Tuesday Thoughts 11/12: Backwards Hat Brent Strikes Again

In which we show some respect to Dad.

Whew boy them Jackets is hell.

Game Recap in Three Sentences

The defense played an incredible game, holding Miami to their lowest point total all season and half of their previous season average (47.3 down to 23).

Jamal Haynes went out early with an injury but the run game kept on churning to a total of 274 yards with eight different players recording a carry.

Tech only went down once early but immediately took the lead back and never gave it up again.

Above The Line of the Week

• Playing to the blueprint. Last week I wrote “The best case scenario for us is to bleed clock with a strong run game and limit the number of possessions they get.” and we did that to perfection. We played our game and didn’t get sucked into an unfavorable shootout.
• Haynes King. He’s on his way to becoming one of the most beloved QBs in Tech history. This game was largely won with his legs and toughness.
• Third down defense. Miami came into this game as the best third down offense in the country at 58.8%; we held them to 3/10 (and 1/4 on fourth down as well).

Tweets of the Week

Bringing this segment back because we finally got a win worthy of good content!

5 Star (7 Star, 5 Star) Developmental Program Haiku of the Week

Hurricane? Weak winds
Field storming on homecoming
Bowl game here we come

Backwards Hat Brent Strikes Again

If you turn on your TV and you see Brent Key wearing his hat backwards, then you know them Yellow Jacket boys just did something very cool. It’s obviously gotta stay forward-facing during the game because that’s his work uniform. But after work? Hoooo baby, Brent is gonna let loose. No other coach in the country can match the aura of Brent Key with his hat backwards, his short-sleeve hoodie soaked in sweat, and his friendship bracelets visible as he screams I CAN’T HEAR YOU to the ESPN reporter trying to talk to him in a sea of field-storming fans celebrating the defeat of our conference’s most faceplant-y program. Why are you trying to ask him a question anyways? He’s Chief Dad and anyone who’s ever talked with their dad on the phone before knows they can’t hear you. The question itself doesn’t even matter – he’s just going to fire off an iconic sound bite anyways. HE PLAYED? Run. The. Bawwwl? It’s Powerade, we’re a Coca Cola school? He may not be great at clock management but boy does he know how to rip a catchphrase on national TV. You could fund our NIL for a year by just selling t-shirts with things he’s yelled into a mic after a big win (I’d instantly buy a “Run. The. Bawl.” hat – sell it to me and make money please).

You wonder why he’s 6-1 against ranked ACC opponents? Because much like the body craves contact, Brent Key’s hat craves to be turned backwards and the only way to do it is to win a big game. It’s the green goblin mask whispering to him Brennnnt, do it Brennnnnt, make Mario Cristobal look like a dummy again Brennnnnt. It can’t be unleashed all the time – that wouldn’t be as special, and in fact would maybe be dangerous to society at large. You’ve gotta smash the release valve after it’s been charging up for a while though; that kind of energy can’t be safely contained forever.

Unrelated coda: Miami gives UGA a run for their money for worst fanbase in the country; you’d be hard-pressed to find someone willing to say “Miami fans are normal, well-adjusted members of society”. If you’re gonna cheer for targeting and instigate fights in the stands then I’m gonna make fun of you for melting down like toddlers when your team loses. Very few fanbases manage to pull off the cognitive dissonance of entitlement + “everyone is out to get us and it’s rigged” + “you beat us but we aren’t even that good so you shouldn’t be happy for winning” quite like the Canes. “Act like you’ve been there before” you say? Well, we actually have (several times), and my response is: nah, get wrecked losers. Call me when y’all stop shriveling up every time you get a big stage; maybe then you’ll have something to brag about that wasn’t over 20 years ago. Better yet, maybe start off by getting your own stadium so that you can even have a real home game to field storm at – an empty NFL stadium doesn’t qualify. What do Miami and Temple have in common? Fake “home” fields and one bowl win in the last decade.

Look Ahead

Up next is another bye, and boy do we need it. Just about everyone is injured and we need all the time we can find to get everyone healthy again.