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For the first time under head coach Fran Brown, Syracuse went on the road, traveling to the West Coast for a nonconference bout with then-No. 25 UNLV.

The Orange led 14-0 but UNLV didn’t back down. SU needed a game-tying touchdown from Jackson Meeks in the final minute of regulation to force overtime. There, Syracuse pulled through with a sack by Fadil Diggs, followed by a walk-off touchdown from LeQuint Allen Jr., his fourth score of the game, clinching a 44-41 win over the Rebels.

After its fourth win of the season, Syracuse returns to Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Orange will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, to take on NC State in a primetime contest. The Wolfpack are winless in conference play and sit near the bottom of the ACC standings.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (4-1, 1-1 ACC) will fare against NC State (3-3, 0-2 ACC) Saturday night:

Aiden Stepansky (3-2)
Raleigh revival
Syracuse 38, NC State 28

Last week, for the first time this season, I picked against Syracuse. While I’m confident I’ll pick against SU at least a few more times, that isn’t the case this week.

Syracuse is now into the heart of its schedule, starting a five-game ACC stretch with its trip to Raleigh. This team proved to me last week what they’re truly capable of. It won’t always be pretty. But through Kyle McCord’s arm, the Orange will find a way.

NC State’s question mark at quarterback versus McCord is the defining factor. McCord’s been lethal, taking what defenses are giving and exploiting them. Sixty-three passing attempts is a gaudy number. But who cares if it leads to a win?

The victory over UNLV also saw the increased usage of Allen Jr. and Yasin Willis, which makes Syracuse’s potent offense even more difficult to stop. Five games into the season, Jeff Nixon’s offense is beginning to find a balance and a groove.

Raleigh has been a house of horrors for the Orange. Dino Babers never won there and Syracuse has lost its last four road games versus NC State. The last time SU won in Raleigh, Cooper, Justin and I were all in third grade. This week, I see a Raleigh revival, with Brown winning his first ACC road game. It will likely come down to the fourth quarter again. But I see SU pulling away and heading into the second bye week off a win.

Cooper Andrews (3-2)
Postgame Bojangles
Syracuse 34, NC State 19

While I was covering Syracuse’s overtime win over UNLV in Las Vegas last Friday, after exiting Allegiant Stadium’s visiting team press conference room, SU’s players were excited. It wasn’t just because they defeated the Rebels, but there was also a buffet of Raising Cane’s that players snacked on as a victory meal.

Following what should be another win Saturday in Raleigh, I’ll be expecting to see a horde of Bojangles — a North Carolina favorite — served up postgame.

Though I don’t think Syracuse’s battle with NC State will be close. With Grayson McCall injured after suffering a scary head injury against Wake Forest last week, freshman backup quarterback CJ Bailey stands a slim chance to match SU’s high-flying offense.

McCord is already the first player in Syracuse history to throw for five straight 300-yard passing games, and has thrown over 40 passes in every contest but one this season. And it’s worked, with the Orange ranking as the 16th-highest graded offense in the country, per Pro Football Focus. From a sheer volume standpoint, that’ll be nearly impossible for an inexperienced quarterback to keep up with.

Further, Syracuse’s defense showed improvements against UNLV even without Marlowe Wax. Diggs’ overtime sack of Hajj-Malik Williams, along with Duce Chestnut’s third-quarter interception, provided the Orange with enough complementary football to offset their special teams blunders. Against a far easier opponent in the Wolfpack, SU will cruise to victory.

Justin Girshon (2-3)
Road warriors
Syracuse 31, NC State 24

When I first looked at SU’s schedule before the season, I circled this matchup as its second-hardest game. In addition to it being the Orange’s first road ACC game in the campaign, NC State was widely expected to be among the best teams in the conference.

That hasn’t proved to be the case, though. A blowout 51-10 loss at home against Tennessee in Week 2 gave a quick glimpse that the Wolfpack weren’t true contenders. Since then, NC State has started conference play 0-2, losing on the road versus Clemson before falling to Wake Forest at home.

Now, NC State’s schedule doesn’t get any easier without its starting quarterback. Like Aiden noted, last week’s win over UNLV showed me a lot about SU’s team. While there are still some concerns that need to be cleaned up, I confidently think Syracuse can be in the ACC’s upper echelon. That point is strengthened by taking care of business on the road versus a conference foe.

McCord and Co. have been humming on offense, and while it may seem unsustainable, I no longer have any reason to think that. Even in what will likely be an electric atmosphere, the Wolfpack don’t have a good enough defense to contain SU. Meanwhile, their offense has several question marks, and I don’t think they’ll answer those concerns against Syracuse.

Published on October 9, 2024 at 9:34 pm