Biggest Takeaways From No. 7 Georgia Tech's 41-16 Victory Over Syracuse

The biggest things that caught my eye in the win for the Yellow Jackets

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key celebrates after a victory over the Syracuse Orange at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

A homecoming success for the Yellow Jackets, who advanced to 8-0 and made history on Saturday against the Orange, starting ACC play at 5-0 for the first time in program history. It was another strong offensive performance as the Yellow Jackets gashed Syracuse for 543 total yards. Let’s take a look at some key takeaways from the 41-16 win over the Orange.

1. A Hesiman-worthy performance from Haynes King

King got it done on the ground and through the air on Saturday against Syracuse. He set season-high marks in the win over Syracuse, passing for 304 yards and three touchdowns on an 81% completion percentage. He was also efficient on the ground, rushing for 91 yards and two touchdowns. He amassed 395 yards of offense and five touchdowns. He did everything for the Yellow Jackets and remained calm despite the early adversity in the game and the turnover. He was an efficient passer and hit on big plays all day. When his number was called in the running game, he cooked the Syracuse defense, and they had no answers for him. King set a program record with the highest completion percentage (min 30 attempts) after going 25-31 in the win over the Orange.

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) runs the ball against the Syracuse Orange in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

2. Georgia Tech has the best passing game through the air this season

The offense gave a little bit of everything from screens, big plays down the field, and explosives. Dean Patterson chipped in a 37-yard receiving touchdown and showed what he can do in space when he gets the ball in his hands. Bailey Stockton had a 33-yard reception. Stockton’s reception was probably King’s best throw of the day. Each receiver had at least one catch of over 14 yards in the game for the Yellow Jackets. It was a mixture of great playcalling and design, and being able to hit plays down the field consistently. When the offense is rolling like that, they are tough to stop and are a

3. Tight ends come up big for the Yellow Jackets

It is a position we have continued to highlight as a key for unlocking the offense for Georgia Tech. On Saturday, it paid dividends as the Yellow Jackets took advantage of lax coverage. Josh Beetham had a career game and recorded his first career touchdown catch from 21 yards out. Beetham finished with two receiving touchdowns. You can make the argument without the two drops; he would have had four touchdowns, which would have been a career-high. Regardless, Georgia Tech has something with their tight ends and a chance to catch defenses slipping with an increased focus on stopping the ground game. Their tight ends are more than capable with Luke Harpring, Beetham, and J.T. Byrne.

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets tight end Josh Beetham (17) scores a touchdown against the Syracuse Orange in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

4. Georgia Tech third-down defense-

The Yellow Jackets continue to be an impressive team on third downs as of late. On Saturday, they made it tough for Syracuse to convert on the money downs. At one point in the game, Syracuse was 1-6 on third down. Syracuse finished 5-14 and just 2-4 on fourth down. It is an area the Yellow Jackets have improved in a major way, and are getting stops consistently and forcing teams to punt the football. At one point in the game, Georgia Tech had three consecutive three and outs and got the offense the ball in opportune situations so they could take advantage as they started to get going in the second quarter.

5. Jordan Allen comes up big for the Yellow Jackets in Malik Rutherford's absence

There were questions about who would step up in Rutherford’s absence, and my early thoughts were Bailey Stockton, who is a veteran on the Yellow Jackets and knows the system inside and out. However, true freshman Jordan Allen was superb and was big-time for his team. He  was featured a good bit in the offense and came up with explosive plays. In the first half, he finished with four catches for 50 yards. He also had a 34-yard reception to open things up for Georgia Tech early in the game. One of his most impressive stats was his ability after the catch. Of his 50 receiving yards, 45 came after the catch in the first half.

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Jordan Allen (85) runs after a catch against the Syracuse Orange in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Coach Key talked about Allen leading up to the game and he didn’t disappoint in an elevated role.

“Yeah, that's why we play guys early in the season. That's why we try to play a lot of guys. You never know when those guys are going to be needed to play. And whether it's three plays in the game, eight plays in the game, 15, 20 plays in the game, they're playing in a game, right? They've been on the field at the collegiate level. And that's why you want to get those young guys out there. And, you know, it doesn't have to be 350 snaps on the season, right? You know, a collective 80 to 100 snaps on the year by the end of the season. Yeah, they're in a better position. And it helps for next year. And that's why you see us play so many guys. So he was able to step in and, you know, really didn't miss a beat. And that's what we expect with him. He can run. He's got great speed. Got really good hands. Sure, we're outrunners. So we're excited about it."

He showed that he deserved to be on the field more for the Yellow Jackets moving forward. Georgia Tech now has everything sitting in front of them with a win and a SMU lost to Wake Forest on Saturday as the only undefeated team in ACC play.