Our columnist Mark Bradley gives his take on the game.
1. Syracuse looked like a team that had never defended against the option — and it still hasn't. Georgia Tech scored touchdowns on eight of its first 11 possessions, the onslaught continuing even after quarterback Vad Lee's day was done. Backup Justin Thomas led the Yellow Jackets to two more scores. Tech rushed for 394 yards and threw only five passes, three of which were completed. For a team that coach Paul Johnson called "terrible" at executing his option after the Virginia Tech loss, this performance merited a rather different adjective — terrific.
2. The defense pitched its second shutout of the season, offering yet another indication that coordinator Ted Roof is the man the Jackets have long been seeking. Granted, Syracuse isn't to be confused with Clemson — the Orange lost at home to the Tigers 49-14 — but this was pretty stout stuff. Tech's D held Syracuse to 208 yards and induced three turnovers: Linebacker Quayshawn Nealy and cornerback Louis Young made leaping interceptions, and Nealy recovered a fumble caused by cornerback Jemea Thomas' blindside blitz. "We're definitely getting comfortable with coach Roof," Nealy said.
3. For all the advances made this season by the ACC in national prominence, the addition of Syracuse hasn't yielded immediate enhancement. The Orange, to be blunt, were awful. They were outscored 56-0, outgained 482 yards to 208 and were flagged for nine penalties to Tech's zero. The final margin was the Jackets' widest ever in ACC competition, and that came with Tech's first-string offense running only "about seven (different) plays)," according to Johnson. Given that Syracuse showed no aptitude against the option, no more was needed. This was one of those days that proves the option still can, at least against selected opponents, spin like a top.
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