Georgia Tech Blitzes Syracuse, 56-0

Well, that was different.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets utterly dominated Syracuse in every facet of the game, and even with a small let-up in the 4th quarter, the home team left with a ridiculous 56-0 victory. Tech gained nearly 400 yards on the ground, finishing with 482 yards of total offense in a balanced, productive fashion that made the Orange look silly.

The Vad Lee redemption tour was in full force here, as the QB attempted only 3 passes (due to the score), but completed all 3 for 88 yards and a touchdown in addition to carrying the ball 14 times for 72 yards and 2 additional scores. In addition to Lee’s brilliance, the Jackets were blessed with 4 different runners who exceeded 50 yards, including freshman Justin Thomas who took the QB reins late in rushing for 95 yards on 10 carries.

Defensively, it was a dominant performance for the Jackets. Syracuse finally cracked 200 yards of total offense late in the game, but they finished with only 208 yards and turned the ball over 3 times. There were very few threats for the Orange in this game, and frankly, the Tech defense looked outstanding for the entirety of the game.

As noted above, it is always a great sign when Georgia Tech only has to throw 5 passes in an entire 60-minute game. This was basically the ideal scenario of a multi-faceted rushing attack, but it should be noted that Syracuse basically rolled over in the second half at times. Either way, though, Vad Lee and company should feel much, much better moving forward about the option attack.

This type of performance goes a long way in silencing the critics of Paul Johnson. On the one hand, Syracuse isn’t exactly a “landmark” victory, but more importantly (for me, at least), the Jackets were able to display their full arsenal in this game and show the fan base the prospects of what a fully clicking ball cub looks like. Following this type of dominant win, Johnson will have his hands full getting the team ready for a road trip to Virginia next week, but that’s a rich man’s problem that every Jackets fan would endorse.