Which position groups cashed in during Syracuse’s overtime win in Vegas?
A late-night thriller in Las Vegas saw the Syracuse Orange overcome a fourth quarter deficit and several big-time mistakes en route to a 44-41 overtime road win over the No. 25 UNLV Rebels.
The chaos manifested in many ways: Syracuse went up at least two scores two different times, only to end up down with just three minutes remaining. Clutch play by the offense and enough stops by the defense ended up being enough for Syracuse to get its first road win of the year. How did all the different position groups perform in the grade book?
Here are your grades for the Orange’s thrilling Friday night win over UNLV:
Quarterbacks: A
A forced pick in the fourth quarter is legit the only thing keeping Kyle McCord from getting an A+. Most of the drives McCord led began at the Syracuse 25, and the Orange offense again shined as a passing threat. He finished 40/63 (63%) with 355 passing yards, 3 TDs and the one interception. In a game where Syracuse had possession for nearly 40 minutes (compared to 20 min for UNLV), McCord avoided more than one self-inflicted wound, kept the Orange within distance after blowing the 14-0 lead, lead the game-tying TD drive and did just enough in OT to seal the deal.
Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images
Running Backs: A+
You’ll rarely see A+ grades during the year from me, but this game is one of the few exceptions where it is so well-deserved. LeQuint Allen’s “legacy game” doesn’t bear out with the rushing yard totals (19 carries, 71 yards, 3.7 yards per carry), but his runs on first down game the Orange breathing room to air the ball out for bigger plays. He ended up with 129 total yards and four TDs. Clearly dealing with some nagging injury in the second half, Allen’s final run into the end zone was tough, determined and insane. Major props as well to Yasin Willis (8 carries, 62 yards, 7.8 YPC, 1 TD) for stepping up when it mattered most and really showcasing his potential.
Wide Receivers: A-
It was certainly a thinner rotation at receiver versus UNLV — only five total plays caught more than one pass, and just three of those were WRs. Both Jackson Meeks and Trebor Pena finished with eight catches and 67 yards each. Meeks easily made one of the biggest plays of his career, catching the game-tying touchdown score with less than 30 seconds to go. Even Darrell Gill Jr. (four catches, 21 yards) had his moments. Not much to complain about on the receiving front.
Tight Ends: A
Due to popular demand, we’re moving the tight ends into their own position group. Well, this was certainly the right week to do so. When it mattered most, Oronde Gadsden (10 catches and 142 yards, both team-highs for Syracuse) returned to form and clearly showed the damage he can do in short, medium and deep routes. After two consecutive quiet weeks, Gadsden broke out a 2022-like performance. It couldn’t have come at a better time.
Offensive Line: C
Probably one of the more controversial grades this week, but at the end of the day, all the good and bad from the UNLV game averages out exactly to a C. Syracuse lucked out with several plays where players would break tackles behind the line of scrimmage for positive yardage. Untimely holding penalties were also an issue. At the same time, McCord still finishing with a 63% completion percentage in this type of game and the Orange scoring 44 points meant the O-line was at least serviceable this week.
Defensive Line: B
It’s another week where it’s pretty tough to come up with definitive grades for Syracuse’s defense. I settled on the D-line getting the only B of the week because Fadil Diggs (8 tackles, 4 solo, 2 TFLs, 2 sacks) was easily the Orange’s defensive MVP versus UNLV. The key defensive stat of the game: Syracuse had 4 sacks, while the Rebels had zero. The timing of those big-play sacks came at the right moments for the Orange to hold the UNLV offense off long enough.
Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images
Linebackers: C-
On paper, UNLV did run the ball effectively but the stats are still a bit deceiving. Jai’Den Thomas had six carried for 64 yards, but holding Hajj-Malik Williams to under 55 yards on 12 carries mattered in hindsight. Several of UNLV’s scores came due to short field position because of two botched punts from the Orange. Overall, nothing too spectacular, but nothing really damaging either.
Defensive Backs: C
Deuce Chestnut’s interception off a bobbled pass set the Orange up for an easy touchdown in the third quarter and keeps the DBs with at least a C. Zero deflected passes on the day is probably why Williams finished 21/25 on the day with a 127.4 QB rating.
Special Teams: F
Second straight week where the special teams grade out in F territory. Yikes! One punt was blocked into the end zone and another couldn’t even be kicked by Jack Stonehouse. So why not an F-? Jadyn Oh went a perfect 6/6 on the day: 1/1 on field goals and 5/5 on extra points. This season, it’s a good feeling the backup kicker didn’t mess anything up considering every point mattered to get to OT. Kicking might be a problem moving forward.
Now it’s your turn: how would you grade the Orange after their 44-41 win over UNLV? Where do you agree and disagree?