It might not of been pretty, but Syracuse took down Virginia Tech in walk-off fashion 38-31 this afternoon. In a game that the Orange trailed by as much as 18, SU chipped away and completed their biggest comeback since 2012 en route to victory. The win makes Syracuse bowl eligible for the third straight year. SU now sits at 6-2 on the year and 3-1 in ACC play. So who showed out for the Orange? Let’s dive into all of that and more.
LeQuint Allen: A
If there a game to be the LeQuint Allen game, this was the one. To start the contest, the New Jersey native became Syracuse’s all-time running back receptions leader. Allen passed Antwon Bailey to take the first spot. The junior wasn’t just breaking records though. The rushing back was on a tear, finding the end-zone three times including the game winning score. Allen finished the contest with 121 yards on 21 carries. The running back was the spark for the Orange, and helped propel Syracuse to victory. Coming into the contest, it was a mystery on if the SU ground game would be strong. Last week against Pittsburgh, the Orange had just 6 yards on the ground. However today, Syracuse took advantage of the second worst run defense in the ACC which was a big key in SU stealing the win.
Kyle McCord: B+
It was a rough start for McCord. The Orange offense went three-and-out in their first two drives, and the New Jersey native looked uncomfortable in the pocket. However, as the game went on, the Ohio State transfer settled in. Many were worried if McCord could bounce back after last weeks five interception performance against Pitt. While McCord did have one INT today, The quarterback silenced the doubters. The senior went 24 of 35 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. McCord was called on to deliver once again. Trailing by a touchdown with just around five minutes to go in the game, the senior led a 14-play, 75 yard drive to tie the game at 31. While the overtime hero might’ve been Allen, Syracuse would’ve never got there in the first place without McCord. Part of the reason that the quarterback had so much success was finding an unfamiliar face in SU’s wide receiver room.
Justus Ross-Simmons: A
A few weeks ago, head coach Fran Brown talked about how getting Ross-Simmons back would be like acquiring an NFL player. Well, Brown was not far off. Ross-Simmons is a transfer from Colorado State, and battled injury early on the season while not being targeted before today. But, when McCord did find Ross-Simmons today, the Rochester native took the pass all the way to the house for a touchdown. The score was the spark Syracuse needed. Before Ross-Simmons’ TD, SU was down by 18. After that, it was all Orange. The junior wasn’t just happy with one touchdown though. Ross-Simmons found the end-zone once again to give Syracuse its first lead of the game. Brown described Ross-Simmons postgame has a guy who’s moment has been coming. That couldn’t of been more true today.
Defense: B+
A lot of people thought that it would be an easy day at the office for the Orange defense with the Hokies not having their starting running back or QB. Yet, let up 14 first quarter points, and once again trailed 21-3 in the second quarter for the second straight week. The problem for SU was stopping the run. The Hokies had the second best rushing offense in the ACC into the contest, and they proved it once again in the dome. VT finished with nearly 250 rushing yards which was good for three touchdowns on the ground. While it was a struggle to contain backup quarterback Collin Schlee, the Orange D stepped up when it mattered. With the Hokies having the ball at the 10-yard line threatening to tie up the game in OT, linebacker Marlowe Wax jarred the ball loose with defensive lineman Fadil Diggs picking up the fumble giving SU the win.
Overall, it was a gritty game but Syracuse showed that it can battle through adversity, something that we haven’t seen in the past. The Orange will look to keep things rolling next Saturday against Boston College.
