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Fran Brown says late comebacks are part of the “monotony” of football. Then-No. 23 Georgia Tech storming back from a 17-point deficit to pull within a field goal of Syracuse last Saturday is something the head coach said has happened 1,000 times before. But he knows it never should have been that close.

“We gotta work on that special teams,” Brown said before pinning the blame on himself. “If they’re going to touch the ball before it hits 10 yards, that’s bad coaching on Fran Brown. On nobody else.”

He was incensed by SU’s inability to recover a GT onside kick with just over five minutes remaining. It gave the Yellow Jackets another life facing a 10-point deficit and helped keep the Orange’s offense off the field for a six-minute span late in the fourth quarter as its lead dwindled from 31-14 to 31-28.

A scintillating 381-yard, four-touchdown performance from quarterback Kyle McCord and an improved defensive outing were nearly overshadowed. Prior to its late blunder, though, SU’s special teams weathered a difficult afternoon. Each quarter featured a different mistake from the unit, which could have tipped the scales in the Yellow Jackets’ favor.

Here’s a deep dive into Syracuse’s (2-0, 1-0 ACC) four special teams errors in its win over then-No. 23 Georgia Tech (2-1, 1-1 ACC) last Saturday:

1st quarter, 2:08 — Syracuse (reluctantly) joins the block party

SU’s field-goal blocking unit faltered on kicker Brady Denaburg’s first attempt of the day. Denaburg stared down a 43-yard field goal — a trustworthy distance for his leg — with the score knotted at 7-7.

As the snap hit holder Jack Stonehouse’s fingers, Georgia Tech’s right-side gunner Ahmari Harvey blazed past Dan Villari, blocking on Denaburg’s left. Villari merely took a step to his left and issued a single push into Harvey’s left shoulder. Harvey didn’t flinch, and zoomed ahead at a free lane to the ball.

He didn’t come up with the block, but Harvey got in front of Denaburg’s face to force a low kick. At the same time, Georgia Tech defensive lineman Zeek Biggers got leverage on Syracuse long snapper Tom Callahan. After snapping the ball, Callahan reacted late to Biggers’ ambush. Then, the 6-foot-6, 320-pound lineman leaped up far too high for the long snapper to contain.

Biggers extended his left arm straight in the air to deflect Denaburg’s attempt with his fingertips, sending it just a few yards forward and way off target. The long snapper is the last person you’d think would make an impact in any given game. Here, though, Callahan couldn’t do enough to protect Denaburg’s low kick, costing SU three points.

2nd quarter, 1:37 — Yellow Jackets bring the house on Stonehouse

Syracuse escaped having to pay for its next special teams blocking mistake. A Stonehouse punt late in the first half was blocked by Georgia Tech defensive lineman Amontrae Bradford near midfield, giving GT a short field to potentially tie the game before halftime.

Even though Yellow Jackets kicker Aidan Birr missed a 45-yarder to end the drive, this snap was still among the lowlights for the Orange.

After Stonehouse received the snap from Callahan, five blockers stayed in place to battle Georgia Tech’s front. GT brought five rushers, but Bradford and linebacker Nacari Ashley instantly wreaked havoc in the backfield. They each bulldozed through the middle, shedding weak block attempts from Villari while maneuvering past Justin Barron.

Bradford and Ashley muscled their way into a two-on-one with Syracuse offensive lineman Mark Petry. He stood flat-footed, and couldn’t adjust his way to merely defend one of the two rushers. Ashley swooped around from Petry’s right side as Stonehouse attempted his punt, yet the kick flew right into Bradford’s body who was barely touched as he neared the ball. Tight end Max Mang was SU’s lone blocker who won his assignment, leading to Bradford’s deflection.

3rd quarter, 15:00 — Denaburg boots one out of bounds

Special teams errors are football’s worst form of free passes. Even the smallest mistakes can become the most nagging parts of postgame film sessions. Here, what should have been a routine kickoff for Denaburg wound up handing GT an extra 10 yards in a one-score game.

Denaburg squared his right foot up with the ball as SU’s kickoff team ran in line with him. But his kick came out like a knuckleball, twisting through the air on a low trajectory. It was unclear if Denaburg was attempting a squib kick, or if he just wanted to ensure a return. Regardless, the boot was inaccurate.

The ball darted far left, took a bounce at the 20-yard line, and barreled out of bounds just before reaching the five. Denaburg was flagged for an illegal kick out of bounds, setting Georgia Tech up at the 35-yard line.

A cleaner strike from Denaburg could’ve warranted much better results for a possible touchback to have GT start at the 25 or give SU’s kickoff team a chance to make a play. But Denaburg’s small mistake provided Georgia Tech with favorable field position — crucial for such a tight game.

4th quarter, 5:08 — Onside kick slips past the Orange

Syracuse’s most damaging special teams error came with 5:08 left in the game while leading 31-21. Considering how unstoppable McCord and the Orange offense looked, Georgia Tech was fully in onside kick mode after Haynes King threw a four-yard touchdown to Chase Lane. Naturally, Birr lined the ball up on the left hash marks for the onside try.

Birr’s kick to the right side of SU’s front line bounced once a few yards in front of him, then looped high into the air and landed at the 42-yard line about five yards from the sideline. It would have been an illegal touching penalty for the Yellow Jackets if any of their players touched the ball before it crossed the 45, so there was no need for Syracuse to touch it.

Villari, Jackson Meeks and Fadil Diggs were all in the area in front of the 45-yard line. Diggs’ role was to block, yet he was the one who got a piece of the ball. The edge rusher was driven back by GT linebacker Austin Dean, and didn’t have control of his body while the ball ricocheted off him. It squeaked by a diving Villari and bounced off his back before Georgia Tech tight end Avery Boyd easily corralled it.

Brown was upset that one of his blockers — Diggs — was in a position to go for the ball, blaming himself postgame for the failed recovery. But the Orange simply failed to hold their ground, resulting in premature contact with the ball and a botched onside kick recovery.

Published on September 10, 2024 at 10:59 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews