Syracuse - Georgia Tech Postgame Reactions OR That Was Not Pretty
1 Comments Published on 10.26.2013 by Brian Harrison
Yeah Scott, we couldn't believe the scoreboard either.
Wow. Syracuse fans and the team know there would be some growing pains when it came to the new conference slate and all that comes with joining a new conference. But I mean... just wow. Syracuse loses to Georgia Tech 56-0. A score not that different from the last time they played in 2004, a game that resulted in the firing of Coach P. Brutal to see.
Offense
F
Syracuse had only 208 yards in the game, and a dreadful 75 yards on the ground. They had 10 first downs but a dreadful 3-12 conversion rate on third downs. Terrel Hunt (7/14, 68yds, 0 TD, 1 INT) had a bad day, and Drew Allen (6/15, 65yds, 0 TD, 1 INT), who started the second half, had an even worse day. There were two total INTs and one fumble lost. What offense?
Defense
D
Syracuse allowed 26 first downs, 5-8 third down conversions, and 482 total yards. Those are some shocking numbers. More shocking is that the heavy option based offense of GTech managed to fool the secondary and caught them sleeping, letting the QB go 3/3 with a touchdown. Interestingly enough, 14 players carried the ball for GTech. Stuffing the box didn't help. Not much did. But the interception Syracuse had to end GTech's first drive will prevent them from getting the fail.
Special Teams
When your punt gets blocked it definitely lowers your grade more than a missed long field goal will. The punting was fairly solid, but the coverage was something to be desired. And no field goals or XPs were attmepted so there's nothing to lift the grade.
Coaching
D
For saying you've been preparing for the GTech option offense since summer and come up with that performance, it's a miracle that they didn't end up with an F. But there were some moments where the play calling wasn't bad. But when your running game can't get going it forces a lot of passes, which isn't the best game plan. THe defense couldn't stop much either. While a decent chunk of the blame goes to the players, the coaches didn't set then up for success after game planning against this team as long as they did.
GPA
D- (0.75)
Syracuse played their worst game since Northwestern. But this was obviously worse. The offense couldn't get going, and Hunt has yet to really prove himself against a team that isn't Tulane or an FCS squad. This was embarrassing for Syracuse.
Syracuse will have a well timed bye week to lick their wounds before heading back to the friendly confines of the Carrier Dome to take on a winable Wake Forest team. But wow. Not even a field goal is not good. The sooner we forget what happened last weekend the better.
Labels: ACC, Football, Soul Crushing Defeat
Since I was in Atlanta and lived through this bloodbath in person (in my free covered Delta seats so at least I didn't have to get wet, here's my own report card:
Offense
F
No points. And what was is, eight plays in Georgia Tech territory? Unacceptable. Replace one ineffective QB with another? Nothing good from the offense.
Defense
F
I guess the triple option is really hard to defend. That doesn't mean we're gonna grade on a curve. You gave up 56 points. Even when not giving up points, you were giving up field position. Nothing good from the offense.
Special Teams
F
Nothing good here either.
Coaching
F
Here's a hint: if you've been preparing for the triple option since pretty much right after you were hired for the job, you should probably just keep that info to yourself. If all that prep pays off and you successfully defend the triple option, then great, brag about it at the post-game presser. If, on the other hand, you get blown out 56-0, then nobody's the wiser that you wasted 9 or 10 months on a game plan that was a horrific failure.
GPA
F (0.00)
There was nothing good to come from this game. You bring home a report card with all F's on it and show your parents, you're probably gonna try to find something to shine a positive light on, so your dad doesn't beat your ass. Can't even say that here. Can't say "Well, at least there were no injuries." Can't say "Well, at least XXXX stepped up and made some big plays."
No, I take that back. There's one good thing you can say: "Well, at least we didn't set the all-time record for a blowout."
In all seriousness, though, this was not a good game for Syracuse. Humbling, maybe. I had it pegged as a loss anyway, so in the big scheme of things, who cares that the score was 56-0? What matters is how this team bounces back, takes advantage of the bye week, and prepares for the final stretch of November games to round out division play. They can still qualify for a bowl by winning three of the five remaining games, and given the schedule, I think it's entirely possible.