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Kyle McCord’s last loss at Ohio State came at the hands of arch-rival Michigan. It took eight months and transferring to Syracuse for the quarterback to avenge it. He responded by registering arguably the best back-to-back stretch of his career, carrying SU’s offense to wins over Ohio and then-No. 23 Georgia Tech.

The Orange were on the doorstep of the AP Top 25 rankings two games into the Fran Brown era. And then they weren’t. Following its bye week, Syracuse hosted Stanford, which was predicted to finish last in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason rankings. SU only led for three minutes and lost on a time-expiring, game-winning field goal.

McCord said he couldn’t sleep following the defeat. He looked aimlessly at his ceiling when he wasn’t watching film. Still, he said he believes everything the Orange want to accomplish this season is still in front of them. Eight days after suffering its first loss of the season, SU took the first step toward turning its season around.

“Ultimately, there’s nothing you can do now to go back and change that (loss),” McCord said Tuesday. “Learn from it, grow from it and get ready to go on a run.”

In its final game of a four-game home stretch to open the season, Syracuse (3-1, 1-1 ACC) defeated Holy Cross (1-4, 0-0 Patriot League) 42-14. McCord, who dropped back a career-high 50 times, threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns and completed passes to seven different receivers. The Orange out-gained the Crusaders 541-203 in offensive yards.

“Every single play, we can get five guys out that are good options and just get the ball in their hands and then let them go to work,” McCord said postgame.

Syracuse picked apart the Crusaders’ defense after notching a quick three and out to begin the game, with Umari Hatcher registering 40 yards on his first reception. SU soon moved the ball inside the 10 and McCord rolled to his left before connecting with Hatcher for his second touchdown in as many weeks.

It took the Orange just six minutes to find the end zone after needing nearly 30 versus Stanford. Across the first 15 minutes, Holy Cross gained just 14 yards, didn’t notch a first down and punted three times. Meanwhile, Syracuse’s air-raid offense looked much like it did across its first two games.

On SU’s second drive, McCord connected with Darrell Gill Jr. — who entered the game with five receptions for 63 yards — twice for 49 yards and a touchdown, giving it a 14-0 lead.

Then, after SU’s defense forced its third three and out, McCord’s go-to receiver was Jackson Meeks. Facing fourth down as the first quarter ended, McCord fired an out-route to Meeks for a first down. Then, to open the second, Meeks hauled in a 38-yard touchdown, giving SU a 21-0 lead. Meeks, who finished the game with a career-high 10 receptions, 161 yards and a touchdown, started for the second consecutive week with fellow Georgia transfer Zeed Haynes out.

“My mentality is always the same, attack, attack, attack,” Meeks said of how he’s adjusted to his larger role.

Despite its slow offensive start, Holy Cross broke through following Meeks’ touchdown. After Jayden Clerveaux — who started for the second week following star running back Jordan Fuller’s season-ending injury — corralled a first down, quarterback Joe Pesansky hit Max Mosey in stride for a 63-yard touchdown.

The Crusaders then produced their second unanswered touchdown on a trick-play touchdown pass from backup running back Sam Slade to tight end Jacob Petersen. Holy Cross had a chance to tie the game in the final minutes before halftime after forcing SU to punt. However, after getting pinned on their two-yard line, the Crusaders punted after the two-minute timeout.

Propelled by superb catches from LeQuint Allen Jr. and Meeks, Syracuse got the ball down to Holy Cross’ four-yard line with nearly 30 seconds remaining in the half. McCord proceeded to connect with Trebor Peña for the wide receiver’s fifth total touchdown of the season, giving the Orange a 28-14 halftime lead. SU received the ball again with seven seconds remaining in the half, but McCord threw an interception.

“Everything he said just motivates us,” Hatcher said of Brown’s halftime message. “He just wants us to attack. We gotta be the predators.”

Receiving the second-half kickoff, Syracuse had the opportunity to extend its lead back to three possessions. On a third-down reception — one of his season-high seven for 54 yards — and two rushes, Allen Jr. quickly got the Orange across midfield.

As SU continued marching down the field on a 23-yard Peña reception, penalties derailed its drive. First, a Hatcher touchdown was called back because of an illegal man downfield. Then, a nearly 20-yard Allen Jr. catch was nullified because of an illegal block in the back. On third-and-13, McCord overthrew Gill Jr., resulting in his second interception.

Holy Cross notched a first down on its first play, though it couldn’t muster anything else before punting for the sixth time. Syracuse marched into the red zone, spearheaded by a 17-yard Allen Jr. run, who finished with 81 total rushing yards, and three catches for 40 yards from Meeks. Yet, its drive was stalled and Brady Denaburg missed a 28-yard field goal. The Orange then received favorable field possession after Holy Cross shanked its punt, but failed to corral points as Denaburg missed his second kick in a row.

Following the missed kick, Holy Cross’ offense continued its struggles, this time failing to convert on fourth-and-1 from its 36-yard line. Unlike its previous two drives, SU quickly found the end zone on Allen Jr.’s first rushing touchdown of the season, giving it a 35-14 lead to end the third quarter.

From there, despite another missed field goal — this time from backup Jadyn Oh — Syracuse cruised to its third win of the season. Defensively, Jayden Bellamy had the Orange’s first pick-six of the season, giving them a 42-14 lead five minutes into the fourth. Then, SU effectively ran the clock out, securing its third win of the season.

“I don’t think we’re nowhere near where we can be,” Brown said postgame. “We just got to keep growing.”

Published on September 28, 2024 at 3:41 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon