College Football
Preview
Syracuse at Georgia Tech
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 18, 2023
Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, Atlanta, Georgia

With bowl eligibility at stake for both teams, Georgia Tech welcomes Syracuse to Atlanta on Saturday for a critical Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.

The Yellow Jackets (5-5, 4-3) recently posted back-to-back wins over then-No. 17 North Carolina and Virginia before getting doubled up by Clemson last weekend 42-21. Georgia Tech came into that game averaging 465 yards of offense but mustered only 254 yards against the Tigers.

Haynes King was picked off four times and the Yellow Jackets only held the ball for 23:08 as their five-game ACC road winning streak came to an end.

"We got our butts kicked out there today," Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. "We've got to continue to improve, push through these things, correct these things, and get ready to play another game next week."

That game will come against a Syracuse team that snapped a five-game losing streak last weekend with an innovative 28-13 victory over Pittsburgh. The Orange (5-5, 1-5) essentially played without a quarterback, as the injured Garrett Shrader was only able to throw two passes.

That opened the door for coach Dino Babers to install a wildcat offense in which tight end Dan Villari (17 carries, 154 yards) and running back LeQuint Allen (28 carries, 102 yards) took the bulk of the snaps.

Shrader is questionable for Saturday's affair, while backup Carlos Del Rio-Wilson appears unlikely to be available after missing the Pitt game.

The Orange need one win to become bowl-eligible for the second straight season. They haven't gone to a bowl in back-to-back seasons since 2012 and 2013.

"The bottom part of success is getting these guys to a bowl game," Babers said. "They give up their summers, they go through broken bones, torn ligaments, surgeries. If we can find a way to get into a bowl, to me, that's a good thing."

The Yellow Jackets are aiming for their first bowl appearance since 2018.

Georgia Tech swept its first three games against Syracuse before dropping the last meeting, 37-20 in 2020.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
Syracuse 5-5 W1 24.9 22.3 4-2 1-3 2-3 0-0 1-5
Georgia Tech 5-5 L1 32.0 31.3 2-3 3-2 4-5 0-0 4-3
Last Meeting
Syracuse Georgia Tech
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
9/26/20 GT 20 SYR 37 357 163 194 453 275 178
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Syracuse T. DeVito 54.2 194 2 1
Georgia Tech J. Sims 46.4 174 1 4
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Syracuse S. Tucker 24 112 4.7 2
Georgia Tech J. Gibbs 18 105 5.8 0
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Syracuse N. Johnson 4 87 21.8 1
Georgia Tech M. Carter 4 47 11.8 0
Touchdowns Player TD
Syracuse S. Tucker 2
Georgia Tech J. Gibbs 1
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Syracuse G. Shrader 62.3 1513 10 5
Georgia Tech H. King 61.1 2459 24 14
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Syracuse L. Allen 165 797 4.8 7
Georgia Tech J. Haynes 130 768 5.9 6
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Syracuse D. Alford 24 389 16.2 1
Georgia Tech E. Singleton Jr. 38 580 15.3 6
Touchdowns Player TD
Syracuse L. Allen 8
Georgia Tech J. Haynes 6
Quickchart Matchup
Syracuse Syracuse Off vs  Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Def
Syracuse 357.6 yards
Georgia Tech 454.8 yards
Syracuse 4.5 yards/rush
Georgia Tech 5.3 yards/rush
Syracuse 7 yards/attempt
Georgia Tech 7.7 yards/attempt
Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Off vs  Syracuse Syracuse Def
Georgia Tech 444.2 yards
Syracuse 381.2 yards
Georgia Tech 5.5 yards/rush
Syracuse 3.7 yards/rush
Georgia Tech 7.7 yards/attempt
Syracuse 6.8 yards/attempt