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Syracuse pulled out all the stops offensively in order to take down Pittsburgh at Yankee Stadium 28-13. SU’s rushing attack garnered 392 yards against a two-win Panthers team. After snapping their five-game losing streak, returning to .500 and notching their first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season, the Orange head to Georgia Tech to square off against the Yellow Jackets for just the fourth time in program history.

GT’s road to 5-5 has been nearly as windy as Syracuse’s this season. It lost to Louisville and then-No. 17 Ole Miss before beating Wake Forest and losing to Bowling Green at home. Then it upset then-No. 17 Miami in a game that head coach Mario Cristobal should have knelt to secure a victory. Since then, they’ve gone 2-2, upsetting North Carolina at home while losing to Boston College and Clemson.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse will fare against Georgia Tech:

Anthony Alandt (8-2)
Georgia on my mind
Georgia Tech 38, Syracuse 24

Syracuse unveiled one of the most unique offensive game plans last week in its 28-13 win over Pittsburgh. I still feel it was one of the most impressive performances by an SU offensive coordinator in recent memory. The offensive line showed out and paved the way for a dynamic rushing attack that will go down as one of Jason Beck’s masterpieces as a play caller. Luckily for the Orange, Georgia Tech allows the most rushing yards per game in the ACC.

Unluckily for Syracuse, the Yellow Jackets also have one of the top offenses in the conference and are much better than Pittsburgh. The Orange haven’t played well on the road this season, furthering a narrative that SU just isn’t conditioned to play against ACC teams away from the JMA Wireless Dome. With continued uncertainty swirling around the health of both Garrett Shrader and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, I can’t see a way the Orange come back from Atlanta with a sixth win and bowl eligibility.

If Beck opts to go with a similar run option-heavy approach on Saturday, he’s going to need to add in even more variation than what we saw against the Panthers. The tape is out, and even a Shrader backflip won’t throw off GT’s defense. I guess we’ll have to see who starts at quarterback. The puzzling season continues, but after a loss, Wake Forest becomes the most pivotal game of head coach Dino Babers’ tenure with the Orange.

Wyatt Miller (9-1)
One trick pony
Georgia Tech 30, Syracuse 17

Alas, I have finally taken a loss in the beat writer predictions. My bid for the first perfect BWP in (recent) Daily Orange history has come to a close, and now it’s time to bounce back. The offense that Syracuse ran on Saturday was effective within the confines of that game. Pittsburgh has struggled on both sides of the ball, and SU hid their cards well. The game plan clearly threw the Panthers off, but now, Syracuse has lost the element of surprise. That offense is a one trick pony, and it won’t work again.

With two banged-up quarterbacks and one QB-turned-tight-end-turned-QB-again, the Orange are in a tough spot. The passing offense has been so silent that Babers felt the need to forgo it completely last game, and that won’t work if Syracuse trails early on. That said, Georgia Tech has the worst run defense in the ACC and it isn’t particularly close, giving up 224 yards per game (35 more than the next-closest team).

The trouble with the Yellow Jackets will be on offense. They have averaged 31.7 points per game in ACC play (ranking third), while the Orange rank last with 12 points per game. The Syracuse offense laid their cards on the table last week, while Georgia Tech still has a sleeve full of wrinkles to unveil. I just don’t see Syracuse winning a road ACC game with their current personnel.

Henry O’Brien (6-4)
One last chance
Georgia Tech 35, Syracuse 13

Both Syracuse and Georgia Tech have five wins and stand in each other’s way of a bowl game appearance. For the Orange, it would be the first time making back-to-back bowl games in a decade. For the Yellow Jackets, it would be the first time they make a bowl game in half a decade. And while both teams will be hungry for a win, Georgia Tech might have extra motivation because the SU game is realistically its last shot to win. The Yellow Jackets still have to play No. 1 Georgia.

On top of intangibles, Georgia Tech has the fourth-best scoring offense in the conference. Two teams above them — Florida State and North Carolina — made mincemeat of Syracuse’s defense. So Haynes King and company should have no trouble running and airing it out deep.

But if Syracuse’s offense can be nearly as efficient on the ground as it was against Pittsburgh, then it should give its defense a chance to make stops. There were times against both the Tar Heels and Seminoles that the Orange’s defense stopped elite offensive talents like Jordan Travis, Keon Coleman and Drake Maye. SU can do that if its offense repeats its astonishing rushing performance. But I have doubts that the anomaly will happen again.

Published on November 16, 2023 at 12:54 am