The position groups who made the biggest impact in a critical road win for the Orange.
Despite some questionable moments and odd shifts in momentum, the Syracuse Orange were able to hold off the NC State Wolfpack to come away with their third win in a row and second straight on the road.
Syracuse’s first half saw points be left off the board throughout, but big plays from the defense and more finished possessions on offense ultimately led to the Orange coming away with a 24-17 win in Raleigh. How does the road victory translate in the grade book?
Spoiler alert: the results are all over the place this week, including a few surprises.
Here are your position grades for the Orange after their win over NC State:
Quarterbacks: A
This felt like a game where Syracuse could’ve and should’ve scored in the mid-30s. Regardless, Kyle McCord certainly deserved no worse than an A this week. The full stats: 31/42 (74%), 346 yards, 8.2 yards per attempts and two touchdowns. Even with some questionable aggressiveness on fourth down, McCord helped to sustain long drives that again chewed up clock and gave NC State as little time as possible to have possession. Equally as important: no turnovers this game was significant in hindsight. Turnovers doomed NC State and they could’ve easily done the same had McCord thrown a pick or two.
Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
Running Backs: B+
Went back and forth between B+ and A-, but ultimately B+ still is pretty fair. LeQuint Allen (21 carries for 93 yards, 4.3 YPC, one TD) had another high-volume day and ran just well enough to set the Orange up for manageable second and third down situations. On offense, he has a strong case to be the second-most valuable player on the team outside of McCord. Yasin Willis had a quiet game, but overall, not too much to complain about. And again, no fumbles meant NC State was gifted with zero possessions with great field position.
Wide Receivers: A
Not too many holes among the main receiving core. Jackson Meeks (11 catches, 116 yards, 10.5 YPC, one TD) continues to breakout as a top option next to Trebor Pena (8 catches, 75 yards, 9.4 YPC). Umari Hatcher caught one pass, but that was for 28 yards and Syracuse’s only touchdown in the first half (in hindsight, again ended up being a key play of the game). Even Darrell Gill Jr. had his moments on a few catches. The wide receiver group is once again solidifying itself as the Orange’s deepest and most explosive position group this year.
Tight Ends: B
A quiet second half for Oronde Gadsden overshadowed him finishing with six catches for 74 yards. Even if it isn’t from start to finish, Gadsden remains such a valuable player on offense. The big story from the NC State game was more on-ball reps from Dan Villari, who had some power runs up the middle and certainly produced far more than at any point this year. This is one of the tougher grades to decide on this week, but B range sounds about right.
Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
Offensive Line: B-
Our first “you might find this as a little bit of a shock” grade. Genuinely, the O-line held up most of Saturday night. Just two sacks allowed on the day and less than a handful of penalties were the only significant negatives from an otherwise solid day at the line of scrimmage. You could make an argument the O-line could be a C+, but considering there was no disaster scenario that occurred, I’m settling with a B- here.
Defensive Line: C-
The case for Syracuse’s defensive line: even with weakened depth and absent two high-usage players, NC State only ran the ball 21 times for 82 yards. It was one of the better jobs this year Syracuse had with stopping the run. Particularly with a mobile QB, that was a huge concern going into this game. The case against: both sacks the Orange had came from non-defensive linemen, and that was pretty much the only time CJ Bailey ever really felt pressure in the pocket.
Linebackers: B
Syracuse’s defense forcing turnovers? Maybe that could be something fans will see more in the future. Justin Barron had his best game of the year and made the most impact of anyone on Syracuse’s defense. A critical late-game sack and a tipped interception highlighted the big-time defense plays the Orange had versus the Wolfpack. Derek McDonald had some issues in open space, but the forced fumble in the third quarter came at arguably the biggest chance NC State had to take the lead again.
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Defensive Backs: D+
A sack from Devin Grant led to a fumble by Bailey, but outside of that, it was a mostly tough day in coverage. Six NC State players caught at least two passes, and four of them finished with 19.5 YPC or better (including three with 23 YPC and higher). Those big plays were the one thing keeping NC State in the game outside Syracuse’s botched fourth down attempts and a few very questionable calls.
Special Teams: C+
Kicking is still a concern and you’d imagine that’s part of the reason Syracuse will have some tough decisions on fourth down. Jadyn Oh went 1/2 on field goals and Jack Stonehouse had one punt for 59 yards. On the bright side, at least those kicks weren’t blocked and nothing weird happened. It was an average performance: nothing incredible, but nothing damaging as well. I’m bumping this up to C+ with Meeks coming away with that onside kick at the end of the game.
Now it’s your turn: how would you grade the Orange’s 24-17 win over NC State? Where do you agree or disagree the most?