Bowl Eligible! Georgia Tech Holds Off Late Syracuse Rally and Clinches First Bowl Appearance Since 2018

Georgia Tech is 6-5 heading into their matchup with No. 1 Georgia next week

It was not pretty by an means, but Georgia Tech defeated Syracuse tonight and is going to their first bowl game since 2018. 

With a 24-3 lead after a 30-yard touchdown run for Jamal Haynes, it looked like Georiga Tech was going to cruise to a win, but that was not what happened. Syracuse got going with what they had to work with on offense and made things tense in Atlanta, but the Yellow Jackets never flinched. Haynes King led a touchdown drive and then linebacker Kyle Efford picked off a pass and that was that. 

Here is tonight's recap. 

1st Quarter

What a start to the game it was for Georgia Tech. 

The Yellow Jackets marched 75 yards in 10 plays to go up 7-0 on Syracuse. The Orange came into the game ranked last in passing yards given up per game and on the opening drive, Haynes King went 5-5 for 53 yards and it was Jamal Haynes that caught a short pass, reversed field and got in the end zone for a touchdown. It was a great opening drive for the game for the Yellow Jackets. 

The Syracuse offense was up next and it looked exactly like it did last week against Pitt. Running back LeQuint and tight end Dan Villari were running wild cat and it did get the Orange into scoring territory. After a holding penalty and a personal foul penalty, Syracuse was faced with an impossible down-and-distance situation given their offense and they had to settle for a field goal. The kick was good and with 1:10 left, Georgia Tech led 7-3. 

Georgia Tech got the ball back, but went three and out meaning that at the start of the second quarter, Syracuse would get the ball back trailing 7-3. 

2nd Quarter

Georgia Tech vs Syracuse  / Nathaniel Caudell

Syracuse took over at their own 36-yard line to start the next drive and it was time for their wildcat offense to take the field. 

It was nothing new for Syracuse. A false start penalty set them back and when your offense has zero threat of a downfield passing game, that is a backbreaker. 

Georgia Tech took over for its third drive at its own 18-yard line. After King scrambled to get the first down, he made an ill-advised throw that Syracuse intercepted and they took over in Yellow Jackets territory. Georgia Tech can be explosive on offense, but King has had a propensity for interceptions and it can be a momentum killer. 

Syracuse took over inside Georgia Tech territory, but it would be an empty drive for the Orange. After three straight running plays, Georgia Tech forced a field goal attempt and it was no good and the Yellow Jackets took over at their own 27. 

King bounced back from his mistake though and in a big way. After an offsides penalty gave Georgia Tech a first down, King found Dominick Blaylock for a 53-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 14-3 with 7:41 left in the first half. After a bad turnover on the last drive, King recovered to deliver his second touchdown of the night. 

Georgia Tech stopped the next Syracuse drive and took over at their own 33 with 4:46 to go in the first half. 

The Yellow Jackets faced a 3rd and 7 just a couple of plays later, but King found Singleton Jr and the drive kept going. It would end in an Aidan Birr field goal and Georgia Tech led 17-3 at the half. Given that Syracuse could not throw the ball down the field, this seemed like an insurmountable lead. 

Georgia Tech was one half away from clinching a spot in a bowl game. 

Here were the halftime stats. 

Halftime stats for Georgia Tech vs Syracuse / Jackson Caudell

3rd Quarter

Haynes King passing the ball against Syracuse / Nathaniel Caudell

The second half could not have started any better. Syracuse fumbled the opening kickoff of the half and Georgia Tech recovered. On the first play of the second half, Jamal Haynes ran it 30 yards for a touchdown and it was 24-3 and it was starting to feel like the nail in the coffin for Syracuse. 

The defense could not stop the Syracuse ground game though. The Orange went eight plays and 71 yards to make it 24-10. Villari had a big 21-yard run to set up his own four-yard touchdown. It was a two-score game with 10:07 left in the first half. 

On the first play of the next play, it appeared the Haynes was going to break a big run, but he fumbled the ball and Syracuse was suddenly in great position to make it a one-score game. 

The Georgia Tech defense made a stand though. They stuffed Allen on fourth and short and gave the ball back to the offense with less than eight minutes to go in the third quarter. 

Georgia Tech would proceed to go three and out on the next drive and that is when things got tense. Syracuse would score just a couple of plays later and defensive tackle Horace Lockett was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. While the PAT was no good, it still put Syracuse within one score near the end of the quarter 24-16. 

The next drive was going to be one of the biggest of the game for Georgia Tech. They needed to stop the momentum that Syracuse had gotten. They were faced with an early 3rd and 5 and after a targeting called was reviewed and not called (wrongly in my opinion), Georgia Tech had to punt and Syracuse would take over. They would quickly face a fourth down as the game went to the fourth quarter. 

4th Quarter

Jamal Haynes running the ball against Syracuse / Nathaniel Caudell

The Orange would convert the fourth down, but just two plays later, it was third and long from their own 33. The Yellow Jackets got the stop and forced a punt. 

Georgia Tech took over with 12:41 left and was up by eight points. It was a chance to put the game away if they could eat clock and score some points. 

They would do the exact opposite of that and go three and out and give the ball back to Syracuse. 

The Georgia Tech defense could not stop the counter plays that Syracuse was running and after being down 21 points in the 3rd quarter, Syracuse scored a touchdown and had a chance to tie it on the two-point conversion. The conversion failed and Georgia Tech led 24-22 with 7:41 left in the game. 

It was not hyperbole to say the next drive was the biggest of the season for Georgia Tech. With bowl eligibility on the line, the offense needed to produce and that is what happened. 

Georgia Tech marched down the field in nine plays and Haynes King ran it 19 yards into the end zone with 2:22 left and it was fitting that King got the touchdown-sealing run for the Yellow Jackets that sent them to their first bowl game since 2018. 

Efford picked off the following pass and that was that. Georgia Tech defeated Syracuse and clinched a spot in a bowl game for the first time since 2018. 

It has been a tough few years for this program since Paul Johnson retired, but this is a step in the right direction. Georgia Tech has been a much better team than in recent years and it will pay off with a bowl appearance. Brent Key will get to take his alma mater to a bowl game no matter what happens against Georgia next week, Georgia Tech has a chance to finish with a winning record. 

Before they make a bowl appearance, Georgia Tech will have to take on the No. 1 team in the country. The Yellow Jackets have not beaten their rivals since 2016. 

That game is set for a 7:30 ABC kickoff next Saturday

Final Score Predictions for Georgia Tech vs Syracuse

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