Syracuse football: Three takeaways from SU’s 31-28 upset win against #23 Georgia Tech

Still things to clean up despite the statement win for Fran Brown.

What looked like a potential disaster for the Syracuse Orange late in the 4th quarter turned into SU’s first win against a ranked opponent since Oct. 15, 2022, against NC State.

Syracuse overwhelmed Georgia Tech on offense, but the Orange defense and special teams unit made this game much closer than Head Coach Fran Brown would’ve liked.

Let’s get to the takeaways from the Orange in week two:

Others deserve credit besides Brown and McCord

Fran Brown, QB Kyle McCord, and the other offseason additions received a bulk, if not all, of the media’s attention going into the season, and for good reason, but getting Trebor Pena and Oronde Gadsden back healthy was overlooked. And, right now, it’s hard not to overreact to what the two have already accomplished this season.

Through two games, OG and Pena have combined for 25 catches, 367 yards, and SEVEN touchdowns.

Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

It also can’t be overstated what Offensive Coordinator Jeff Nixon has done to completely re-invent this Orange offense that was abysmal last season — Syracuse finished near the bottom of the ACC in total offense and dead last in passing offense in 2023. Brown gives Nixon a ton of credit for putting OG and Pena, among other Syracuse players on offense, in situations to be successful.

“He’s been in the NFL, he understands what it’s like to be able to get the ball to everyone, and go in and out of different formations.. we don’t have to rely on one guy, we rely on the team and whatever is rolling,” Brown added. “I’ve always looked up to coach Nixon.”

Nixon has held several roles in the NFL and at the collegiate level, most recently as the running backs coach for the New York Giants, where he worked closely with RB Saquon Barkley. Nixon’s wealth of experience will be a big help to Fran and the rest of the offense as the college football season unfolds.

Middle of the field was wide open

When you lose your star linebacker and defensive leader in Marlowe Wax, you’re going to have some trouble at the second level. Georgia Tech QB Haynes King recognized this early, and often. King took advantage of a depleted and younger LB core, completing most of his throws over the middle of the field and taking it himself several times (including two rush touchdowns).

King finished the day with 333 yards of total offense and three scores.

Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

DE Fadil Diggs was forced to play most of his snaps at OLB against GT, Brown said postgame that Diggs was the best option ‘physically’ to replace Marlowe at LB. He also made a mention of Diggs’ time spent with Haynes King at Texas A&M, which also contributed to the move defensively.

“We felt that Fadil should be the guy running those alleys and making those hits, and we knew Haynes [King] knew him, they were at Texas A&M together,” Brown added. “We had to replace that [Marlowe] with someone who would almost be who Marlowe is at linebacker, he’s not a linebacker, but we were able to replace Marlowe for a quick weekend.”

It’s going be nearly impossible to ‘replace’ what Wax contributes to this team, and the adjustment to move Diggs to LB was both good and bad against Georgia Tech. Diggs held his own at LB, he led the Orange defense in total tackles (7.0) and TFLs (2.0) but his absence on the defensive line was certainly felt — the DL produced zero sacks and only three QB hits, which gave Haynes King tons of time in the pocket, and several opportunities to scramble for gains on the ground.

The Orange defense improved immensely from their week one matchup against the Ohio Bobcats, but the unit still has a long way to go from where it wants to be by midseason.

Multiple mistakes on special teams

This was obvious.

Mistakes on special teams cannot happen, especially against better football teams in the ACC going forward. On Saturday, Orange fans witnessed a blocked field goal, a blocked punt, and an onside kick recovered by Georgia Tech.

Twitter was lighting up with posts calling for Syracuse Special Teams Coordinator James Vollono’s exit after the game.

Syracuse can only improve on special teams from where it was a year ago. The Orange were second to last in field goal kicking (10/16) last season and very middle of the pack in net punting (38.7 yards) — Third Team All-ACC P Jack Stonehouse was the only real bright spot.

Cleaning up special teams isn’t an impossible fix, and Syracuse has two weeks to get everything straightened up before it welcomes Stanford to the JMA Wireless Dome.

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What were your takeaways from the win?