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The game looked over the moment Kyle McCord released his first throw of the day. That ball fell right into the awaiting hands of Darrell Gill Jr. for a 53-yard reception. It only took one play, but Gill’s effort foreshadowed the inevitable reality of Syracuse beating UConn Saturday.

SU’s offense torched the Huskies for 537 total yards and four touchdowns, while the Orange did just enough defensively to claim the victory. Even with the scoreboard close throughout, Syracuse met expectations, defeating UConn by seven points. Though the real challenge takes place next week against No. 8 Miami, the Orange still accomplished a major feat against the Huskies, winning their eighth game of 2024 — SU’s third eight-win season of the 21st century.

Here’s some observations from Syracuse’s (8-3, 4-3 ACC) 31-24 victory over UConn (7-4, Independent) Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome:

Senior day speculation

Since the on-field product wasn’t overly riveting, let’s briefly speculate about Syracuse’s pregame senior day ceremony.

Among those participating were big names like McCord, who’s likely NFL bound, linebacker Marlowe Wax and offensive tackle Savion Washington — who are both out of eligibility after this year. But two players drew some intrigue for joining the ceremonies: running back LeQuint Allen Jr. and tight end Oronde Gadsden II.

Allen, a junior, has two years of eligibility remaining, yet chose to join SU’s pregame festivities with his family. The dynamic, physical back has tallied more than 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of his last two seasons. He hasn’t been very highly-touted by NFL scouts, being ranked as high as No. 38 across various running-back prospect lists. Still, Allen Jr. could declare for the draft after this season if Saturday’s ceremony means anything.

As for Gadsden, it’s much more likely that he’ll enter the draft. The big-bodied tight end with wide receiver athleticism has potential to be a dynamic player from the slot and in the seams. Gadsden being in Saturday’s ceremony all but confirms his fate once this season concludes.

McCord passes Nassib

McCord couldn’t be stopped Saturday in a record-breaking performance. He finished the day 37-for-47 passing for 470 yards — by far a career-best — and two touchdowns. McCord’s outing moved him past former Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib for the most single-season passing yards in SU history, beating Nassib’s 3,749 in 2012.

The Ohio State transfer also moved into second place on Syracuse’s single-game passing yards list, one spot behind Nassib — who threw for 482 yards against Northwestern in that 2012 season.

Against UConn, it looked way too easy for McCord. He had all day to throw. Short, middle and deep options were at his disposal on every play. And he took advantage, taking just two plays to throw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Gadsden — SU’s first opening-quarter touchdown since Oct. 4 at UNLV.

A couple of 15-plus-yard completions to Jackson Meeks in the middle of the first quarter beefed McCord’s numbers. He closed the first quarter 10-for-10 for 182 yards. As soon as the second began, he found Trebor Peña in the flat for a three-yard score, the duo’s first touchdown connection since Sept. 28 against Holy Cross.

With less than five minutes left in the second quarter, McCord scrambled outside the pocket and sizzled a 19-yard pass to Gill to convert a third-and-15 deep in UConn’s territory. That completion pushed him past Nassib’s single-season passing yards mark.

McCord kept slinging it in the second half, tallying over 400 yards through the air across three quarters. Gadsden, Meeks and Gill all finished with at least seven catches and 100 receiving yards.

Underwhelming defense

It wasn’t a satisfying performance from defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson’s group. The Orange didn’t get much pressure — their first sack wasn’t until Fadil Diggs brought UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano down at the 9:37 mark of the third quarter — and gave up too many chunk plays.

Fagnano’s subpar play, finishing 27-for-48 passing, gave them plenty of relief. On a second-and-11 late in the first quarter, he threw an intermediate pass about five yards short of his intended receiver, Jasaiah Gathings. Later on, with 9:44 left in the second quarter, Fagnano overthrew Gathings on a go route, which would have netted at least 40 yards.

Despite Fagnano’s breaks, Syracuse couldn’t make consistent stops. Midway through the first, on a fourth-and-1, UConn running back Cam Edwards shed contact at the line of scrimmage before plowing through SU’s defensive front, eventually scampering for a 71-yard touchdown. The Orange’s entire defense looked caught off guard, seemingly under the assumption Edwards’ forward progress had been stalled.

They were gashed again to end the first half, as the Huskies charged downfield for a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. SU cornerback Davien Kerr lost his footing guarding UConn receiver Skyler Bell on a crucial third-and-8 in the red zone, allowing Bell to gain 12 yards. The Huskies scored one play later after Fagnano hit tight end Louis Hansen on a run-pass-option for a five-yard touchdown.

In a slower-paced second half, SU’s defense bent but didn’t break. It allowed a 35-yard run from UConn’s Mel Brown on a late third-quarter Huskies’ possession. The Orange then forced three straight Fagnano incompletions and induced a UConn punt.

Though SU’s defense played well enough to win, it by no means exerted its dominance over the Huskies. UConn still ran for 124 yards while Syracuse failed to force a turnover.

Kicking woes return

Jackson Kennedy came on strong once he took over as Syracuse’s placekicker. After kickers Brady Denaburg and Jadyn Oh combined to go 5-for-11 across the first half of SU’s season, Kennedy’s 6-for-6 start on field goal attempts was a welcome sight.

But his stock took a dip Saturday.

Kennedy missed his first two field goal tries against UConn. He had a chance to give the Orange a 10-0 advantage with 7:18 left in the first quarter on a 36-yard field-goal try from the left hash marks. But Kennedy pushed his kick wide, just squeaking by the right upright. Just four plays later, Huskies’ running back Cam Edwards scored a 71-yard rushing touchdown.

That’s what SU head coach Fran Brown’s been so worried about with the kicking game: he knows all points come at a premium, no matter the opponent. He said Kennedy “saved” Syracuse with his consistency, which didn’t continue against UConn.

To end the first half, McCord drove the Orange down to UConn’s 35-yard line with the clock running low. Kennedy attempted a 52-yard field goal, but again, his kick sailed wide right. His 0-for-2 start took six points off the board for SU, which could’ve given it a two-possession lead at halftime. Kennedy did end the day 1-for-3 after nailing a 23-yard field goal with 4:35 left in the third quarter.

Published on November 23, 2024 at 3:42 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews