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Fran Brown’s first two games as Syracuse’s head coach went as well as he could’ve hoped for. The Orange took care of business versus Ohio before Brown notched his first win versus an Atlantic Coast Conference and AP Top 25 opponent, defeating then-No. 23 Georgia Tech 31-28.

SU didn’t have a chance to build on its early season momentum in Week 3 due to its bye week. Thirteen days after their win over GT, the Orange host Stanford in the JMA Wireless Dome. This is the Cardinal’s first ACC football game since joining the conference.

“I’m happy that Stanford gets to come here,” Brown said, “battle of the block ‘S.’”

Here are some takeaways from Brown’s weekly press conference before Syracuse’s (2-0, 1-0 ACC) first-ever matchup against Stanford (1-1, 0-0 ACC):

Conference realignment

In the ever-changing landscape of college sports, conference realignment’s prominence has rapidly increased over the last few years. Now, the ACC has programs residing on the West Coast, with SMU, Cal and Stanford joining the conference this season.

SU’s matchup versus Stanford marks the first ACC football game for either of the three newly added teams to the conference, but the Orange’s first-year head coach doesn’t think of it that way.

“It’s my first time coaching, I don’t really care who we play,” Brown said.

What Brown, 247Sports’ No. 1 recruiter, does care about, however, is that making trips out west can further Syracuse’s recruiting base. In the new-look ACC, teams are required at least one trip to the West Coast a season.

“It gives you an opportunity to go and recruit some guys and for them to be comfortable knowing that they’ll get the opportunity to travel back home twice a year,” Brown said of playing on the West Coast.

Hailing from Camden, New Jersey, Brown’s ties have led him to dominate northeast recruiting. If he can expand his influence westward, Brown will continue reshaping and overhauling SU’s program closer to national prominence.

Stanford’s offensive scheme

In the Orange’s Week 2 win over Georgia Tech, its dual-threat quarterback Haynes King threw for 266 yards and a touchdown while running for 67 yards and two more scores. Coming off the bye week, SU faces another dual-threat quarterback in Ashton Daniels.

Across two games, Daniels has accumulated 384 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and 118 rushing yards. Brown said that he likes the Stanford signal caller, noting his athleticism and strengths as a scrambler.

Beyond Daniels, Brown praised Stanford’s wide receiver group. SU’s head coach called Elic Ayomanor — who surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in 2023 — “legit,” while adding that sophomore Ismael Cisse is a good player and saying he liked Mudia Reuben’s game.

“We’re just going to try and go out there and play the defense that (defensive coordinator Elijah) Robinson calls, and just try to hope that we get the right fits, the right time for the right things, to be able to just knock them off track a little bit,” Brown said of containing Stanford’s offense.

Offensive line check-in

Through Syracuse’s first two games, its offensive line has surrendered only two sacks. Across SU’s 13 games in 2023, it allowed 30 sacks. The biggest difference since last season is the personnel the Orange have used.

Center J’Onre Reed and left guard Jakob Bradford have each returned as starters at the position they played last season, while Mark Petry moved from right tackle to right guard. To round out the unit, SU brought in left tackle Da’Metrius Weatherspoon and right tackle Savion Washington from the transfer portal.

“Those guys are communicating and spending time with each other,” Brown said of Syracuse’s offensive line. “What’s most impressed me honestly, though, is that relationship, how they’ve grown, how they are helping each other.”

Syracuse’s offensive line play has allowed quarterback Kyle McCord and running back LeQuint Allen Jr. to shine thus far in 2024. McCord’s 367.5 passing yards per game are currently the second-most in the FBS. Meanwhile, Allen Jr., who had over 1,000 rushing yards in 2023, has run for 181 yards while adding 71 yards and a touchdown in the receiving game.

“Really all I care about is making sure Kyle stays healthy (and) making sure that they make the holes big enough for LeQuint … Kyle and LeQuint being healthy means a lot,” Brown said.

Published on September 16, 2024 at 5:57 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon