A top-25 test came sooner for Fran Brown than expected. Georgia Tech may be this season’s surprise team, and after a 2-0 start including a win over Florida State, the Yellow Jackets earned a #23 AP Poll ranking.
GT has thrived on a run-first mentality through their first two wins, and now it will try to bring that to the dome for a noon kickoff this afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets have been pounding the ground – 415 rushing yards through just two contests. So for the Orange today, it’s all going to come down to the defensive line. After a solid week one, defensive lineman Dion “Tank” Wilson Jr. has a chance to solidify himself as an integral piece of the SU defense today.
Four tackles out of the New Mexico State tackle transfer was one of the lone bright spots in a week one victory over Ohio. The defensive line as a whole struggled through. Syracuse gave up over 200 yards on the ground to the Bobcats.
Over the week, Head Coach Fran Brown has stressed the main issue for his defense in week one was a lack of aggressiveness. The first-year head coach isn’t concerned about his team’s defensive schemes, but instead just noticed a lack of complete effort.
That’s where Wilson comes into play. As a redshirt senior, Wilson automatically becomes one of the most experienced players on the line. And with the loss of linebacker Marlowe Wax for the next few weeks, leadership is a necessity in the coming weeks.
And then there’s the actual football. If there’s an impact guy for the Yellow Jackets, it is Jamal Haynes. The running back has nearly 80 yards a game this season, and his track record against the Orange is quite good (two touchdowns a year ago against SU).
Stopping the run is going to make or break Syracuse’s week two game, and Tank Wilson will have to anchor the line for that to happen.
