ATLANTA — Saturday’s matchup at Bobby Dodd opened with early adversity for Georgia Tech, but the Yellow Jackets responded with resolve and rhythm on both sides of the ball, taking a 20–3 lead into halftime against the Syracuse Orange.
The game began with a mistake that could have swung momentum early. On Tech’s opening drive, wide receiver Isaiah Canion was stripped, and Syracuse quickly turned the short field into scoring position when Yasmin Willis burst 41 yards through the middle of the Georgia Tech defense. But once Syracuse reached the red zone, the home crowd came alive and the Yellow Jackets defense answered. Two false start penalties and a tackle for loss pushed the Orange backward and forced a field goal, giving Syracuse a 3–0 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Georgia Tech responded with composure. Quarterback Haynes King used his legs to extend plays and attack space created by Syracuse’s soft coverage. He found Jordan Allen on a curl route that turned into a 34-yard catch-and-run to the 6-yard line, but a dropped touchdown in the end zone forced Tech to settle for a field goal of their own, tying the game at 3–3. From there, Tech’s defense found its footing, highlighted by a timely pass breakup from Zachary Tobe to stop a Syracuse drive and force a three-and-out. The teams traded punts to end the first quarter knotted at 3–3.
The momentum shifted firmly in the second quarter. King opened the period with precision passing and timely quarterback runs to move the Jackets across midfield. On 4th-and-1, King went back to tight end Josh Beetham—who had the earlier drop—and Beetham redeemed himself, hauling in a 21-yard touchdown to put Tech ahead 10–3.
Syracuse tried to answer, but a sack by defensive tackle Jordan Vandenberg and a holding penalty derailed the drive. A near-perfect Syracuse punt was undone when officials ruled it a touchback—and a 15-yard penalty moved the ball to the Georgia Tech 35. The Jackets capitalized immediately. Their motion-heavy offense forced hesitation and misreads, and Jamal Haynes made Syracuse pay with a 19-yard burst. King then found Beetham again, this time for a 13-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 17–3.
Syracuse leaned into its run game late in the half, but Georgia Tech’s defense held firm. Linebacker EJ Lightsey delivered two critical stops—first on 3rd-and-short and then on 4th-and-1—to return the ball to the Jackets with under a minute remaining. King, Hosley, and Canion marched Tech down the field quickly, and a 25-yard run up the middle by King set up a final field goal. Aidan Burr converted from short range to push the halftime score to 20–3.
At the break, Georgia Tech leads in nearly every phase of the game. The Jackets have 322 total yards (139 rushing, 183 passing) to Syracuse’s 118, and have dominated in yards after the catch, 113 to 12, highlighting Tech’s ability to create space and exploit poor tackling. King leads the team in rushing with 59 yards, Jordan Allen has 4 catches for 50 yards, and Beetham is the standout of the half with two touchdowns.
Halftime Score: Georgia Tech 20, Syracuse 3
