Notebook: Ross-Simmons leads Syracuse to OT win over Virginia Tech

Syracuse defeated Virginia Tech 38-31 in an overtime thriller.

SU trailed 21-3 in the third quarter but finally found its footing offensively with 28 points in the second half.

In overtime, the Orange took possession first and two rushes from LeQuint Allen Jr were enough to score a goal. A Fadil Diggs fumble sealed the deal and gave the Orange an unlikely win. Syracuse is now bowl eligible for the third straight year.

Here are the main storylines from the victory.

With a deficit of 21:3, the offense and especially the passing game seemed lifeless. Then Justus Ross-Simmons caught a curl route out of nowhere, eluded his man and raced down the sideline for a 55-yard touchdown.

It was Ross-Simmons' first catch of the year after struggling with an injury. Ross-Simmons had even considered wearing a red jersey this year after his injury forced him to sit out longer than expected. Head coach Fran Brown had other ideas for the junior wideout.

“He came and said to me, 'Coach, I think I want to redshirt,' and I said, 'Redshirt my ass, you're about to play this week.'” “You're going to take off,” Brown said.

Ross-Simmons totaled four catches and two game-winning touchdowns to help Syracuse come within one. Brown says he's not even 100 percent healthy yet, so it will be interesting to see what the Rochester native can bring to a team that's mostly receiver-by-committee this year.

LeQuint Allen Jr., hailed by Brown as that team's best player, recorded 148 all-purpose yards, three touchdowns on 21 carries and five catches. Allen was the only bright spot for the Syracuse offense in the first half.

“He can play catch, he can play safety, he can play outside linebacker, he can play running back and receiver,” Brown said. “So he could do anything. I'm just grateful to have him on our team. It's his passion. That's how he plays the game. He does it right and brings people along.”

In overtime, or as Brown called it “LeQuint time,” Allen Jr. needed just two runs to find the end zone and give the Orange the winning score. Without Allen Jr., Syracuse wouldn't have won this time.

After a poor performance last Thursday against Pitt, the offensive game plan focused on short, easy throws for Kyle McCord.

His first four passes were: to the flat, deep, screen and screen.

McCord almost completely avoided throwing deep, and his only throws from deep missed or were intercepted. The offense against Virginia Tech prioritized under and intermediate passes for McCord, who finished with 24/35 and 280 yards.

The strategy was effective because these shorter throws had a good completion rate and did not cause turnovers. They also struggled against attacks from the Hokies.

Two of the longest pass plays were the result of a quick throw combined with Cover Zero, which released Ross-Simmons and Pena for 55 and 41 yards, respectively.

“I knew we were going to get there at some point and Justus (Ross-Simmons) obviously had the big play and broke the tackle. They failed to reach coverage and he broke the tackle for a high score. I felt like that play really took the edge off the defense for the rest of the day,” Kyle McCord said.

With Kyron Drones out, Virginia Tech switched from UCLA to Collin Schlee as quarterback. Schlee wasn't ready this year, but he seemed very comfortable on offense.

Schlee was particularly effective on designed quarterback runs and option plays, which the Hokies frequently ran. Last year, Schlee had 425 rushing yards at UCLA as he was often used as a runner, although he only started two games.

Today Schlee passed for 54 yards, but many yards were lost due to sacks as he was a threat on almost all of his runs.

This is a concerning pattern for Syracuse as they have given up a lot of rushing yards to quarterbacks this year, especially against UNLV and Stanford.

The Orange have given up nearly 300 rushing yards to QBs this year, which could be problematic with upcoming games like Boston College and Miami.

In Brown's eighth game as head coach, his favorite acronym DART (Discipline, Accountability, Relentless, Toughness) was on full display.

“I think DART, you know what our core values ​​are, the guys just stuck to them and challenged each other and constantly pushed,” Brown said. “We just had to keep pushing, keep fighting, just make sure there was no giving up.”

A play that ended up being insignificant to the score was important for Brown and really lit the fire by halftime. As time expired in the first half, Syracuse missed a 47-yard run. The play didn't matter as the clock reached triple zero and the runner didn't reach the end zone, but it meant a lot to Brown.

“You know what really pissed me off at the end of the first half was that we let the kid run and we almost scored. And I know that was like me quitting and that was the first time I saw guys just thinking it was okay. And that made me want to challenge everyone and myself,” Brown said.

Every single element of DART was shown in the win.

discipline, accountability. After an unsportsmanlike penalty on Allen Jr., Brown pulled himself aside for a play to cheer him up. Allen Jr responded with 25 yards and a touchdown on that drive.

relentlessness. After trailing 21-3, Syracuse scored 21 unanswered points to take the lead. A big redzone stop limited the deficit to seven and the Orange tied the game with a 14-play, 75-yard drive in the final minute.

“I think when you're down 21 to three you really have no choice but to keep fighting. And I think that's exactly what we did. And like I said, there’s no panic, there’s no tension on the sideline,” McCord said.

toughness. Wax and Ross-Simmons both had impressive performances for the Orange after neither were 100% healthy.

DART was also displayed in a less subtle way, as Brown wore a “DART” hat on the sidelines and McCord attended his press conference in a “DART” shirt. DART is not just a slogan, it is a lifestyle that has captivated this team and is a reason for its success.

“It was about what we did as men off the field, how we lived, how we went to class and how we went about our daily business. Because I think it’s all directly related to what you’re going to do on the football field,” Brown said.

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