It was a chaotic first drive: Alberto Mendoza took two hard hits while dropping back to pass, then threw a short pass that set up a 3rd-and-10. After the punt, Cardinal Jackson Voth muffed the catch, and Tech recovered, giving the Jackets a new set of downs. Grady Adamson then entered the game and threw a 0-yard pass and an incompletion. As AJC writer Fletcher Page noted, the home crowd started booing the offense. While Tech eventually salvaged a field goal, what do you even want me to say about this game?

Brent Key seemed to agree with the dissatisfaction of the fanbase; in his post-game press conference, he immediately said, “Our fans deserve better. Yellow Jacket Nation deserves better. Everybody that wore the white and gold deserves better.”

I don’t disagree.

Fittingly, for a team that was eliminated from bowl contention, the game was put away in the third by a brisk two-play drive after a 68-yard punt return, with Isaac Brown scoring his 10th touchdown of the season off an 11-yard run. There was a faint glow of competitiveness prior to this, even if Louisville took the lead quickly, but it was clear then and there the game was over. This is the first time that the Yellow Jackets will not qualify for a bowl game in Key’s four full-time seasons, as well as their longest losing streak since the Geoff Collins era.

The jeering was telling. Tech may be approaching the point with the fanbase where the collective frustration is mounting, and that might be more notable than being outmatched on yet another Saturday, and Tech was outmatched: the Cardinals outgained them 306-66 before the final possession of the first half. The rest of the schedule is tough, and that run of games might get ugly for Key since the season is lost. When that happens, it can evoke feelings of going through the motions or following the team out of obligation; unlike the NFL, there’s no draft to tank for and most of these guys are going to be gone next year, so it can feel difficult to find anything to invest in.

Key said in a September press conference that he doesn’t make dramatic in-season changes, and that philosophy may make this worse. How he navigates the regression and crisis the Yellow Jackets are embroiled in this season will determine a lot about next year. While the depletion of the roster through injury and graduation is certainly a problem and a valid reason for some of the outcomes this year, the performance of the shuffled offensive line, having a defense ranked 120 out of 138 in total defense, and the choice in coaching appointments are all issues that can’t be waved away by pointing at the availability list or Mendoza. Again, Key accepted his culpability for this: “I’m never going to sit up here and make an excuse. I’m going to take the bullets for all of it.” He recently signed a contract extension through 2029 after 2025’s 9-3 season, so if you want him out, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

It’s all so tiresome, and it’s getting worse every week. At this point in a rough season like this, there are only a few things you can do, like seeing what you have in non-starting players, adjusting your coaching and experimenting with it, and making sure you don’t lose the program. Key is aware of the importance of this. “Culture doesn’t carry over; it doesn’t travel year to year,” he said in the post-game presser. “It’s got to be reset. Adversity has to hit and work through adversity, and that’s when people rise.”

Grady Adamson played significant time this evening, so they’re seeing what they have in him. Most of his snaps came in second-half garbage time, plus an early rotation series. From the limited minutes we saw, he rushed his progressions and threw a hospital pass, but he’s tough, has a decent arm, and is calm under heavy pressure. The play-calling kept him on training wheels with quick rhythm-and-timing throws, while Mendoza still got the two-minute drills and deep shots. In my opinion, there may be an ACC quarterback in there. That’s what’s left for the Yellow Jackets this year: finding out who can play, at every position and on the coaching staff.

It’s just a shame that it doesn’t win games.