Everything you need to know about No. 23 Georgia Tech at Syracuse

“On 12 occasions. So this is a one-game season for us. All that matters is this week. All that matters is how we prepare now (Friday) while we're in the hotel and then get up early (Saturday) and get ready to play a game.”

What you need to know

Start: Saturday afternoon

Where: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York

TV: ACC Network

Weather: N/A

Tickets: Seating in virtually all areas of the JMA Wireless Dome was still available Friday morning for just $25 per ticket.

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Top stories ahead of No. 23 Georgia Tech-Syracuse

Backup runningback still not available: Key said Thursday that running back Trey Cooley will miss Saturday's game.

“We're going to make sure (Cooley) is OK,” Key said. “I don't know the time frame for Trey Cooley. Don't expect him to be in the game this week. He's not going to be in the game this week. We've got to do the best we can for (Cooley) and make sure he gets taken care of and gets back in a good position.”

Cooley (5'10″, 195 lbs) was injured on August 24 during the opening kickoff in Dublin's game against Florida State. The former Louisville running back rushed for 274 yards on 64 runs in 2023 and scored three touchdowns.

Tech’s defense faces Kyle McCord: Tech's defense has been solid in its first two games of the season, and the 23rd-ranked Jackets face another tough task on the road against Syracuse.

The Orange (1-0) brought in prized transfer recruit Kyle McCord in the offseason to be the focal point of their offense. His debut was impressive in Saturday's 38-22 win over Ohio, when the 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior rushed for 354 yards and four touchdowns on 27 successful passes.

McCord previously played at Ohio State University and joined Syracuse before spring training earlier this year.

Having a ranking is the new normal: It's been a long time since Tech football was nationally ranked, perhaps too long for a program that was once a staple in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

But the Jackets (2-0, 1-0 ACC) made a triumphant return to the rankings on Tuesday, when they emerged as the 23rd best team in the country according to the poll. Tech had not been in the rankings since September 2015. After a loss to Duke on Sept. 26, when Tech was ranked 20th, the program fell out of the top 25 and did not return until Tuesday.

“This is territory that comes with winning football games. It's new territory, but this is the new normal,” Tech coach Brent Key told radio station 680 The Fan on Wednesday. “People can't be surprised when people start talking about things that are good. These kids deserve to have people talk about them. But at the same time, it's my job to keep them grounded. We just got back from practice (Wednesday) and I don't think that's in question right now.”

Kyle Efford leads the nation in tackles: Tech linebacker Kyle Efford was credited with 10 tackles in the season-opening win over Florida State. On Saturday night, in a 35-12 win over Georgia State at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the sophomore was credited with 13 more. With 23 total tackles, Efford now leads the nation in that category.

“The tackles are really the result of pure effort,” Efford said Saturday. “He's just flying around.”

Celebrate like it’s 2015: For the first time since 2015, Tech is in the AP Top 25.

The Jackets finished 23rd in the week two poll with 161 votes. It's the first time Tech has been among the top 25 teams in the country since late September 2015, when the Jackets were ranked 20th. A loss at Duke knocked Tech out of the poll, and it hasn't been ranked since.

Tech started 2-0 with a 1-0 record in ACC play, following a win over then-No. 10 Florida State in Dublin on Aug. 24 and a victory over Georgia State at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday. It's the team's first 2-0 start since 2016.

Jackets had only been to Syracuse once before: A third game, a third city and a third stadium and a third unique challenge for Tech this week. Can the Jackets handle the next test?

Key's team is scheduled to head to New York on Friday before playing Syracuse at noon Saturday. After wins over Florida State in Dublin and Georgia State at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the Jackets (2-0, 1-0 ACC) must now return to ACC play and win a tough road game to start 3-0 for the first time since 2016.

“This is going to be the biggest challenge we have as a football team this week, hands down,” Key said Tuesday. “This is going to be a game, and I just told the team that this is not about plays, calls, runs, passes, coverages or fronts – none of that matters. This game is about us being the most physical football team we can be from noon to about 4 p.m. on Saturday.”

“That's undoubtedly the only thing that matters. How physically we play, how hard we play, how much discipline we play with, how we have improved things that we did in the first two games or that we didn't do well in the first two games, that's what this game is about.”