Syracuse football: Three takeaways from the Orange’s 42-14 win vs. Holy Cross

Syracuse is back in the win column

Right out of the gate, the Syracuse Orange came out swinging. Three straight scores on SU’s first three offensive possessions and three straight three-and-outs from Holy Cross. Then, well, it got a bit dicey, but ultimately SU kept its undefeated streak against FCS opponents alive (22-0) for its third win of the season.

Let’s look at the takeaways from SU’s win over Holy Cross:

McCord continues to spread the ball around

In another impressive performance from QB Kyle McCord, the Ohio State transfer hit nine different receivers for 385 yards and four touchdowns. His fourth straight 300-yard passing game of the season, and, to put that in perspective, only five other Orange quarterbacks have recorded three or more 300-yard passing performances in their entire careers at Syracuse, according to the ACC.

After the game, McCord was asked how it feels to have multiple guys he can throw the ball to, he said his confidence stems from the depth among the skill players on offense.

“One of the benefits of having such a deep receiver room, as well as guys like Dan [Villari], OG [Oronde Gadsden], and then LeQuint [Allen] and Yasin [Willis].. is every single play we can get five guys out that are all good options,” McCord said.

Throwing the football has been the mode of attack in Will Nixon’s offense this year, and McCord’s ability to work through his progressions and spread the ball to different receivers is a big reason why that offense has been so successful. Through four games, statistically speaking, Syracuse is the third-ranked passing offense in college football — 372 yards per game, a 120% increase from where it was a year ago.

Chris Young

Currently, McCord leads the nation in passing yards per game (364.75) and completions per game (28.5), and his 14 passing touchdowns is the fourth most behind Cam Ward (Miami), Chandler Morris (North Texas), and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU).

The only issue with the passing game over the last two weeks has been Oronde Gadsden’s inability to get involved on offense — three catches for 16 yards. McCord said, ‘I’m not worried about getting on the same page…I know that it will come, it’s my job to get him the football’.

D-Line needs to be more of a presence moving forward

This was mentioned briefly in last week’s takeaways, and it continues to be an issue for Syracuse. The Orange defensive line unit must put more of its footprint on the football game. Of the nine Orange defensive linemen that played on Saturday, only two achieved a Pro Football Focus grade of 80 or better (KingJoseph Edwards and Chase Simmons) —KingJoseph Edwards had three of the team’s four total sacks.

“We want to continue to get better at rushing the passer.. we want to get better at everything,” Brown added. “We’re nowhere near where we can be.”

Syracuse has an extremely versatile secondary, with several talented contributors, but that means nothing if opposing quarterbacks have all day to throw. SU needs to apply some pressure on the quarterback this week against UNLV.

The Rebels are coming off of a 45-point thrashing of Fresno State, who was picked to finish third in the Mountain West preseason poll.

Campbell transfer QB Hajj-Malik Williams took over for Matthew Sluka this week, and in his first start for the Rebels, he balled out, to say the least — 300 yards of total offense (119 rush yards on 12 attempts) and four total touchdowns. Orange fans have seen what a mobile quarterback can do against this Syracuse defense. Georgia Tech QB Haynes King had a similar stat line against SU in week two.

It starts in the trenches, read the tweet (or post, I don’t know). Now is the time to start changing the trajectory of this group before Syracuse is on the road for three straight weeks.

O-line needs to improve at pass-blocking

Five sacks allowed against an FCS team, and not a good FCS team, is unacceptable. Our ‘TNIAAM’ staff praised SU’s offensive line going into week four, a combined two sacks were allowed against Ohio and #23 Georgia Tech, but since then that number has jumped to 11.

Currently, Syracuse is on pace to throw the football 45 times per game. That’s the most of any team in college football (career-high 50 pass attempts this week for McCord). If the Orange offense continues to lean on throwing the football at this rate, the offensive line will have to improve. McCord can’t get sacked on more than 10% of pass plays – it’s not a winning formula.

PFF stat: McCord at Syracuse in 2024: 13 passing touchdowns and 65.0 CMP% with a clean pocket, one passing touchdown and 57% CMP% under pressure. McCord has been blitzed on just under half of his drop backs and has completed 60% of his passes with eight TDs.

It’s no secret McCord can make the throws if he’s given the time, and if the offensive line holds up under pressure.

The Orange leave Central New York for the first time this season to square up with UNLV on Friday at 9:00 p.m. The Rebels posted on their social media that they earned a little number next to their name for the first time since they moved up to Division I (1978). Let’s change that. Why not us? Syracuse goes to Vegas as a six-point underdog against UNLV, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

*************************************************************************************************

What were your takeaways from the win?