Syracuse Football: Takeaways from Orange's week 10 comeback win against Virginia Tech

In a back-and-forth affair in the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse football knocked off Virginia Tech, 38-31 in overtime.

It was a game that really should have been Virginia Tech's, they led most of the way, but the Orange played a fantastic second half to get it done. With the win, Syracuse moves to 6-2, securing bowl eligibility for the third year in a row. The last time that happened was between a five-year stretch from 1995-1999.

My key takeaways from Syracuse football's week 10 win against Virginia Tech.

This Syracuse team is clutch and they do not quit

Coming off an ugly loss to Pittsburgh last week, Syracuse could have easily phoned it in against a very good Virginia Tech team. And it honestly looked like they might at the start of the game, which included a 14-0 deficit and two three-and-outs in the first 11 minutes.

But that never happened. On the third drive, Syracuse got on the board with a Jackson Kennedy field goal. By the time halftime hit, the game was still 14-3, but the Orange turned the ball over twice in Hokies territory.

To start the second half, Syracuse punted after four plays while Virginia Tech had a calm 10-play, 76- yard touchdown drive. Again, Syracuse could have quit. Again, they didn't after an incredible five-drive sequence. The Orange scored a touchdown, forced a three-and-out, scored another touchdown, forced a fumble, and scored a third touchdown. A 21-3 deficit quickly became a 24-21 lead and everything went Cuse's way.

That was unfortunately unsustainable, as Virginia Tech would score the next 10 points and led 31-24 with just over five minutes to play. Here's where the clutch part comes. Kyle McCord and LeQuint Allen led a 14-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game and force overtime. There, Allen would score on the game's second touch, and Marlowe Wax would force a fumble to secure the impressive come-from-behind win.

LeQuint Allen is the Orange X-factor and the trusted guy at the end of the games

LeQuint Allen, the junior RB, has certainly taken a step back on the stat sheet in 2024. A lot of that comes from Kyle McCord, who has simply thrown a lot more than any Syracuse quarterback last year and the touches have been harder to come by. With that comes changing personnel, blocking TE Max Mang has seen the field less in favor of dynamic pass catchers.

Against the Hokies, Allen had the best game of the season and I'd argue his best in his career. He carried the ball 21 times for 121 yards and three touchdowns, catching five passes for an additional 37 yards. The 158 yards of total offense is a career-high, and the three touchdowns are the second-best in his career. A lot of credit goes to the offensive line, who were fantastic in run-blocking and sprung many holes.

As the game went on, Allen had more of an impact. On the final drive in regulation, he touched the ball on the first five plays with eight total on the drive. And in overtime, OC Jeff Nixon designed a trick play for Allen to gain 16 yards, and he scored the very next play.

It was a deserving performance for Allen, who now holds the career records for single-season (42) and career (97) receptions by a Syracuse running back.

This is a narrative-changing win

As head coach Fran Brown looks to create his own identity and bring Syracuse back to historical success, he needs to differentiate himself from the Dino Babers era that was plagued by post-bye and second-half collapses.

Under Babers, this is a game I'm confident Syracuse would lose. Like we saw in the Florida State game from a year ago, Babers would shift from trying to win to trying to keep the score respectable. Even if Syracuse got to overtime or on the final drive, the Orange would have a costly penalty or make another mistake to lose the game.

Instead, we saw a team that fought and found a way to win. Was it perfect? No, tackling is still an issue and the Hokies ran for 249 yards and three touchdowns without their starting quarterback or running back. Syracuse also had to win without controlling the time of possession.

Coming into today's game, the Orange led the country with 34:55 minutes of possession each game. Against Virginia Tech, the Cuse only had the ball for 25:42, a number that would be bottom-five in the country if stretched out to a full game. Finally, Syracuse was outgained by 45 yards and committed 11 penalties for 96 yards.

Everything was stacked against Syracuse, but the only thing that matters is the scoreboard, and that read 38-31.