Post-win interview with Brent Key, Ahmari Harvey, Jamal Haynes, and Haynes King
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00:00 >> Head coach Brent Key, players Amari Harvey, Jamal Haynes, Haynes King.
00:05 Coach, if you could start us, start and give us a comment on the game.
00:09 >> Yeah, just first off, thanks to the guests, the city of Tampa for
00:14 the hospitality this week.
00:15 It's been a great experience for these guys to be able to come down here and
00:20 be in some good weather and enjoy being around each other, enjoy competing.
00:24 We talked all week about there's really three enjoyments that were gonna come
00:27 from this experience.
00:29 Number one is the experience itself.
00:31 Two is the joy of preparing to come out and compete in a game.
00:36 And the third one, we've gotta go out and earn.
00:39 We might be in a good position, we might be in a bad position.
00:42 That third one, we've gotta come out and earn, and
00:43 that's the ability to raise that trophy at the end of the game.
00:47 And those guys did that.
00:49 I can't be more proud of these guys, man.
00:51 I really couldn't.
00:52 And it's about them, it's about the work they put in.
00:57 If that wasn't a capsule of our entire season and
01:01 the way that they just kept fighting, kept fighting.
01:05 There's so many things they learned this year that we learned together.
01:08 And learning how to compete, learning how to play with discipline,
01:12 learning how to do things the right way, to play for four quarters, right?
01:18 Learning how to go into every game and expect to win.
01:21 Go into every game and expect to win,
01:24 regardless of the circumstances within the game.
01:26 That doesn't change what our expectation is.
01:28 If they just keep playing, keep fighting, and
01:31 do things the right way, the good things will happen.
01:33 They did that tonight.
01:34 I'm just really proud of these guys.
01:36 That's what it's about, these guys.
01:37 And I can't say enough about them.
01:41 >> Okay, we'll open up to questions up in the front here.
01:44 >> Ray, you guys are down 14-0 in the first quarter.
01:48 Have to settle for a field goal, then you're down 17-3,
01:51 then score all the points they're asking you to 27.
01:54 So talk about, I guess, not giving up.
01:58 And that's been the one thing, even in that Miami game,
02:02 a couple months ago, but that's been maybe the calling card for you.
02:08 >> Yeah, well, stop forgetting about other teams it's happened to as well.
02:12 We've been up 14-0 in the game.
02:14 It didn't come out the way we wanted it to.
02:18 We learned from those mistakes.
02:20 We learned from those experiences.
02:21 I've heard a lot in my career, don't ever waste a belly.
02:29 Don't ever waste an opportunity that you can get better from.
02:34 And these guys did that.
02:36 They answered every challenge.
02:38 I mean, I hope we're underdogs every game from now on.
02:42 I mean, it's one of those things, I think, that's what Georgia Tech is.
02:47 Georgia Tech's a school of people.
02:49 They work, it's a school of people.
02:51 It teaches you how to figure things out, teaches you how to solve problems, right?
02:57 It teaches you to keep pushing ahead.
02:58 I tell these guys all the time about,
03:00 you can't do anything about what's in the past except for going from it.
03:03 You can't do anything about something in the future except to prepare for it.
03:06 And we have to live in the moment, we have to stick,
03:09 be where our feet are at all times.
03:11 And they do that, and they kept playing, and they kept playing, and
03:12 they kept playing.
03:13 And it's only gonna help us grow as the years go on and
03:19 we continue to move forward.
03:21 But these group of guys in that locker room,
03:23 this is the last time they were wearing the white and gold.
03:26 And what they've done for this program, what they've done for
03:28 all of Georgia Tech, I can't say enough about it.
03:34 >> In front here.
03:35 Coach, you were able to not only lead the team to its first ball game in a little
03:39 bit, you were able to win it.
03:41 Do you believe this is the start of something special here at Georgia Tech?
03:44 >> I think every day is the beginning of a new day and
03:50 beginning to continue to work towards things we're creating.
03:53 We challenge each other.
03:55 I mean, I don't say I challenge them, we challenge each other.
03:57 Come in every day and do the absolute best we can do.
04:02 Be the absolute best we can be.
04:03 Be the best version of ourselves individually, collectively as a team.
04:08 And work as hard as we can.
04:11 We tell them not to look at the scoreboard when you're down.
04:13 Well, why am I gonna tell them to look forward to a year of what we might be?
04:16 Does that make any sense?
04:18 We're gonna enjoy the heck out of this tonight.
04:20 We're gonna enjoy this.
04:21 We're gonna enjoy the holidays with our family, which we've been away from.
04:25 I know you're not just the players, but we're coaching staff,
04:28 which has been so many hours.
04:29 Getting ready for this game and improving.
04:33 But then we'll be back in January.
04:36 It's a new team.
04:38 It's new goals, it's new aspirations, it's new camaraderie in the locker room.
04:42 And we'll start it over again.
04:44 >> In the back.
04:46 Yeah.
04:46 >> Coach, after that slow start in the second half, you guys on offense and
04:51 defense and kicking, really controlled the play.
04:54 Was that momentum?
04:55 Was that adjustments?
04:57 Was that physicality, all of the above?
04:59 >> Yeah, I mean, really, from the second quarter on, if I'm not mistaken,
05:03 it was, I think it was something, the first, what was it, two or
05:07 three drives they had?
05:10 17 points maybe in the first three drives, 250 something yards.
05:15 In the next seven drives, they had just over 100 yards and zero penalty.
05:20 So a big part of that is the guys trusting the plan.
05:25 A big part of that is coaches making adjustments.
05:27 Bowl games are a little bit like the first game of the season.
05:30 There's a lot of unknown in how teams are gonna come out,
05:33 what they're gonna change.
05:34 You've got three weeks to prepare for them.
05:38 But good teams, good coaches, and
05:43 they have players that are willing to buy into what they're being told and
05:46 the adjustments that are being made.
05:47 And smart enough to outdo them, smart enough to execute them, right?
05:53 That's great, these guys here.
05:54 >> Second row.
05:55 >> Amari, defensively, you guys started a little slow, but as the game went on,
06:02 it seemed like you really started to dial into what they're trying to do.
06:06 What did you see out there?
06:07 >> It wasn't anything that we did, it was something that we did.
06:14 You've been fighting adversity, you find out who a real man is.
06:19 When they back against the wall, everything not going their way.
06:22 You just kept pushing, kept pushing, kept pushing to the day I'm here.
06:25 >> Yes.
06:28 >> Jamal, first full season as a running back, what would you,
06:32 looking back, you really seemed to get better as the season went along.
06:36 Looking back, reflecting on your first year as a running back,
06:38 how were you able to get better every single game it seemed like?
06:41 And what does it say about the Georgia Tech offense that you guys
06:44 just continue to run the ball with success?
06:47 >> Simply just a huge shout out to the coaches and the players inside the locker
06:50 room.
06:51 Making that position change wasn't easy, but with their support and
06:54 with their help, it became a lot easier as the season going on.
06:58 And huge shout out to the running back room.
07:00 They always have each other's back, we always have each other's back,
07:03 no matter who's inside the game.
07:04 We already know that anybody can go in there and get it right.
07:08 Shout out to the O-line, the O-line does a phenomenal job each and every day.
07:13 Day in and day out, they work their tail off.
07:15 And that just goes to show what this offense can really do,
07:17 and what this offense can really become in the future.
07:19 >> Question.
07:21 >> Bren, along those same lines, 27 straight running plays to end the game.
07:26 That'd be pretty sweet for a former O-line.
07:28 >> Was it really?
07:28 >> Besides the kneel down.
07:31 >> [LAUGH] >> Is it proper to say no comment?
07:36 >> [LAUGH] >> What do you think it felt like?
07:41 >> [LAUGH] >> It was awesome.
07:45 No, you win the shortest way.
07:50 And we got to a position where now you start to count possessions.
07:53 You count possessions, you count the time on the clock.
07:55 You're looking at timeouts on both sides.
07:58 I had a couple early, one of them challenged.
08:03 But they had all three.
08:07 So that really changes the game now.
08:10 So you've got to eat the clock and be able to, I mean,
08:15 I thought the coaches, not just the coaches, but Haines did a heck of a job now.
08:19 I mean, that play was coming in just like we practiced, 18 seconds.
08:22 We were getting it all in, and he was staring at the shot clock,
08:25 and he shot that sucker at one second, and that was awesome, man.
08:29 >> Far left over here.
08:30 >> Question for Haines.
08:32 Coach Key was talking the other day about how your teammates respond to your
08:34 leadership, and I'm just wondering, this game, when you got down 14-0,
08:38 I mean, did you have much to say to the guys, trying to rally them?
08:41 >> It was pretty much everybody.
08:43 We all came up in that huddle, and we looked at each other,
08:46 like we've been here before, we're not gonna press.
08:51 Stick to the game plan.
08:53 Trust each other.
08:55 Everything else is gonna take care of itself.
08:57 Just be in the moment.
08:57 >> Follow up on that, Haines, pardon me, on that fourth down play where you
09:03 kicked the field goal.
09:04 Were you wanting to go for it when you came off?
09:06 >> I mean, yeah, you always wanna go for it, but no, that's a smart decision.
09:10 >> Put some points on the board.
09:11 >> Yeah, you gotta put points on the board, and
09:13 that's how you win football games.
09:14 I had bad eyes on the spot.
09:17 I mean, it looked like it was a fourth and two.
09:19 We were fourth and one as we go the entire time.
09:21 We knew it, it was a fourth, it looked fourth and two,
09:24 it was fourth and two, whatever.
09:27 I mean, I- >> [INAUDIBLE]
09:29 >> No, and then they end up spotting the ball.
09:31 Well, now the clock is 26 seconds, all right?
09:34 We'd already called the field goal team up.
09:36 Well, now to be able to flip it back and forth, maybe one more.
09:40 >> You look very decisive on the press box.
09:42 >> What's that?
09:43 >> You look very decisive.
09:44 >> Well, it didn't to me.
09:45 >> [LAUGH] >> In front here.
09:48 >> Or the guys in our press box.
09:50 >> [LAUGH] >> Coach,
09:53 the college football news cycle today was gonna dominate with Florida State suing
09:58 the ACC and the ACC suing Florida State.
10:01 And there's a lot of chaos in different areas of the sport.
10:05 And how rewarding is it to see a team, you put on a good game,
10:10 you see the joy on the players' faces after the game, and
10:15 how much joy is in the locker room.
10:16 And you can talk a little bit too about kinda just how there's chaos in
10:21 different areas of the sport, but when it boils down to it,
10:25 it's still all about the players.
10:27 >> Is this question about chaos or
10:28 is this question about enjoying the moment with the players?
10:32 >> [LAUGH] >> You can answer either one.
10:34 >> As far as enjoying the moment with the players, of course,
10:38 that's what it's about, is to be able to sacrifice and give up, give up,
10:43 to give things a way that means something to you, to be able to have a win,
10:47 to be able to have the outcome that you want.
10:51 I have no clue what you're talking about about anyone else.
10:54 I don't watch the news, I have no social media.
10:56 So I can't comment on something I don't know about.
11:00 >> Back up front.
11:02 >> Jamal, can you talk about you broke that 1,000 yard rushing barrier first time
11:06 since 2017 for Georgia Tech while there.
11:08 >> Hey.
11:09 >> What?
11:10 >> Hey.
11:11 >> [APPLAUSE]
11:14 >> I only had $69, I don't know how much.
11:16 >> [LAUGH]
11:18 >> Can you just talk,
11:19 any investor talked about it, they told you they're moving you to running back,
11:22 the last day of spring ball.
11:24 Can you just talk about that transition and
11:26 how much that means to you to get to 1,000 yards?
11:30 >> The transition was special.
11:31 Of course, you're always gonna have a little doubt about how it's gonna go
11:35 playing wise, but at the end of the day, the coaches believed in me.
11:39 They told me just put down my head and go to work, and that's exactly what I did.
11:41 So a few shots in, and as far as those 1,000 yards, that's not just my legs.
11:46 That's honestly all to O-line.
11:48 I honestly owe all the respect to O-line.
11:49 I don't even want the MVP trophy, honestly.
11:51 I wanna give it to the O-line, my God.
11:53 But they just, like I said, they come in day in and day out and
11:56 just work their tail off.
11:57 And it's just a surreal moment.
11:59 Just to see how fond that the running backs in the O-line have, but
12:03 also just the whole entire offense and the whole team, it's a very surreal moment.
12:06 >> Did you know that you were that close?
12:08 The first rush of the second half, the third yard run,
12:10 that was what put you over 1,000?
12:12 >> Honestly, I was always worried about winning this game and
12:14 bringing Georgia Tech back that trophy.
12:15 >> [LAUGH] >> Back over here.
12:18 >> Question for Haynes again.
12:19 You made a decision to come to Georgia Tech, and
12:21 now that this first season is over, I mean, how would you sum it up?
12:23 How did it go for you?
12:25 >> I mean, I made the right decision.
12:27 >> [LAUGH] >> That's all I pretty much got to say
12:30 on that.
12:31 Coach Key, he believed in me.
12:33 He gave me another opportunity to come play and then live out my dream.
12:38 >> Second row.
12:39 >> So one of the things about bowl games is it's a reflective moment on the season,
12:42 just for the players, all you guys.
12:43 Looking back on this season, describe this briefly.
12:47 What is this season meant to you?
12:48 The ebbs and flows, the ups and the downs.
12:50 You've had some tough losses and some huge wins, and
12:53 you cap it off in a game like this.
12:55 Just describe the season just real briefly, just the players.
12:58 Starting with Haynes.
13:00 >> I mean, it's what this program is about.
13:03 I mean, like I said earlier, we wear these wristbands, E plus R equals O.
13:09 The event, the response equals outcome.
13:11 How are you gonna respond when adversity hits?
13:13 Like Coach said, you never forget about a failure.
13:17 You never overlook a failure.
13:19 It's just the response.
13:23 It tells a lot about who you are as a person, who you are as a program, and
13:28 who you are as a team.
13:31 Haynes, really hard play.
13:33 Adversity is definitely on a strike.
13:35 Those losses in the beginning, you just have to learn from.
13:37 And eventually that L disappears and you start earning.
13:40 So at the end of the day, we started to earn our wins, and
13:44 that's Georgia Tech football.
13:45 [COUGH]
13:49 >> This season, losing at the beginning, it hurt.
13:53 So I started to hate to lose before the game.
13:56 You gotta hate to lose during practice.
13:57 You gotta hate to lose during school.
13:59 You gotta hate to lose before Saturday.
14:02 You can't just hate to lose on Saturday.
14:04 That's how you lose.
14:05 So I seen the team ship.
14:08 We all matured.
14:10 We all grew together.
14:11 And yeah.
14:14 >> This guy, by the way, has matured more than anyone on the football team.
14:19 Not just on the field, guys.
14:20 What he's done in the classroom, what he's done with his life.
14:23 Unbelievable, this guy.
14:25 So proud of him.
14:26 So proud of him.
14:27 >> [APPLAUSE]
14:30 >> I think we'll finish up with this
14:31 question here.
14:33 >> Brent, when Haines was taking a knee, I saw you turn around and
14:35 pump up the crowd.
14:37 What's it meant to see the support these guys have gotten as the season has
14:41 progressed?
14:42 >> Yeah, I mean, the one really pumping them up is just telling them, thank you.
14:45 Some of the best memories I have playing at Georgia Tech and
14:51 being a Tech fan are the fans.
14:55 The fans, the students, the support that we get.
14:58 And it's awesome to see that.
15:02 It's awesome to see people behind these guys.
15:05 I see it now different than I did as a player.
15:08 As a player, it's just support.
15:10 But now it's a lot of people that are supporting these kids.
15:15 And young men, whatever you wanna say.
15:18 But it has a different feel to it as a coach now,
15:24 as it did when I did as a player.
15:27 >> All right, gentlemen, thank you very much.