Another national embarrassment: Syracuse football routed at Virginia Tech, 38-10 (final score, recap)
Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse football team takes on Virginia Tech at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
See in-game team and individual stats here.
The first signs of distress came late in the opening quarter, when ESPN reported a player kicked a chair in frustration on the sideline and offensive linemen wore signs of frustration on their faces.
Nobody, it appears, is pleased about the state of affairs with the Syracuse football program.
The Orange dropped its fourth-straight game to remain winless in ACC play. Its 0-4 start in the league is its worst since Boston College sent the Orange to 0-5 in ACC play with an embarrassing 58-27 loss on the first weekend of November in 2019.
That, Syracuse zealots may remember, prompted Dino Babers to fire his defensive coordinator the next day, the first seismic correction the coach made to his program after showing gradual progress in each of his first three seasons.
Four years later, Babers has been trying to plug holes and cover up his teams’ warts every year.
It can be tiresome to see, and yet here we are: Syracuse, soon to welcome Boston College into its home venue on the first weekend of November, winless after four conference games.
At the end of the 2019 season, Babers demoted a longtime assistant and hired two new coordinators before Covid disrupted and sabotaged what became a 1-10 season. One thrived; the other clashed with some players, saw his influence on the offense diminished during a record-setting year by an All-American running back and wasn’t retained for a third season.
By then, Babers benched his prized quarterback recruit in favor of a transfer from the Southeastern Conference. Later, with its third offensive coordinator in four years, Syracuse rediscovered its offensive identity, pairing a balanced attack with an aggressive defense to start 6-0 for the first time in 35 years.
You know the rest.
Key injuries and a tougher schedule brought the Orange closer to .500 by the end of the year.
It has happened again.
For five years, Babers has been trying to correct and orchestrate the moves that will yield the outcomes that earned him a significant pay bump and made him the longest-tenured football coach in this town since Paul Pasqualoni.
With four games to go, there does not seem to be many more moves to make.
Virginia Tech drive starts 5:45 at own 27-yard line
The Hokies turn to the twos to run out the clock.
Syracuse drive starts 7:47 at own 25-yard line
Syracuse opens up with another sack, the eighth of the night for the Hokies, their most since recording eight against Miami (Fla.) in 2016.
Syracuse goes three-and-out, the seventh of the night for the Orange.
SU has had two of 11 drives last longer than four plays.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 38, Syracuse 10 with 7:47 remaining fourth quarter
Virginia Tech drive starts 13:36 at own 35-yard line
Malachi Thomas, after getting flagged for holding, rips off a 30-yard run just outside the red zone.
John Love sinks his fifth field goal on the night.
Syracuse drive starts 00:08 (third quarter) at own 25-yard line
Shrader is sacked on back-to-back plays for the Hokies’ seventh sack on the night.
Syracuse will punt.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Virginia Tech 35, Syracuse 10
Syracuse drive starts 00:08 at own 25-yard line
Shrader is sacked for a sixth time tonight, and we head to the fourth quarter.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 35, Syracuse 10 with 0:08 remaining third quarter
Virginia Tech drive starts 7:41 at own 25-yard line
Virginia Tech approaching midfield, doing its duty moving the chains and running clock.
Tuten running hard to convert on 3rd-and-2 in SU territory. Tuten is closing in on 100 yards.
Another field goal for the Hokies.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 32, Syracuse 10 with 7:41 remaining third quarter
Syracuse drive starts 11:04 at own 20-yard line
Syracuse gets a couple of chunk pass plays from Shrader to Alford that cover 18 and 19 yards down to the Virginia Tech 33-yard line.
Allen then follows with a 9-yard run and another first-down run. SU is in the red zone for the first time tonight.
Shrader finds tight end Dan Villari sitting in a soft spot in the zone for a 14-yard completion inside the 10-yard line.
Shrader goes back to Villari two plays later on a pop pass.
Virginia Tech drive starts 12:49 at own 46-yard line
Marlowe Wax brings down Drones for a third-down sack. Wax has put a nice game on tape tonight with 12 tackles and two sacks.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 32, Syracuse 3 with 12:57 remaining third quarter
Syracuse drive starts 13:19 at own 10-yard line
Shrader delivers a strike to Alford over the middle, but it’s coming back due to an eligible man downfield (Enrique Cruz).
Shrader sacked in the end zone on the next play for a safety.
A national embarrassment.
Virginia Tech drive starts 15:00 at own 25-yard line
Tuten busts off a 15-yard run off the right side of the line to open the second half.
Cornerback Isaiah Johnson is in the injury tent. Syracuse is down a pair of corners as the Hokies punt it away.
Syracuse turns in another no-show on the road, and this one, against an ordinary 3-4 outfit, may be remembered as the one that cranks the heat on Dino Babers.
The Orange failed to show up in each of the three phases of the game, a dereliction of duty by the coaching staff in what was billed as the start of a new chapter in the season.
If this is the start of what’s still to come, the outlook for a storybook ending are dim.
Virginia Tech drive starts 0:39 at own 28-yard line
Virginia Tech gets flagged for a personal foul to back up the offense to its own 17-yard line with 26 seconds left.
Dino Babers takes his second timeout with 20 seconds left and the Hokies facing 3rd-and-15.
Babers spends his final timeout with 13 seconds left.
Allen returns the punt 20 yards, and Syracuse will get one more snap before the half.
Syracuse drive starts 1:34 at own 25-yard line
Syracuse goes three-and-out, with another third-down sack on Shrader.
Syracuse will head into the locker room with fewer than 60 yards of offense and 2.3 yard per play.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 30, Syracuse 3 with 1:34 remaining second quarter
Virginia Tech drive starts 4:18 at own 7-yard line
A couple of defensive injuries for the Orange.
Cornerback Jayden Bellamy has been taken to a local hospital, per ESPN. His parents have been notified and pulled from the stands, ESPN reports.
Linebacker Derek McDonald getting looked at by the training staff.
Drones spies Lane in man coverage matched up with Simmons, and Lane brings in the catch down to the 10-yard line.
Two plays later, Tuten pumps his legs through SU’s defenders.
Hokies have pulled away by halftime. They have scored on every possession.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 23, Syracuse 3 with 4:18 remaining second quarter
Syracuse drive starts 7:13 at own 25-yard line
Shrader hits Hatcher across the middle, and the receiver absorbs a huge hit by Mose Phillips III that draws a penalty flag. Targeting is confirmed.
Shrader fires another dart across the middle to Alford as SU is in scoring range.
Shrader takes a deep shot to Allen, but no play on the ball.
On 3rd-and-9, the left tackle jumps early. Shrader then hits Donovan Brown for a 7-yard gain.
On 4th-and-7, Brady Denaburg attempts a 43-yard field goal and slips it inside the left upright.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 23, Syracuse 0 with 7:13 remaining second quarter
Virginia Tech drive starts 9:40 at own 7-yard line
Rover Justin Barron has returned to the game as well.
Virginia Tech backed up in its own territory but Tuten shakes out of a tackle attempt by Isaiah Johnson and picks up the first down. That’s a bad missed tackle.
Johnson then gets beat over the top as Drones hits Felton for a 62-yard gain.
Syracuse drive starts 11:34 at own 25-yard line
Syracuse picks up its first, first down as Shrader slides in the pocket to keep a play alive and find Alford for a 22-yard gain.
Shrader is sacked on 3rd-and-4, as Virginia Tech’s stud defensive edge works right around right tackle Mark Petry.
Jack Stonehouse returns and punts it away.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 16, Syracuse 0 with 11:34 remaining second quarter
Virginia Tech drive starts 0:30 (first quarter) at SU 25-yard line
ESPN’s sideline reporter says tight end Dan Villari kicked a chair on the sideline and offensive linemen are upset as the Orange can’t get anything started offensively.
Drones takes a deep shot on a free play as Marlowe Wax jumps offsides on 3rd-and-9.
On 3rd-and-4: Drones hits a quick out to Jaylin Lane for a 5-yard completion to move the chains. That’s a result of Wax’s penalty.
Drones then busts off a chunk 39-yard run down into the red zone. Syracuse has become unraveled.
Jason Simmons Jr. and Chase Simmons cover Drones up for a short loss. Virginia Tech flagged for a holding penalty to back up the offense outside the red zone.
On 3rd-and-13, Drones pumps and is tripped up in the backfield for a loss by Wax. That’s much-needed defensive hold, aided by Virginia Tech’s miscues.
John Love tacks on another field goal.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Virginia Tech 13, Syracuse 0
Virginia Tech drive starts 0:30 at SU 25-yard line
Tuten is down after that run. He’s got 54 yards on seven carries as the first quarter comes to a close.
Syracuse drive starts 1:57 at own 25-yard line
Shrader is sacked on 3rd-and-11, and the Orange go three-and-out for the fourth time in as many drives.
The Orange is a mess on offense.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 13, Syracuse 0 with 1:57 remaining first quarter
Virginia Tech drive starts 4:31 at SU 32-yard line
Tucker Holloway busts off a 57-yard punt return to set up Virginia Tech in great field position.
Punter Jack Stonehouse can’t put any weight on his left leg after colliding with a teammate. Just a brutal evening developing here. Everything is coming undone.
On 3rd-and-9 from the 15-yard line, Isaiah Johnson can’t finish off an interception.
Virginia Tech will settle for a short, 32-yard field goal by Love.
Syracuse drive starts 5:55 at own 24-yard line
Shrader looks for Damien Alford over the middle but the pass is deflected.
On 3rd-and-6, Shrader dumps it off underneath and Allen is stopped well short of the first-down marker.
Syracuse will go three-and-out for the third-straight drive to open the game.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 10, Syracuse 0 with 6:00 remaining first quarter
Virginia Tech drive starts 10:16 at own 32-yard line
Tuten gets 10 yards after another missed deep shot by Drones on first down.
Tuten then get 8 after a long incomplete pass. Hokies moving the ball on the ground.
Then Drones completes a pass to Da’Wain Lofton for a first down. Backup tailback Malachi Thomas rips off an 11-yard run, and Drones follows it up with a 5-yard gain.
Braylan Ingraham gets into the backfield for a stop for no gain.
On 3rd-and-5, Tuten follows his blocks off the right side for a key conversion inside the red zone.
VT scores on the next play, a running back pass to Da’Quan Felton on the 16-yard reception.
Syracuse drive starts 11:22 at own 25-yard line
Another penalty on the offense coming out of the kickoff. Jakob Bradford flagged for a false start. That’s three penalties on four plays for the Orange.
LeQuint Allen is stopped for a loss.
Syracuse goes three-and-out for the second-straight drive following the incomplete deep shot to Umari Hatcher.
SCORE UPDATE: Virginia Tech 3, Syracuse 0 with 11:22 remaining first quarter
Virginia Tech drive starts 13:50 at own 49-yard line
Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones overshoots a deep crossing pattern, then picks up 5 on the ground.
On 3rd-and-5, Bhayshul Tuten, the transfer running back from North Carolina A&T gets the corner and turns on the jets for a first down.
The Hokies set up for 3rd-and-long after a double pass and a nice open-field hit by Justin Barron.
Virginia Tech kicker John Love hits a career-long, 43-yard field goal.
Syracuse drive starts 15:00 at own 25-yard line
Virginia Tech wins the toss and defers until the second half.
Quarterback Garrett Shrader under pressure off the left edge right off the bat and gets flagged for intentional grounding.
On 2nd-and-21, Syracuse left guard Chris Bleich gets called for holding.
We’ve got 2nd-and-28: Shrader dirts a screen.
Syracuse nets negative yardage and goes three and out.
Syracuse will get its first taste of the much-ballyhooed Thursday night environment at Virginia Tech, despite the two being longtime conference foes.
The raucous setting figures to be part of the narrative as the Orange strives to close in on bowl eligibility heading into the final month of the season.
The Hokies have been trending in the right direction since making a quarterback change from Oregon-transfer Grant Wells (injury) to Baylor-transfer Kyron Drones.
Drones is a big (6-foot-2, 234 pounds) dual-threat who threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-13 victory against Wake Forest on Oct. 14. The Hokies also have a 17-point win vs. Pittsburgh on Sept. 30 in which Drones completed >60% of his passes and scored five touchdowns.
Syracuse limped into the bye week, looking listless on offense in two lopsided losses against ranked opponents. The available personnel has not sizably changed with the extra week of prep, putting the onus on the coaches and players to find a way to move the ball.
“I understand the focus people put on this one,” athletic director John Wildhack said on the pregame radio broadcast.
“We’ve got to come out tonight and we’ve got to put the pressure and create some tension on them. It’s going to be a really, really tough test.”
