It’s been awhile since Syracuse went on the road. It’s been almost 10 months in fact since the Boca Raton Bowl in December. But the first time away from the JMA Dome proved fruitful and the Orange Faithful seemed to enjoy making the road trip. Syracuse knocks off UNLV 44-41 in overtime to move to 4-1 on the season and hand the Rebels their first loss of the season.
SU fans descended on Vegas for this game at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders. There were alumni gatherings, bright orange swaths of the crowd, and chants of “Let’s Go Orange!” spreading throughout the casinos Friday night. In front of a nationally televised audience the Orange got an epic game from LeQuint Allen and another fireworks display from Kyle McCord.
Allen’s 19 carries for 71 yards and 2 scores paced the Orange on the ground, and McCord’s stat line is eye-popping. He went 40-63 through the air for 355 yards and 3 touchdowns and an interception in the victory. Allen also caught nine passes out of the backfield for 58 yards and 2 more scores. He was a do-everything monster for the Orange and massive in the win. Oronde Gadsden was an absolute beast on Friday night grabbing 10 balls for 142 yards and moving the chains every time he touched the ball.
SU played spoiler as UNLV cracked into the top 25 for the first time in program history (dating back to ’78 when they joined FBS) and had been in the spotlight over NIL debate concerning QB Matt Sluka. But it was the Orange who will walk away with the victory and bragging rights after this one.
Allen’s lower left leg was bothering him all night which makes his epic drive into the end zone for the game-winning score even more epic. Allen never stopped his legs from churning and he fought through a tackle to secure paydirt and give the ’24 season its first iconic moment.
“Just putting it all on the line for my team,” Allen said. “At the end of the day, if I can run and I can jog, I still want to go out there for my team. Nobody’s bigger than ‘The S.’”
Syracuse now has more than a week off before playing NC State and its ACC schedule. For all the promise that Fran Brown brought to the program the excitement was evident this week in Vegas. Orange fans traveled, they were raucous, and they were rewarded with an exciting win. Hopefully this is a spring board for the rest of the season.
