It was quite the atmosphere on Saturday inside the Dome, starting with Syracuse putting points on the board after being down 21-0 and ending with an upset victory over the Miami Hurricanes.
Everything SU fans wanted, they got–despite the early deficit.
So, how in the world did Syracuse make a comeback and defeat the nation’s 6th-best team in college football after trailing by three possessions?
First things first: the defense.
A potential Heisman candidate, Miami quarterback Cam Ward, was cruising to start the game, but Syracuse did a nice job at limiting him and the Miami offense to climb back into the contest.
Ward still finished with 349 passing yards on 25-of-36 attempts and two touchdowns. However, it was Kyle McCord that stole the show for SU. The former Ohio State QB (odd timing, by the way, with the Buckeyes losing to Michigan the same day) threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns. It was the fifth time this year that McCord had surpassed 380 yards.
Speaking of Ohio State, when asked about the loss to Michigan earlier in the day before the kickoff of Syracuse and Miami, McCord responded, “everything comes full circle.”
It really was a day of opposites in college football. Ohio State was favored by 20.5 points, while Miami was the 12.5-point favorite. And, of course, both teams lost.
The key area that clicked for Syracuse was the ability to move the chains quickly and operate at a higher tempo offensively. Most of the drives that helped SU get back into the game were fueled by high yards per catch or yards per play, and the Orange capitalized on that to tie the game and eventually take their first lead in the third quarter.
What a great weekend it was for Central New York! Syracuse can build on this upset win as its bowl game is soon to be announced.
