Quarterback Justin Thomas logically earned Most Valuable Player recognition for his performance in Georgia Tech’s 49-34 victory over Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl on Wednesday night. But he was hardly the only key contributor for the Yellow Jackets.
After rushing for only 21 yards in the first half, B-back Synjyn Days started off the second with a 69-yard touchdown run on his way to a game-high 171 yards on 21 rushes.
He also scored three touchdowns to match Thomas’ output.
Afterward, he credited his offensive line — not a surprise — and coach Paul Johnson’s for “trusting me with the ball in my hands.”
“I feel blessed for this opportunity,” he said.
Johnson noted that Days didn’t have all that many opportunities to run in the first half. He had only two carries in the first quarter for six yards and logged four in the second for another 15.
But he had plenty of work in the second half.
After his long run gave Tech a little breathing room at 28-20 to open the second half, he came back on the next series and carried four consecutive plays for 39 yards to spark an 81-yard drive that gave the Jackets a commanding 35-20 cushion.
“In the second half we kind of found a little gravy train there with belly plays and and he was running hard and breaking a lot of tackles,” Johnson said.
The 69-yard run in the third quarter was the longest by a Tech B-back since Jonathan Dwyer also had a 69-yarder against Florida State in 2009.
Days’ 171 yards were a career high for the senior, but marked the fourth time he has been in triple figures in the past seven games after his workload increased with the injury to senior Zach Laskey.
