THREE STORYLINES
Can Georgia Tech not beat itself? Virginia Tech, Miami and BYU didn't need help to defeat the Yellow Jackets, but they complied with penalties, turnovers and botched plays across the offense and defense. Tech would seem to have more margin for error against Syracuse, but maybe not that much.
Who wins the first quarter? Neither the Jackets nor the Orange have handled the opening quarter well — Syracuse has been shut out in four of six first quarters. In the throes of a three-game losing streak and desperate to build on positives, Tech needs to take control of the game from the jump.
Who's going to hold onto the ball? Both quarterbacks, Syracuse's Terrel Hunt (five interceptions in the past two games) and Tech's Vad Lee (four interceptions and two lost fumbles in the past three games), have had trouble with turnovers. Meanwhile, the Tech defense has been hit-and-miss with takeaways.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Tech MLB Jabari Hunt-Days vs. Syracuse RB Jerome Smith. Smith is on a roll, totaling 265 rushing yards with a 7.2 yards-per-carry average in the past two games. Tech will look to Hunt-Days, who was not at his best against BYU last week, to rebound with a strong run-defense effort.
TWEEK OF THE WEEK
“Getting back on the right side of the column tomorrow” — @theZLazer37 (Tech B-back Zach Laskey)
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