Syracuse football: Game four grades versus Holy Cross

How the position groups each did in a weird, but nonetheless blowout, win.

A puzzling game from start to finish for the Syracuse Orange ultimately led to a dominant, bounce back 28-point win over the Holy Cross Crusaders in front of a sellout Dome crowd.

Syracuse darted out to a 21-0 lead, but a mix of sloppy play plus (very) weird outcomes allowed Holy Cross to hang around… until the Orange really blew this game open in the fourth quarter. A victory is a victory, and Syracuse returns to the win column after a heartbreaker against Stanford.

Here’s how the Orange’s 42-14 win over Holy Cross played out in the grades for the different position groups:

Quarterbacks: B

Kyle McCord’s final stat sheet (28/50, 56% completion, 7.7 yards per attempt, 4 TDs, 2 INTs) got bolstered by a strong three drives which all led to end zone scores. Two INTs are always rough, but both were at least justifiable and didn’t impact the final outcome. Shaky offensive line play also forced McCord to scramble a lot, but the first three drives leading to scores proved to be a deciding factor in hindsight. There’s room for improvement regardless. Michael Johnson Jr. (2/3, 31 yards) also looked solid as the backup.

Running Backs: A-

Saddled between a B+ and A-, but ultimately settled with the latter because LeQuint Allen (16 carries for 81 yards and one TD, 7 catches for 54 yards) dominated as both runner and receiver. Both the backups, Will Nixon (7 carries for 29 yards) and Yasin Willis (4 carries for 27 yards) also shined in their limited opportunities. Considering the inconsistency with blocking at the line, Syracuse’s depth at running back stood out in the win.

Wide Receivers: A-

Headlining a strong day for the receiving core was a breakout performance from Jackson Meeks (10 catches, 161 yards, one TD), who easily is the game’s MVP for Syracuse. Including Meeks game and Allen’s big day as a receiving threat, nine different players secured at least one catch. Trebor Pena had his moments, and ditto for Umari Hatcher and Darrell Gill Jr. The one concern from Saturday’s game was another quiet day for Oronde Gadsden (one catch for four yards).

Offensive Line: D

Tempted to go lower here, but the line at least held up enough in the first quarter to get the Orange out to such a strong lead. That’s about the only thing keeping this group from going to D-. Penalties cost the Orange at least one touchdown, McCord was forced to scramble a fair amount (leading to inaccurate throws on his part) and Holy Cross got four sacks on the day. I’ll just assume PFF grades won’t be too kind.

Defensive Line: B-

Frustration with the defense came up when Holy Cross looked like it was storming back in the second quarter. At the end of the day, the Crusaders ran the ball 25 yards for nine yards (0.4 yards per carry). That’s a pretty good performance right there, not to mention a promising day for KingJoseph Edwards (three sacks). Holy Cross’ offense has a certain ceiling given the on-paper advantage Syracuse has, but it was still a solid day. Syracuse did struggle to get pressure on Joe Pesansky in the first half, but that eventually turned for the better as the Crusaders were shutout in the second half.

Linebackers: B

Similar to the entire defensive unit, self-inflicted mistakes definitely were fewer compared to the last three games. Handing out a B feels just right — nothing overwhelming dominant, but very good all around.

Defensive Backs: A-

Look, Holy Cross had two touchdowns come on a) one blown coverage in the middle of the field and b) a trick play you’d rarely see. Outside of that, there isn’t much to criticize here from the defensive backs. Jayden Bellamy had one pick-six and two other near-interceptions, earning his way as the defensive MVP. There were little broken tackles, penalties giving Holy Cross easy yardage downfield or mistakes in general. Let’s hope this sort of defensive success can hold up next week.

Special Teams: F-

If G existed in grading, we’d give it out. Now, it looks like Syracuse’s kicking game might be in big trouble. Two shanked field goals by Brady Denaburg plus a doink from the backup Jadyn Oh headlined a very troubling day for the special teams unit. Jack Stonehouse punted one for 47 yards. Pena returned three times for 26 yards, although one big return in the second quarter was called back. Davien Kerr made his 1st career touch count with a 46 yard punt return in the 4th.

---

Now it’s your turn: how do you feel about the Orange’s grades from the 42-14 win over Holy Cross? What grades do you agree or disagree with?