Plenty of position groups stepped up in a thrilling comeback… only on The CW.
In yet another chaotic finish, the Syracuse Orange (6-2, 3-2) overcame what at one point was an 18-point deficit in the second half to beat the Virginia Tech Hokies (5-4, 3-2) in overtime and secure bowl eligibility for the first time in coach Fran Brown’s tenure.
Syracuse struggled out of the gate with just three first-half points and some defensive inconsistency that Virginia Tech capitalized on, but both sides of the ball did come away with timely plays which ultimately chipped away at the deficit and led to an impressive home win. How did this week’s game play out in the grade book?
Here are your position grades for the Orange’s 38-31 overtime win over Virginia Tech?
Quarterbacks: B
It wasn’t one of Kyle McCord’s best games of the year, but it was certainly a major improvement compared to the Pitt game. Only one turnover in the game which came off a deep shot to Umari Hatcher. He finished with 280 yards (first time McCord hasn’t broken 300 passing yards this season) and two passing TDs, but the real story was still having 8.0 yards per throw and staying resilient after a quiet first half.
Running Backs: A+
Have no fear, LeQuint Allen is here. With practically no depth at the position today, Allen stepped up when it mattered most (especially in the second half) and capped off a great day with both a game-tying and game-winning score to put things away for good for the Orange. Overall, it was arguably the most success Syracuse had rushing the ball against a pretty good Virginia Tech defensive line and with an inconsistent offensive line. It was an all-around A+ day for Allen: 21 carries for 121 yards (5.8 YPC), five catches for 37 yards (7.4 YPC) and three scores.
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Wide Receivers: B+
This grade would’ve at least been a D had the game ended at halftime: dropped passes by Syracuse’s reliable go-to catchers, a bad play at the ball by Hatcher and a momentum-stopping fumble from Darrell Gill Jr. highlighted a disastrous first half. So why the B+? Justus Ross-Simmons (finally) emerged as a spark Syracuse fans desperately wanted to see: four catches for 88 yards, 22 YPC and two TDs, one of which came in impressive fashion. And even with some drops, Trebor Pena still ended the game with seven catches for 83 yards (11.9 YPC), proving he still is the most consistent receiver so far this year.
Tight Ends: C-
Pretty quiet days for both Oronde Gadsden (two catches for 18 yards) and Dan Villari (three rushes for 10 yards). There’s not much to go off of and Gadsden’s quiet day drops this grade down just a slight bit, but nothing catastrophic either.
Offensive Line: B
Okay I’ll preface this early: maybe this grade is a bit too high. I still think anything in the B range is 100% fair. Even with all the pressure, Virginia Tech only had one sack on the night and Syracuse’s O-line limited the penalties like false starts and holdings for decent portions of the game. The big surprise: Syracuse running the ball as effectively as it did, which wasn’t really a thing most of the season and ended up being the deciding factor versus the Hokies.
Defensive Line: D+
Has a case to be a C-, but Virginia Tech had its way running the ball all day (249 yards) despite their usual starting QB not able to play. Most of the pressure mainly came from the linebackers, although the D-line at least avoiding any major penalties. The depth at the position is shallow due to injury, but still a rough game overall. Rashard Perry was the lone lineman to record a sack.
Linebackers: A-
Wow, does it feel good to have Marlowe Max back in the mix. Second-most total tackles and solo tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss and clearly was part of what led to the game-sealing fumble in overtime. Fadil Diggs played solidly and David Omopariola had his moments, but Wax impacted the game in a critical way.
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Defensive Backs: C-
Struggled with this grade the most of all the positions. The secondary played much better in the fourth quarter, but the lapses in coverage in the first half and poor tackling really made it tough to go any higher. I’m going with C- because Devin Grant (10 tackles and eight TFLs, both first for the Orange) played a very strong game and Duce Chestnut came away with a momentum-swinging fumble in VT territory.
Special Teams: B+
Is this the highest grade the special teams has received all year? The unit certainly played like it. Outside one blocked PAT and one other PAT scare, Jackson Kennedy stepped up to keep Syracuse’s kicking game alive when it had been the biggest weakness all year. The other special teams MVP: Jack Stonehouse punting five times for 235 yards, including at least two booming kicks.
Coaching: B
Let’s preface this with the usual caveat: football coaching isn’t in my future, so please take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
The big picture takeaway: Syracuse really did not look good (particularly on offense) in the first half, but once again, you have to give pretty significant credit to coach Brown and the staff for rallying and motivating this team to yet another gutsy win. Offensively, doubling-down on the running game was the right call, especially because Allen was going to get all the touches and it would open things up for the passing game. Trusting Pena to still deliver and Ross-Simmons to come seemingly out of nowhere to make big plays was another pretty massive decision which paid off. They proved Syracuse didn’t need to throw the ball 50 times just to have a chance.
Defensively, there is still some concern with tackling and general consistency, but the unit time and time again has proven to make the big plays and force turnovers to jumpstart momentum. Keeping the Wax-Diggs duo at linebacker is the right move and at least keep one position group solid. I’d personally like to see Syracuse send more pressure if the DBs are going to be left on an island anyways, but the defensive again made key plays at critical moments.
Now it’s your turn: how would you grade the Orange’s overtime win over Virginia Tech? Where do you agree and disagree with the most?