Orange Open ACC Play Saturday vs. Georgia Tech

SYRACUSE vs. GEORGIA TECH
Game Details: 12 p.m. | Saturday, Sept. 7
Location: Syracuse, N.Y. | JMA Wireless Dome
Tickets: Cuse.com/Tickets
Game Links: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Television: ACC Network
Radio: Syracuse Sports Network from Learfield
Game Program: Here
Twitter: @CuseFootball | @Cuse
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Notes
GT Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Notes

ORANGE HOST YELLOW JACKETS IN ACC OPENER
• Syracuse begins conference play against Georgia Tech in the JMA Wireless Dome.
• The game will air on ACC Network, with Chris Cotter (PxP), Mark Herzlich (analyst) and Coley Harvey (reporter) on the call.
• The Orange will honor recent Pro and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Dwight Freeney during a halftime jersey retirement ceremony.

FAN INFORMATION
• Saturday's game is presented by OneGroup and Community Bank.
• The Toyota Fun Zone and 'Cuse on the Quad opens at 9 a.m. Fun for all ages, food and beverage options and meet and greet opportunities with other SU teams are just part of the action on game day. Visit Cuse.com/Quad for a list of all the events happening prior to kickoff.
• Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney will be part of the NYE Auto Quad Walk, helping lead the team into the Dome. A tradition head coach Fran Brown wants to bring back - members of the Syracuse football team will make their way through the quad in front of Hendricks Chapel two hours and 15 minutes prior to each home game. Fans are encouraged to line the route and cheer on the team as they make their way into the Dome. Saturday's quad walk will be at 9:45 a.m.
• Freeney's jersey retirement ceremony will take place at halftime, so be sure to stay in your seats to honor the Orange legend as his jersey is raised to the rafters.
• The Zunic Award will also be presented during Saturday's game to Dennis Hartman by the Syracuse Football Club. The Zunic Award was created in 2001 to honor Mike and Judy Zunic, who died tragically on July 18, 1989 when a United Airlines plane crashed in Sioux City, Iowa. The pilot, anticipating landing difficulties, requested if some strong passengers would volunteer to give up their seats and sit at the exit doors to assist passengers in the event of an emergency. Mike and Judy gave up their seats in first class to sit at one of the doors. They both died in the crash and those in the Zunics' original seats survived.
• Make sure you update the 'Cuse App on your mobile device this weekend in order to take part in the Dome light show, in game trivia and other fan-friendly initiatives.
• Tickets are still available. Visit Cuse.com/Tickets to get yours.
• Other fan reminders: The clear bag policy remains in effect for all JMA Dome events. Visit Cuse.com/ClearBag to ensure your bag is in compliance. Mobile ticketing also remains in effect this season as well as cashless concession stands. For comprehensive JMA Dome policies or FAQs, visit Cuse.com/Dome. The building has undergone significant upgrades and fans will notice new section numbering when finding their seats this season. Visit Cuse.com/DomeMap for more info.

ORANGE IN ACC OPENERS
• Syracuse begins its 12th year as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• The Orange will open conference play at home for the third-straight year and eighth time in the past 11 seasons since joining the league in 2013. Syracuse is 3-5 when opening ACC play in the JMA Wireless Dome.

MCCORD MAKES IMPRESSIVE DEBUT
• QB Kyle McCord's Syracuse debut in the season opener was a memorable one.
• McCord was 27-for-39 for 354 yards and four touchdowns.
• He posted career highs in completions (27), attempts (39), passing yards (354) and touchdown passes (4), including his tenure at Ohio State.
• McCord's 354 yards through the air ranks second among ACC quarterbacks this season behind Miami's Cameron Wards, who notched 385 against Florida.
• The touchdowns mark was one shy of tying the program's single-game record. Three players in 'Cuse history have notched five in a game, most recently Eric Dungey (2018).

WELCOME BACK OG
• TE Oronde Gadsden II returned to the field in the season opener for the first time since the second game of the 2023 campaign. Gadsden missed the final 11 games of last season due to injury.
• Gadsden caught seven passes for 108 yards and a touchdown against the Bobcats. It marked the fifth 100+ yards receiving performance of his career.
• With his performance, Gadsden now has 75 receptions as a tight end, which ranks third on Syracuse's all-time leader list.

DISRUPTIVE DIGGS
• DL Fadil Diggs led Syracuse's charge behind the Ohio line of scrimmage in Syracuse's season opener.
• Diggs recorded four TFLs, which tie for the highest single-game total in the FBS through week one of the season. The total also ties for the sixth-highest single-game total in program history.
• Overall, eight different players were involved in tackles for loss, including LB Marlowe Wax, who had two TFLs.

SERIES HISTORY
• Syracuse and Georgia Tech will meet for the second-straight year and sixth time overall.
• The Yellow Jackets have won four of the five previous contests between the two teams. The Orange's win in the series came in the JMA Wireless Dome in 2020.
• Georgia Tech is one of the teams the Orange have faced the least since joining the ACC, with Saturday's game marking the third conference matchup between the squads. Syracuse has played Miami just once and taken on Virginia twice.
• The first two meetings between the squads were played at neutral sites. The first took place in the 2001 Kickoff Classic in Giants Stadium. The second was a showdown in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando.

LAST TIME VS. GEORGIA TECH
• Syracuse scored 19 unanswered points in the second half but it wasn't enough in a 31-22 setback at Georgia Tech last season.
• RB LeQuint Allen Jr. rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries.
• TE Dan Villari rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He also completed all 14 of his passes for 59 yards.
• QB Haynes King was 16-for-20 for 138 yards and two touchdowns through the air to go along with 82 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

A WIN WOULD …
• Improve head coach Fran Brown's record to 2-0.
• Mark the Orange's second-straight win in their ACC opener.
• Give Syracuse its 756th all-time victory (includes 11 wins from 2004-06 that were vacated by the NCAA). The Orange currently rank 21st on the FBS ledger of winningest programs. Syracuse is one of 34 FBS schools to have accumulated 700+ wins.

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Players Mentioned

LeQuint Allen

Fadil Diggs

Oronde Gadsden II

Kyle McCord

Dan Villari

Marlowe Wax

Syracuse University Athletics