Syracuse football, which snapped a five-game losing streak last weekend, looks to become bowl-eligible for the second year in a row when the Orange travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech this Saturday night.
This past Saturday afternoon from Yankee Stadium in New York City, the ‘Cuse relied almost exclusively on its rushing attack, and the Mob defense delivered the goods, as Syracuse football knocked off long-time rival Pittsburgh, 28-13, to pick up its first Atlantic Coast Conference victory of the 2023 season.
Now the Orange (5-5, 1-5 in the ACC) is set to take on the Yellow Jackets (5-5, 4-3 in the ACC). Georgia Tech had won two straight, including a thrilling home triumph over top-25 North Carolina, before the Yellow Jackets most recently fell at Clemson, 42-21, on November 11.
Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse odds, spread and total
When I wrote this article, FanDuel had the Orange as a 6.5-point betting underdog at the Yellow Jackets, with the over/under set at 53.5 points.
Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse how to watch
Date: Saturday, Nov. 18
Game Time: 8:00 pm
Venue: Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta
TV/Streaming: ACC Network and fuboTV
Georgia Tech’s record: 5-5, 4-3 in the ACC
Syracuse’s record: 5-5, 1-5 in the ACC
Syracuse’s full 2023 schedule: Click here
Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse key players to watch
Here is the week-12 depth chart for the Orange against the Yellow Jackets, courtesy of Emily Leiker of Syracuse.com.
From an injury standpoint, among those ‘Cuse players who are out for the rest of the 2023 stanza are junior receiver Oronde Gadsden II, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman David Wohlabaugh Jr., sophomore defensive lineman Denis Jaquez Jr., junior tight end Steven Mahar Jr. and junior offensive lineman Kalan Ellis.
I also did not see junior wide receiver/return specialist Trebor Pena on the week-12 depth chart. We’ll have to monitor senior quarterback Garrett Shrader and redshirt sophomore quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, both of whom have been banged up some lately.
Georgia Tech
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Haynes King
To date in the 2023 season, King is completing 61.1 percent of his passes for 2,459 yards, with 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Within the ACC, he is No. 3 in passing yards per contest.
Redshirt sophomore running back Jamal Haynes
Haynes is presently No. 5 in the ACC in rushing yards per affair. For the entire 2023 campaign, he has rushed the ball 130 times for 768 and six scores on the ground.
Syracuse
Sophomore running back LeQuint Allen Jr.
In the win over the Panthers, Allen rushed 28 times for 102 yards. He is No. 4 within the ACC in rushing yards per encounter, having carried the ball in total 166 times for 797 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
Redshirt sophomore tight end Dan Villari
Villari was the talk of the town, so to speak, when the ‘Cuse defeated Pitt. He carried the ball 17 times for 154 yards and a score on the ground, and he also threw for 12 yards through the air. Villari set a single-game program record for rushing yards by an Orange tight end, and he picked up ACC weekly honors for his performance in the Big Apple.
Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse prediction and pick
In their short all-time series together, the Yellow Jackets have a 3-1 advantage over the ‘Cuse. The programs have only played once before at Bobby Dodd Stadium, with Georgia Tech crushing the Orange, 56-0, in 2013. Most recently, in September of 2020, Syracuse football handled the Yellow Jackets, 37-20, on the Hill.
Here is Georgia Tech’s 2023 resume so far. The Yellow Jackets own victories over South Carolina State, Wake Forest, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia. Georgia Tech has suffered setbacks at the hands of Louisville, Ole Miss, Bowling Green, Boston College and Clemson.
The Yellow Jackets, within the ACC, are No. 4 in scoring offense, at 32.0 points per game, yet Georgia Tech is sub-par on defense, allowing 31.3 points per contest, which is No. 13 in the league.
Syracuse football and the Yellow Jackets are two of the better rushing teams in the ACC, however, Georgia Tech is not good with its rushing defense, giving up 224.0 yards per game, whereas the Orange’s rushing defense is middle-of-the-pack in the conference.
Yes, this game is on the road, and yes, the Yellow Jackets are the betting favorite. But Syracuse football was a beast on the ground last weekend, and I like the Orange to do similar things this Saturday evening in Atlanta.
I’ll take Syracuse football to “upset” Georgia Tech by a final count of 31-27 and attain post-season bowl eligibility. After this ACC clash, the ‘Cuse will host Wake Forest in the 2023 regular-season finale, with the kick-off scheduled for 2 pm on Saturday, Nov. 25.