ATLANTA — Georgia Tech will start the second half of its Atlantic Coast Conference football schedule in the league’s pole position, carrying a perfect record into Saturday’s home game against Syracuse.
The seventh-ranked Yellow Jackets (7-0, 4-0) are back at home after last weekend’s 27-18 win at Duke, and momentum around the program is surging.
For head coach Brent Key — a former Yellow Jackets offensive lineman and assistant who took over at his alma mater on an interim basis four games into the 2022 schedule (Georgia Tech removed that label after the season) — his focus is on the task at hand.
Georgia Tech has its highest AP poll ranking since 2009 and its first 7-0 start since 1966. A victory over Syracuse (3-4, 1-3) would secure Georgia Tech’s first eight-win season since 2016 and the sixth 8-0 start in program history. Saturday’s game is homecoming for the Yellow Jackets.
“Homecoming, all that stuff, that’s for the fans,” Key said. “It has nothing to do with the football game, it has nothing to do with the team we play, the game we’re going to play. It’s another opportunity for us to go out and compete against another really good opponent.”
Despite the win at Duke, Georgia Tech’s two-headed rushing attack of Jamal Haynes and Malachi Hosley struggled. The two running backs’ combined total of 52 yards was their second lowest of the season, but dual-threat quarterback Haynes King picked up the slack.
King rushed for 120 yards, including a game-clinching 28-yard touchdown with just more than two minutes remaining.
“The guys up front do a heck of a job of getting us started,” King said. “Covering people up, and allowing us to do what we do best.”
The seventh win of the season was a team project as Georgia Tech’s defense made two critical goal-line stands at Duke. Omar Daniels returned a fumble 95 yards for a touchdown on a second-and-goal play in the first quarter, and the defense stopped the Blue Devils on three consecutive plays from the 1-yard-line to force a field goal in the third quarter.
“Some of the stops happened as far back as you can possibly go,” Key said. “We did a great job in the tight red area and on the goal line.”
Meanwhile, Syracuse has lost three consecutive games since starting quarterback Steve Angeli’s season ended with a torn left Achilles tendon.
Rickie Collins has played the majority of the snaps since Angeli’s injury, but Syracuse coach Fran Brown turned to Luke Carney in the third quarter last week after Collins threw two early interceptions against Pittsburgh. He went back to Collins after two drives, and he threw a third interception in a 30-13 loss to the Panthers.
Brown said he plans to stay the course under center.
“I’m going to always put the best player in the football game,” Brown said Monday. “At the moment, unless we go out to practice and things just drastically shift, Rickie gives us that best opportunity.”
Despite the current losing streak, Syracuse is 4-2 under Brown against ranked opponents. The first of those victories came the last time these teams met, when the Orange beat the Yellow Jackets last season when they were ranked 23rd.
“It’s a great opportunity for the players, myself, the fan base, for everybody to compete against a really good football team,” Brown said. “I’m excited to play against them.”
Key also acknowledged the danger the Orange pose.
“This is a good football team,” he said. “You can’t look at the record. They’ve had some misfortune with injuries on both sides of the football to very key players. That’s a tough situation to be in.”