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As Kyle McCord’s first-ever pass in a Syracuse uniform floated directly into the hands of Ohio linebacker Blake Leake, it seemed almost inconceivable. The transfer quarterback whose arrival jolted excitement throughout central New York was about to start his SU career in the worst way imaginable: a pick at home against a Group of Five defense.

The ball slipped through Leake’s hands, though, providing McCord with much-needed relief. Despite the Orange going three-and-out, the drive served as McCord’s warmup. He swiftly connected with Oronde Gadsden II for a 28-yard score on his next drive. It was smooth sailing from there, as McCord finished the first half 18-for-24 with 211 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The early almost-blunder from McCord encapsulated Syracuse’s opening game of the Fran Brown era. It started slow but ended in dominance. SU outscored the Bobcats 17-3 in the second quarter, which set the stage for its first victory under the first-year head coach.

Here are some key observations from Syracuse’s (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) season-opening 38-22 win over Ohio (0-1, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome:

Wax goes down

Star SU linebacker Marlowe Wax, the anchor of its 4-2-5 defense, went down with an apparent right-leg injury with 5:31 left in the third quarter. Trainers rushed to assist Wax, who had to be helped off the field without putting any weight on his right leg.

Wax was seen exiting the field and heading to the Syracuse locker room using crutches. He did not play for the remainder of the game. There were no immediate updates regarding his future status.

Potentially losing Wax would be damaging for the Orange. Wax began his fifth season at Syracuse by totaling six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Anwar Sparrow replaced Wax in his absence and could be a starter going forward. Other projected mainstays of SU’s defense, like edge rusher Fadill Diggs, safety Justin Barron and linebacker Derek McDonald, will have to step up if Wax’s injury is long-term.

McCord’s SU debut

On paper, McCord is more than capable of being the best quarterback Syracuse has had since Donovan McNabb or Ryan Nassib. But that distinction will need to be earned through his matchups against the upper echelon of the ACC. Regardless, McCord is off to a great start.

The Ohio State transfer finished Saturday completing 27-of-39 passes for 354 passing yards and four touchdowns — all career highs — to lead Syracuse’s victory. The opening-play pick scare was quickly quelled by his aforementioned touchdown to Gadsden.

Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon relied on McCord in a pass-heavy scheme Saturday. And he delivered. McCord was poised in the pocket, which wasn’t consistently kept clean against Ohio’s defensive front, and picked it apart with his intermediate passing game.

McCord’s standout moment from the afternoon was his pristinely executed two-minute drill, which was more of a one-minute drill. With 59 seconds left, McCord calmly led SU on an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. It was capped off by a 20-yard touchdown pass to Trebor Peña, in which McCord looped a pass right into the wide receiver’s chest high on the far sideline.

It was the same story in the second half, to an even greater extent. McCord lit up Ohio’s secondary for a pair of third-quarter passing touchdowns, including a 14-yard strike to Peña in the back-left corner of the end zone. A high, arcing 42-yard pass to Zeed Haynes high along the left sideline to end the third quarter was just McCord pouring salt on Ohio’s wounds.

The Bobcats run wild

No aspect of Syracuse’s season started slower than its run defense. Ohio shredded the Orange with 128 first-half rushing yards, out-gaining SU by 110 in that category. The Bobcats finished the afternoon with 255 yards on the ground compared to Syracuse’s 126.

From the moment Northwestern graduate transfer Anthony Tyus III bolted for his first 20-plus-yard run, Ohio’s offensive identity was clear. He was the bell cow of the Bobcats’ offense. Tyus totaled 109 first-half rushing yards on nine attempts and ended with a whopping 203 yards.

Near the end of the first quarter on a third-and-2 at the 23-yard line, Tyus exploded through the A-B gap to notch a 17-yard run and set the Bobcats up with a first-and-goal. His run resulted in a field goal for Ohio. Later on, with 2:02 left on the clock in the second quarter, Tyus turned upfield for a 44-yard carry, which eventually led to another Bobcats field goal.

The Orange couldn’t get a great push against Ohio’s offensive line, led by defending Second-Team All-MAC center Parker Titsworth. SU’s interior defensive line struggled with the Bobcats’ pulling guards and multiple tight-end sets, which helped fortify Ohio’s downfield blocking while Tyus ran ragged.

Tyus’s reign continued in the second half, with the running back scampering for a 13-yard rushing score just over three minutes into the third quarter. But once the Bobcats were forced into a drop-back passing game with quarterback Parker Navarro, it didn’t work the same.

Digging into Nixon’s bag

Nixon, who came to SU after serving as the New York Giants’ running backs coach, called the shots for Syracuse’s new-look offense Saturday – as he will all season. His scheme, though in an early-season nonconference matchup, relied heavily on McCord’s ability to see the field.

Nixon used plenty of motion, one-back sets and five-wide sets to set up SU’s passing game, and didn’t commit much to running back LeQuint Allen Jr. and the ground game.

The offensive coordinator’s first play call went from out of the pistol, a set the Orange would often display with former quarterback Garrett Shrader under center. But that play was a rarity for what Nixon called Saturday. He kept McCord mostly in the shotgun, allowing him to drop back and find his man among an array of receivers on all three levels of the field.

At times, particularly during the opening drives of both the first and second halves, Syracuse’s offense was stagnant. Nixon drew up short passes for McCord on those drives, which resulted in incomplete passes thrown into a crowd of Ohio linebackers. When Nixon’s offense centered around the intermediate and deep passing game, however, SU couldn’t be contained.

It was especially apparent in Syracuse’s final possession of the first half. Nixon trusted McCord, giving him plenty of clean looks at Gadsden over the middle and along the sidelines. He moved Gadsden around the line of scrimmage, aligning him out wide or even in a three-point stance on the offensive line as a traditional tight end. McCord completed three passes to Gadsden on the drive, good for 47 of SU’s 75 yards.

Nixon’s offense is yet to be unpacked and will become clearer once the Orange are well through their ACC slate. If anything was set in stone from Saturday, it’s that Nixon will not shy away from letting McCord sling the rock — that’s what he wants.

Published on August 31, 2024 at 7:06 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews