Haynes King recorded three passing touchdowns and two rushing scores to guide No. 7 Georgia Tech to a resounding 41-16 triumph over Syracuse in Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday in Atlanta.
King authored a crisp 25-of-31 passing performance for 304 yards, while adding 91 yards on 12 carries to help the Yellow Jackets (8-0, 5-0 ACC) stay perfect on the season. Jordan Allen caught a team-high six balls for 67 yards, while Josh Beetham had two receiving touchdowns.
Rickie Collins was 17-of-29 passing for 224 yards with a touchdown for Syracuse (3-5, 1-4), which dropped its fourth straight game. Darrell Gill Jr. had five catches for 79 yards and a score to pace the Orange receivers.
An early Georgia Tech fumble led to Tripp Woody’s 27-yard field goal that gave Syracuse a 3-0 lead. However, Aidan Birr responded with a field goal of his own, a 20-yard chip shot that tied it at 3-3.
Following a series of punts, the Yellow Jackets scored the game’s first touchdown early in the second quarter. They went for it on fourth-and-1, and King found Beetham wide open for a 21-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
The Orange punted on their ensuing trip before the Yellow Jackets marched down for another touchdown. King found an open Beetham once again, giving the big tight end room to rumble for a 13-yard score.
On its final possession of the first half, Syracuse turned the ball over on downs at the Georgia Tech 39. E.J. Lightsey made a clutch tackle on Will Nixon just short of the sticks, and the Yellow Jackets took the ensuing possession and cashed in on Birr’s 22-yard field goal, making it 20-3 at the half.
The Orange burst out of the gates in the third quarter, opening with Collins’ 41-yard pass to Johntay Cook II followed by a 34-yard TD pass to Gill on the next play. However, Georgia Tech only needed seven plays to find the opposite end zone, this time on a 37-yard screen pass from King to Dean Patterson.
King’s 2-yard TD run late in the third quarter made it 34-10, and his 4-yard rushing score with 3:47 left in the fourth put an exclamation point on the convincing win.
–Field Level Media
