Georgia Tech looks to upset undefeated Duke on Saturday

Oh, and to knock off an undefeated ACC opponent, an opponent who happens to be Duke, on Saturday at 8 p.m.

“I tell you a lot about the self-assessment that happens every day, every week — the comfort that comes with being on the sidelines of a game as a head coach,” Key said of how he has felt since the Duke game developed further two years ago. “There's a drive: 'Okay, I can relax for a moment and watch the flow of the game.' You always try to think two or three games ahead and manage those scenarios within the game. You can rehearse a lot of these things for as long as you want, but until they happen.

“All these things and situations that are happening much faster now. I think the increased awareness has also increased.”

Even though Key's squad is technically the favorite (by about eight points) heading into Saturday's game, the Jackets have made a living playing the underdog role during Key's tenure. And they seem to play at a higher level when their backs are against the wall.

Tech (3-2, 1-2 ACC) had just one losing streak during Key's tenure, suffering back-to-back losses in October 2022 to Virginia and Florida State, respectively. Since then, Tech has won eight games in a series immediately following a loss.

That could bode well for the Jackets against a Duke team (5-0, 1-0) that is off to its best start since the start of the 1994 season at 7-0.

“They’re a good team and have been for a long time,” Key said. “The culture of the players in that locker room, coaches can come and go, but those things – (Diaz) is a really good football coach, preaches things the right way, does things the right way, builds his team the right way. “You become the positive things “Don’t lose the things you’ve had over time.”

The matchups within the matchup are numerous.

Duke brings an aggressive defense that has resulted in a ton of sacks and tackles for loss, has the league's best pass defense, stifles third-down attacks and allows just 16.2 points per game. Tech quarterback Haynes King described the Blue Devils' secondary as “like little gnats you can't get rid of.”

But on offense, Duke manages just 120.6 rushing yards per game and ranks 13th in the ACC in total offense. Tech's rush defense, led by former Duke assistants and current Tech coaches Tyler Santucci and Jess Simpson, gives up just 90.2 yards per contest, the third-best mark in the league.

“They do a job with their commitment, their physicality and their toughness. And then they schematically eliminate running gaps and just make it difficult for everyone to sled,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said this week. “It's a big challenge for our group because we're getting better and better at running the football every week and that's going to be important. You can’t go into a conference away from home and then just expect to throw the ball 40-50 times in a game.”

Tech's offense, meanwhile, isn't at full speed as it was at the end of the 2023 season. But that doesn't make it any less dangerous, especially with King at quarterback, Diaz said.

King ranks fifth nationally in completion percentage (73.9) and accounts for 298 yards of total offense per outing. And his ability to manage it so well is cause for concern.

“When you play quarterbacks like that, you always feel the tension they can cause because you can never really be relaxed,” Diaz said. “They always pose a threat when they do something that the defense generally doesn’t like.”

Tech will likely need to win its five remaining ACC games to have a shot at the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte, North Carolina, the first weekend in December. Duke is in a more advantageous position at 1-0 in conference play with seven league games remaining.

So, on paper, the Jackets might need this one more than their counterparts.

“We don’t have a big margin. We’re not going to have a big lead in any game we play,” Key added. “We're playing against a 5-0 team that deserves every single one of these five wins. From now on every game will be a very even game. We have to create this leeway.”