Syracuse followed up its 33-25 win over Cal last week with a dominant showing against UConn, coming out on top 31-17 for the team’s second straight win following a 37-31 loss to Boston College.
The Orange dominated the Huskies on both sides of the ball, but sloppy mistakes kept the game close, as Syracuse lost two touchdowns to penalties and missed two field goals on special teams. Still, it was an overall positive day, as the Orange earned their first eight-win regular season since 2018 and third since 2000.
Kyle McCord and Darrell Gill: A+
Kyle McCord starred in this one, propelling Syracuse to the win. On his senior night, McCord crossed the 400-passing yard mark for the first time in his career, ending with 470. With his performance, he broke the school record for passing yards in a single season, adding two touchdowns through the air and one on the ground.
His longest throw of the day was a 53-yard bomb to wide receiver Darrell Gill, who also had a career-best game as he finished with 9 catches and 177 receiving yards. The Orange had a tough time running the ball, with running back LeQuint Allen averaging just 2.9 yards per carry, so McCord and Gill’s connection in this game was even more crucial.
Defense: B–
For most of this game, Syracuse’s defense overpowered UConn as it struggled to move the chains with backup quarterback Joe Fagnano. When UConn’s offense did break through, it usually resulted in points for the Huskies, but it was because of Syracuse’s own lapses. The Orange allowed a 71-yard rushing touchdown to UConn running back Cam Edwards on a busted 4th & 1 play, and let the Huskies march down the field in a hurry on their last drive of the first half for a touchdown to make it 21-14 at the break.
Those mistakes didn’t hurt Syracuse against UConn, but in a matchup with No. 8 Miami in the season finale next week, it will. Outside of the 71-yard rushing touchdown, the Orange mostly bottled up the Huskies on the ground, but it needs to consistently do that against the Hurricanes to have a chance to beat them.
Special Teams: D+
Last week was a positive one for Syracuse’s special teams. After a season-long struggle on special teams, Jackson Kennedy broke through for the Orange with an efficient game where he made all four of his field goal attempts and nailed three extra points. In this one, however, it was a different story.
Kennedy made all four extra points but struggled on his field goal attempts, making just 1-of-3. His first miss came from 33 yards midway through the first quarter. After McCord drove Syracuse down the field to put them in field goal range with 2 seconds to go in the first half, Kennedy missed from 51 yards out as the clock expired. It was the team’s first FG attempt from over 50 yards this season, likely because as a team the Orange are now 3-for-9 on kicks longer than 40 yards. We thought otherwise after last week, but head coach Fran Brown still has a kicker problem on his hands.
This win was tighter than Syracuse would have liked, as the Orange were two-touchdown favorites before the game. Still, Syracuse did enough to win the game and will try to carry this momentum into the finale against Miami. It would have been tough to envision the Orange beating the Hurricanes if they had lost to the Huskies on senior night at the Dome, but now, Syracuse will be hoping to finish the season in the AP poll.
