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The sweet taste of victory has become common for Syracuse. Fran Brown’s first year at the helm boasts a 5-1 record, a mark that former head coach Dino Babers only reached once in eight years.

Though, SU has struggled to finish off those victories, like when it blew double-digit leads to then-No. 23 Georgia Tech and then-No. 25 UNLV, or when it lost in a catastrophic blunder to Stanford at home. Yet, the Orange have come away with wins in the strong majority due to making a few more tide-turning plays than the opposition. Brown has built a deep cast of playmakers, and they’ve often shown up when it matters most.

“When we play to our potential, I honestly don’t feel like there’s a lot of people who can mess with us,” senior wide receiver Jackson Meeks said on Oct. 12 after SU’s win over NC State.

Here’s a breakdown of the five game-winning plays for Syracuse (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) thus far in 2024:

NC State: 4th quarter, 10:26 — Fourth-down clincher

Starting with SU’s most recent victory in Raleigh, North Carolina, Meeks silenced the Wolfpack late with a two-yard receiving touchdown. It put the Orange up 24-7, to all but clinch the final result. This play enacted some courage for Brown, though, as the head coach opted to roll the dice on fourth-and-goal.

Syracuse lined up just before the NC State two-yard line, splitting five receivers out wide. Three were in a bunch formation to the right of Kyle McCord, while tight end Oronde Gadsden II and running back LeQuint Allen Jr., split left. The Wolfpack stacked the box, rushing just three defensive linemen and dropping eight players into coverage.

McCord took the snap and immediately looked left for Allen Jr. in the flat and Gadsden on a short curl route. But McCord saw two NC State defenders blanket the two near the goal line. The quarterback slightly pivoted his feet to the right and spotted a wide-open Meeks, who ran a quick slant and planted his feet just past the goal line.

McCord noticed Wolfpack linebacker Devon Betty gunning toward Meeks from the wide receiver’s right side, so McCord led Meeks the opposite direction. He tossed a bullet pass above Meeks’ left shoulder, who reeled in the touchdown catch through contact. This simple but clean connection from McCord to Meeks looked rather routine — which is exactly why Brown trusted his offense on fourth down.

UNLV: 4th quarter, 1:11 — Nixon’s gutsy end-around call

On fourth-and-1 from UNLV’s 24-yard line, down 38-31, this was Syracuse’s final chance to keep the game alive. Offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon went with an unorthodox play call, though it paid off, allowing SU to continue embarking on a game-tying touchdown drive.

Nixon deployed a 13-personnel look for the Orange, with three tight ends positioned on the line of scrimmage. They were in the I-formation in the backfield, as Allen Jr. was the fullback to Yasin Willis at the tailback spot. Dan Villari and Max Mang were on the left side of the line, being used as the anchors for Allen Jr.’s ensuing dash.

Allen Jr. went in motion before the snap, stepping just a few yards to his right to line up behind the right edge of the line. McCord received the snap from under center, and Allen Jr. ran an end-around to take a handoff from the quarterback. McCord faked to Willis afterward, which fooled most of UNLV’s linebackers and secondary.

Villari and Mang won their blocking assignments, giving Allen Jr. a window on the outside. But cornerback Jalen Catalon flew in from the third level of the field, before meeting Allen Jr. at the 26-yard line. Allen Jr. manhandled Catalon, though, using his right arm to pummel the cornerback into the ground, shedding the tackle in the process. Allen Jr.’s maneuver led to an 11-yard fourth-down rush.

Without Nixon’s gutsy play call, the Orange may not have seen overtime — where they downed the Rebels 44-41.

Holy Cross: 2nd quarter, 15:00 — Meeks crushes the Crusaders

Syracuse’s matchup with Holy Cross was never in doubt. Meeks’ touchdown to begin the second quarter already sealed the inevitable. His catch — one of 10 on the day for 161 yards — put the Orange up 21 points, a figure the Crusaders failed to reach in SU’s 42-14 win.

On a first-and-10 from the Holy Cross 38-yard line, Syracuse ran its traditional 11-personnel look with Gadsden at tight end, Meeks alone on the right and Trebor Peña and Darrell Gill Jr. split out left. McCord subtly faked a handoff to Allen Jr. upon corralling the snap, then looked left briefly before darting his eyes right, spotting Meeks in a lopsided mismatch.

Against Crusaders’ linebacker Frankie Monte, Meeks perfectly executed a stop-and-go before streaking up the right sideline. Monte paused at the 31-yard line, without a clue as to where Meeks was. McCord immediately saw Meeks create massive separation past the 30-yard line and fired a bullet that led Meeks within the 10-yard line.

The wide receiver made the easy catch, five yards ahead of Monte, and waltzed into the end zone for a 38-yard receiving touchdown. On this play, Meeks was simply the better player. Monte had zero chance. McCord promptly took advantage.

Georgia Tech: 4th quarter, 1:14 — Allen Jr. caps top-25 win

The Orange nearly blew this one against Georgia Tech. A 31-14 lead quickly evaporated into a 31-28 advantage, mainly due to SU’s inability to recover an onside kick in the fourth quarter. But Allen Jr., as he often has, punched Syracuse’s winning ticket to escape the JMA Wireless Dome with a 2-0 record.

On second-and-6 from its 42-yard line, SU needed a first down as GT possessed two more timeouts — giving itself a chance for one more drive. The Orange went with 12-personnel as Gadsden and Mang blocked as down linemen on the right side while McCord and Allen Jr. lined up in a pistol formation in the backfield.

Georgia Tech stacked the box, preparing for an obvious run down. Allen Jr. took the handoff from McCord’s right side, as the line all pushed their blocking assignments leftward to clear space for Allen Jr. on the right. But GT’s Warren Burrell and Jackson Hamilton went untouched, and faced Allen Jr. in a two-on-one at the line of scrimmage.

Allen Jr. never goes away easily, though.

With the running back’s momentum going right as he approached Burrell and Hamilton, Allen Jr. juked left and lost both defenders. He crashed into defensive lineman Landen Marshall, yet Mang’s blocking rendered Marshall useless. Allen Jr. cut through the Yellow Jackets’ second and third levels before sliding down in bounds at the 33-yard line for a 25-yard gain to seal SU’s top-25 victory.

Ohio: 4th quarter, 6:57 — Watson’s tip quiets the ‘Cats

The defense needs some love, too. Here, linebacker James Heard Jr. intercepts Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro to secure Syracuse’s 38-22 win over the Bobcats, who scrapped within two possessions of the Orange late. This turnover officially put the game out of reach.

Navarro was in the shotgun for a second-and-5 snap at SU’s 33-yard line. Running back Anthony Tyus III lined up behind Navarro in the pistol, and sold a play-action fake from the quarterback upon the snap. Syracuse rushed four, and didn’t produce pressure on Navarro, but freshman interior defensive lineman Maraad Watson found a way to disrupt the play.

Watson drove Ohio left guard Davion Weatherspoon into the backfield on a successful bull rush, inching closer to Navarro as he prepared to throw. Navarro opted to check down for Tyus in the flat, and as he released, Watson reached his right arm up in the air and got a piece of the ball. It ricocheted high up in the air toward the middle of the field, where Heard Jr. patiently waited to grab the interception.

With star linebacker Marlowe Wax having gone down earlier in the game with a leg injury, Heard Jr. stepped up in his absence by being in the right place at the right time.

Published on October 21, 2024 at 9:56 pm

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