It wasn’t pretty, but the Fran Brown era of Syracuse football started on the right foot. The Orange struggled early, but overpowered the Bobcats to start the season 1-0.
Kyle McCord: A-
The Ohio State transfer probably had the most pressure on his back coming into this one, with many expecting him to be the best Syracuse quarterback in decades. That pressure certainly showed early, as his first drive resulted in a three-and-out with two throws that probably should have been intercepted. After shaking it off, McCord dazzled the rest of the way. He finished with 354 yards and four touchdowns, stretching the field with ease throughout. Aside from a late interception, McCord was about as perfect as he could be in his Orange debut, and he lived up to the hype.
Fran Brown: B+
Coach Brown had a phenomenal debut for a first-time head coach. Typically, a rookie at the helm would let the situation get to them and be afraid to take risks. Fran Brown had other plans. The man of the D.A.R.T. mantra made two key decisions that paid off big time, taking timeouts with 55 seconds left to set up a last-second touchdown before halftime, and going for it on 4th and goal to create Trebor Pena’s third touchdown. There’s plenty to build on, but a successful debut nonetheless.
The Defense: D-
Woof. I mean, anything that could’ve gone wrong did go wrong for Elijah Robinson’s unit today. Syracuse allowed over 250 yards on the ground to Ohio, who had their way with the front seven. Every opportunity to make open-field tackles didn’t happen, and the pass rush couldn’t shed a block to save their lives. The performance we saw today is NOT going to fly against Georgia Tech next week, who has one of the best rushing attacks in the ACC. The ONLY reason the defense doesn’t get an F is because of a strong red zone defense and an interception by freshman James Heard on a tip drill. Something needs to change quick, and the injury to captain Marlowe Wax Jr. isn’t going to help that.
At the end of the day, Syracuse is 1-0, so how much can we really complain? The rust is shaken off, but the real test gets underway next week in a statement game for Fran Brown and the Orange.
