Brent Key, Georgia Tech prepare for prime time showdown with Deion Sanders and Colorado

Brian Schaible

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Brent Key, Georgia Tech prepare for prime time showdown with Deion Sanders and Colorado image

Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key said his team is eager for the challenge of opening the season Friday night against Colorado and Deion Sanders.

“Everything we do from January until now is to get these opportunities to go play football,” Key said. “The first one of the season’s coming up and we couldn’t be more excited.”

Key admitted there’s something special about preparing to coach opposite Sanders, a figure he grew up watching. “I was a huge fan of baseball, my team was the Braves,” he recalled. “To see him perform at both sports at such a high level…it was him and Bo Jackson, and those were the two guys I wanted to be like when I grew up. I obviously couldn’t hit a curveball and wasn’t fast enough to play corner or running back, and so here I am.”

Still, he stressed the matchup is about execution. “Coaching against him, it’s the same as coaching anyone else,” Key said. “We’re focused on what we have to do and what we have to go up there to be successful. But I think the time leading up to it is probably the cool thing.”

Looking at Colorado, Key pointed out their experience on defense. “They have a lot of guys back. I think it’s seven or eight guys that started on the defense last year,” he said. “When you have 20 guys on defense that are juniors or seniors and you’ve got an experienced group like that, that really goes for their entire team.”

He also emphasized the physical challenge. “They might be, if not the biggest, one of the biggest offensive lines in the country,” Key said. “I mean every level…they’re massive. So it’s a challenge just going to play a really good football team.”

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to be able to line up, stop the run, defend the explosives, and get pressure,” Key added. “We welcome expectations, but what our internal expectations are should always be higher than anything externally.”

Georgia Tech and Colorado kick off Friday night in Boulder, with the game airing on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. ET.

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Brian Schaible

Brian Schaible is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is an award-winning journalist with over 25 years of experience covering college and professional sports. Brian holds a master’s degree in journalism/public relations from Kent State University.