Syracuse 42, Holy Cross 14: Orange overcome sloppy play in win

Of all the ways to win a game, this was the most Syracuse way to do so.

A sloppy Syracuse Orange team played much closer to the Holy Cross Crusaders than many people thought. However, defensive improvements allowed Syracuse to hold on for long enough to take a 42-14 win.

The Orange came out hot and dominant, just as we expected from Syracuse. The Cuse defense held Holy Cross to three straight three-and-out possessions to start the game. By the end of the first quarter, Holy Cross only had 14 total yards of offense, with 12 of those coming on the ground.

On the opposite side of the ball, Syracuse used its typical pro-style passing offense to methodically move down the field and score with ease. Kyle McCord threw touchdown passes to four different receivers in the first half, continue to spread the ball around to his many receiving options.

However, after a Syracuse touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, the Orange play started to feel disorganized. Holy Cross quickly fired back with a wide-open 63-yard touchdown on a seam pass where the receiver, Max Mosey, was completely untouched. On the opposite side of the ball, Syracuse drives stalled out with some weak protection from the offensive line. McCord was sacked twice – once after a defender sped past Enrique Cruz subbing at right tackle, and another after a defender used a swim move to overpower Mark Petry. McCord also had to escape multiple collapsing pockets to avoid sacks.

Holy Cross started to find offensive momentum against a familiar Syracuse defensive issue. Soft zone coverage allowed the Crusaders to start marching up the field. Eventually Holy Cross scored on a trick play – a running back pass from Sam Slade to a wide-open tight end Jacob Petersen. A source of frustration as well for the fans in the Dome was the lack of pressure on Holy Cross quarterback Joe Pesansky. There were multiple three-man rushes seen from the Syracuse defense in the first half, which ended in a 28-14 Syracuse lead.

While the Orange defense held strong in the 2nd half, the Syracuse offensive line started to kill drives. Multiple big gains were taken away because of offensive line penalties and McCord continued to face pressure due to collapsing pockets. Syracuse also dropped points after Brady Denaburg missed a 28-yard and 45-yard field goal.

What kept the Orange offense rolling was an improved rushing attack and individual brilliance from Jackson Meeks. LeQuint Allen eventually got going and helped rush for 44 yards in the 3rd quarter. He picked up crucial yards and first downs to help move the Orange offense downfield. On the other side, Jackson Meeks became a safety valve for Kyle McCord as he won impressive one-on-one battles against tight coverage. An Allen rushing touchdown eventually gave Syracuse a 35-14 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The defense was the star of the show in the second half, culminating in a pick-six for Jayden Bellamy. After Holy Cross picked up 134 yards in the 2nd quarter, the Orange defense held Holy Cross to 32 yards in the 2nd half and multiple three-and-outs. The pressure finally got to Pesansky and Syracuse efficiently shut down the Holy Cross rushing attack. Crusaders running backs only ran for 19 yards. The backups saw out the rest of the game on both sides of the ball following Bellamy’s interception. The highlight player among the backups was KingJoseph Edwards, who had three sacks.

McCord finished the day with 385 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions on 28-50 passing. He became the first Orange quarterback to throw for over 300 yards in four straight games. Meeks took advantage of his opportunity as wide receiver No. 1, catching 10 balls for 161 yards and a touchdown. Allen rushed 16 times for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Syracuse hits the road for the first time next week for a night matchup at UNLV on Friday, October 4. Kickoff is set for 9:00 pm ET.