SYRACUSE, NY — Kyle McCord threw for 381 yards and scored four touchdowns, including two each to Trebor Pena and Oronde Gadsden II, as Syracuse beat Georgia Tech (newly ranked 23rd) 31-28 on Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets (2-1, 1-1 ACC), ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2015 last week, cut the lead to three with 2:31 left on a 15-yard touchdown run by Jamal Haynes.
The Orange made sure Georgia Tech never got the ball back and ran out the clock to earn their first win against a seeded opponent since October 2022 against North Carolina State.
McCord completed 32 of 46 passes, setting career highs in attempts and completions.
Gadsden had six catches for 93 yards. Pena has scored five touchdowns this young season.
Syracuse (2-0, 1-0 ACC) has accumulated a total of 515 yards on offense.
Haynes King completed 28 of 38 passes for 259 yards for Georgia Tech.
He threw one point and ran two.
King escaped the grasp of linebacker Derek McDonald and ran 21 yards for his first touchdown.
He faked a pitch and scored a touchdown from 26 yards out, putting Georgia Tech up 21-14 with 4:39 left in the first half.
The Orange defense held Haynes, the Yellow Jackets’ best runner, to just 35 yards on 11 carries. He had averaged 5.7 yards per carry earlier in the game.
