‘Centered on the mission,’ Brent Key, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets upset No. 24 Pittsburgh Panthers

PITTSBURGH — Jeff Sims threw for one landing and ran for an additional as Georgia Tech, lower than per week after seeing its coach and athletic director fired, upset No. 24 Pittsburgh, 26-21, on Saturday evening.

Georgia Tech let athletic director Todd Stansbury and coach Geoff Collins go on Monday, two days after a 27-10 loss to UCF that dropped the Yellow Jackets to 1-3 on the season.

Collins was in his fourth season as coach, and the loss to the Knights final week was the Yellow Jackets’ ninth straight to FBS opponents courting to final season.

However interim coach Brent Key rallied the troops because the Yellow Jackets (2-3, 1-1 ACC) authored the efficiency of the season. Although they solely amassed 17 first downs and 338 whole yards, they possessed the ball for 31:04 within the rain in Pittsburgh and churned out a victory as 21.5-point underdogs.

“I’ve recognized these guys have had it in all of them alongside, and we simply wanted to get them on the identical web page,” Key mentioned in his postgame, on-field interview on the ACC Community.

Pitt (3-2, 0-1) struggled to realize their footing on the moist turf, ending with simply 106 yards on the bottom. It was their second house lack of the yr, after dropping a 34-27 time beyond regulation determination to Tennessee final month.

Georgia Tech amassed 236 yards on the bottom and capped off the victory with Sims’ 18-yard landing run with 1:25 left within the fourth quarter. Hassan Corridor piled up 157 yards on the bottom for the Yellow Jackets.

“The coaches rallied them collectively, saved them targeted on the mission, at some point at a time, one play at a time to get this win,” Key mentioned.

In a shocking flip of occasions — although it is nonetheless fairly early within the season — the Yellow Jackets discover themselves only one recreation behind Duke and North Carolina for first place within the ACC Coastal Division. They’ll host the Blue Devils on Saturday in Atlanta.

“I am simply so blissful for the children, the coaches, the alumni base,” Key mentioned. “We’ve got a variety of work to do now. … We have Duke in seven days.”

Secret’s the primary Yellow Jackets alum to guide this system since Invoice Curry’s tenure within the Nineteen Eighties.

The Related Press contributed to this report.