Syracuse vs. Georgia Tech Open Game Thread

One teams enters with house money, while the other is on the brink of having a season fall apart. That's what is at stake today when the Syracuse Orange visit the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a ACC football showdown at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Fortunately, the Orange (3-3, 1-1 ACC) are the ones with not a whole lot to lose just a lot to gain, which is the perfect position to be in heading into yet another hostile environment. Especially, when its playing a Yellow Jackets squad (3-3, 2-2) that needs to avoid losing its fourth straight game. If they can't, there will be a lot to explaining to do in Georgia Tech country.

To win, Syracuse will need to continue to play like its 2013 motto: hard nosed. There's no debate about what both teams want to do -- run, run, run and run so more.

Orange quarterback Terrel Hunt will be asked not to turn the ball over, like he did twice last week, and make a big throw or two to help open up the running game, paced by Jerome Smith and backfieldmate Prince-Tyson Gulley, who will each need a big game if SU wants to steal a victory in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech is going to use its spread option offense, led by quarterback Vlad Lee, to earn a game that earlier in the season was predicted to be a sure thing. The Yellow Jackets goal will be to make Syracuse pay for the absence of linebacker Dyshawn Davis, who will miss the game with an ankle injury. The Orange hope backup Josh Kirkland can play like he did last week when he filled in for Davis, who went down early in the first half.

Locally, the game will be shown on Syracuse's NBC 3. The rest of New York State should also check its local stations for the showdown, while the rest of the nation can find the game on TV on these channels.

Take your aspirin before the game folks, it could save your life after this one.

GO ORANGE!