Syracuse, NY – When Kyle McCord was under pressure on third and second attempts, he decided to make a few mistakes.

The Syracuse football quarterback ran down the right sideline – an unusual move for him – and had to constantly watch his feet to stay on the field while Georgia Tech defensive lineman Zeek Biggers pursued him.

When McCord was forced out of the field after 13.7 meters, he threw the ball to the ground in celebration.

It was the longest rush of his career.

McCord played a career game, leading Syracuse to a 31-28 victory over No. 23 Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange looked dominant for most of the game, building a 17-point lead midway through the fourth quarter before the Yellow Jackets caught up late.

After his spike, McCord did not carry the ball again and managed only 10 rushing yards, but he did trouble Georgia Tech’s defense from the air.

He finished the game with 32 of 46 passes (70% successful) for 381 yards and four touchdowns.

That ties his career high for most passing yards in a game, which he set last week against Ohio State. It puts him just shy of Syracuse’s top 10 for most passing yards in a game, as he needed 385 against Missouri in 2012 to tie Ryan Nassib.

He distributed the ball well after relying on Trebor Peña and Oronde Gadsden last week, with six Orange receivers finishing with four or more pass catches.

Trebor Peña and Oronde Gadsden II were again McCord’s favorite targets, each scoring two touchdowns.

Gadsden caught six passes for 93 yards.

His second touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter after taking some uncharacteristic drops in the third quarter. He caught a 17-yard pass and extended his right arm with the ball as he was brought down to help Syracuse take a 31-14 lead.

Peña had six catches for 88 yards. He has scored four total touchdowns this season, more than any other Syracuse player in all of 2023, another example of how much the offense missed him last year.

Umari Hatcher (five catches for 67 yards) was behind the pair in pass catches.

LeQuint Allen made five catches for 47 yards and had 83 yards on the ground.

Although Syracuse’s defense was improved compared to Week 1 against Ohio, they nearly lost the game with some help from the special teams.

Georgia Tech scored its first touchdown of the second half on a four-yard pass from Haynes King with 5:08 minutes left to play, increasing the lead to 31-21.

The Yellow Jackets then attempted an onside kick, recovered, and brought their offense back onto the field at their own 44-yard line.

King led a nine-play, 56-yard drive over 2:35 minutes and scored another point, shrinking Syracuse’s lead from 17 at the peak to three.

Georgia Tech relied on King’s arm to start the drive, completing passes of 12 and then 10 yards.

The drive was capped off with two consecutive running plays through the middle: an eight-yard run by King and a 15-yard touchdown run by Jamal Haynes.

The Orange County defense made some key saves, including two at halftime when the Yellow Jackets had two consecutive possessions at both the end of the first and beginning of the second half.

Georgia Tech got the ball back at its own 41-yard line with 1:29 left in the second quarter after a Syracuse attack stalled and ended with a blocked punt by Jack Stonehouse.

SU led 21-14.

The Orange held Georgia Tech off of early chunk plays until they managed a 14-yard fourth down conversion with 13 seconds left. The Yellow Jackets pounced on the ball with no timeouts remaining and attempted a 45-yard field goal with 5 seconds left, but it went wide left.

After halftime, Syracuse’s defense forced Georgia Tech into a three-and-out to maintain a one-point difference when the ball returned to the offense’s hands. Justin Barron and Clarence Lewis combined for the third-down tackle and completed the sack.

Although Syracuse narrowly missed the end zone on the ensuing drive, the team increased its lead to 13 points with a 33-yard field goal by Brady Denaburg.

Georgia Tech remained scoreless in the third quarter.

The game ended with 112 rushing yards, but the 100 mark was not reached until the fourth quarter.

Instead, the Yellow Jackets relied heavily on King’s arm. He completed 28 of 38 passes for 259 yards and scored one touchdown.

King also accounted for the brunt of the rushing yards, finishing the game with 67 yards on six carries, two of which were rushing touchdowns, showing that Syracuse’s defense still has some holes to fill.

In the first quarter, Derek McDonald failed to catch King in the backfield and escaped with a 21-yard touchdown that tied the game 7-7.

He remained untouched on a similar play in the second quarter, leaving the game at just one point.

Contact Emily Leiker anytime: e-mail | Þjórsárdalur