkling season. Last year he was one of two Power-5 players with at least 2,800 pass yards, 25 touchdown passes, 700 rush yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. The other? LSU’s Jayden Daniels (No. 2 overall pick). What’s more? King eliminated his greatest weakness from 2023. Last season he threw 16 interceptions (second-most nationally). This year he has thrown just one and that was back in August versus Georgia State. Unfortunately for Georgia Tech, King missed two and a half games with a shoulder injury in October. The redshirt-junior returned on November 9 and led Tech to a massive upset over No. 4 Miami but did so without throwing the ball deep down the field. In his two games since returning, King is 9-for-9 for just 49 yards. The Yellow Jackets have instead had to rely upon true freshman quarterback Aaron Philo to throw the ball further down the field.
What would a win in Athens mean for the Jackets?
Obviously it would mean a lot. It’d be the first win over Georgia since Kirby Smart’s first season in 2016. Regardless of the result I think Georgia Tech can confidently say that this season is its best since 2016. But most importantly it would be a cherry on top for this senior class that arrived in 2021 at Tech’s lowpoint of the 21st century (the third straight three-win season).
What does Tech need to do to win?
Well clearly the tried and true principles of winning football will be critical: take care of the football, run the ball and win third downs.
Beyond that I think one of the reasons that Georgia Tech has had recent success despite a diminished Haynes King is because they’ve mostly played with the lead (90 minutes over a total of 120). When King has been on the field Georgia Tech’s offense has relied heavily on the run. If Tech were forced to go to the air, King’s impact would be limited. Instead the burden would presumably be upon the true freshman Aaron Philo who hadn’t played meaningful snaps until this month. Of course it’s necessary to point out that Philo led Georgia Tech on a dramatic come-from-behind drive in the final two minutes last week against NC State. So that’s not to say the former Prince Avenue Christian star wouldn’t be up to the challenge
What is your take on this Georgia team?
Overlooked. Don’t get me wrong, it’s true Georgia’s offense has struggled mightily at times this year. But given the winning pedigree of many players on the roster and the expanded playoff format, I still believe the Bulldogs are a legitimate national championship threat. The talent’s there obviously and for as much as Carson Beck has scuffled this season, I still believe he’s capable of heating up and taking Georgia on a run (see the second half against Tennessee a couple weeks ago).
Working with the Braves broadcast crew, there has to be great optimism – presuming there is good luck with injuries – that they could have a great season in 2025.
Tremendous optimism. The Mets and Phillies will likely get the headlines this offseason because of their postseason runs, but the Braves are still one of the most dangerous teams in the National League – when healthy. That will be the question next year. How do Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr bounce back from their season-ending injuries? Can Chris Sale give the Braves another 29 starts? Can Matt Olson, Sean Murphy and Austin Riley regain their 2023 forms? When I look at the backs of the baseball cards for many of the Braves players, it feels like they will be a World Series contending club. And from those I talk to around the game, I think other organizations feel the same.
Moving forward in the new playoff era, how would you like to see schedules set up in the ACC, SEC, rivalries, etc.?
Well obviously I’d like to keep as many rivalry games intact as possible. I think it’s a crying shame that Texas-Texas A&M didn’t play for over a decade. And so is the indefinite conclusion of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Clearly with conference realignment, new SEC matchups including Texas and Oklahoma have drawn major eyeballs and with those eyeballs come major dollars. It’s no different in the Big 10 where matchups like Oregon-Ohio State have breathed fresh life into the regular season. I wonder if the novelty of those cross-country games may wear off after a few years? It’s always felt to me like a regional schedule delivers more year-after-year emotional investment given the proximity. But on the other hand it’s hard to see how two massive fan bases watching the same game would make for bad television (see Georgia-Texas or Michigan-USC). Ultimately I think it will be up to the larger schools to decide if they’d rather play a national schedule against the biggest brands or a more local, regional schedule. I don’t think it’s a big secret what ESPN or Fox would prefer. And I’m not sure the fans of those big brand schools feel any differently.