Stanford’s last-second field goal thwarts SU comeback

On a day celebrating the 44th Anniversary of the JMA Wireless Dome, the Syracuse Orange had a chance to improve to 3-0 on the season and be ranked. Unfortunately for the Orange, none of that went according to plan. 

The Stanford Cardinals picked up a win in their first-ever ACC matchup, defeating Syracuse 26-24.

“They made one more play than we did,” Syracuse Head Football Coach Fran Brown said following his first defeat as a collegiate coach. “I thought those guys [Stanford] did a good job.” 

The Orange’s early offensive struggles did not bode well for Kyle McCord and company. The Orange offense didn’t see Stanford’s side of the field until 11:03 left in the second quarter due to an interception and didn’t cross the field on their own until 4:33 of the same quarter. 

Except for a 67-yard connection from Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord to redshirt junior wide receiver Umari Hatcher, Syracuse only managed 78 total yards in the first half. The main offensive issue was McCord’s decision-making. He threw many questionable balls, including two interceptions.

The first pick, made by Stanford’s senior safety Mitch Leigber, was returned to the house and eventually a deciding factor. “It was more so on me being impatient,” McCord said about the miscommunication on the pick-six. “I can’t throw it if he’s not looking yet.”

Oronde Gadsden II was also a nonfactor in this one. 

The junior Tight End, who totaled over 200 yards in their first two matchups, was held to two catches for 12 yards. 

“They [Stanford’s defense] were doubling him a lot, of course, Oronde’s gonna be doubled a lot,” Coach Brown said about how the Cardinal defense made sure to game plan against the star tight end. “It’s a part of football.” 

The Orange still hung around throughout the contest and even took the lead after McCord found receiver Jackson Meeks on a slant, which he took to the endzone with 3:13 to go. The touchdown pushed the Orange into the lead, 24-23.

That one-point margin was not enough to hold off the Cardinal offense.

Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels found star receiver Elic Ayomanor three times on the ensuing drive, including a 27-yard completion on fourth and 9 to get the team into field goal range. 

“He made a good catch on 4th & 9”, Coach Brown said about the ball catcher that Ayomanor is. “I wish him nothing but the best.” 

The winning field goal from Emmet Kenney was his fourth make of the day, including one from 51 yards, his career-long. 

The Orange were also beat on the ground, which has been a point of contention for the Orange defense. 

Syracuse tallied -13 rushing yards in the first half and overall had 26 rushing yards compared to Stanford’s 173. 

Fran Brown and Defensive Back Devin Grant both spoke to being “out-physical” by this Stanford team, which played hard for the whole 60 minutes. 

“You can see that,” Coach Brown noted about the difference in physicality between the teams and how they turned out on the stat sheet. “Stevie Wonder [could] see that.” 

Even in a tough loss, Coach Brown’s team had some positives from the contest. 

One was Kyle McCord on the ground, who ran for a 19-yard touchdown to conclude the third quarter. Brown has been pleading with his quarterback for weeks, dating back to the summer, to bring back “little league Kyle.” He wants to see his quarterback play free, take off, and run a few times a game. 

Another positive was the offense clicking on their final drive. Wideouts Darrell Gill Jr. and Jackson Meeks made big plays, giving the defense a chance to make a crucial stop and win the game. 

“When they’re trying to double OG [Gadsden] and take him away, it opens up other guys to make plays,” McCord said about involving all of his teammates. “[Darrell] Gill had a really good game.”

McCord also connected extensively with Wide Receiver Trebor Pena, who had 10 catches for 101 yards and is becoming the senior quarterback’s favorite target. 

Even though the defense couldn’t get the game-saving stop on the last drive, they did intercept Stanford’s Ashton Daniels twice. 

“Watching film all week,” Devin Grant said about his interception and how he made the play. “Eyes on the quarterback and being a ballplayer.”

Grant is a Buffalo transfer who had five interceptions last season for the Bulls. 

“We’re gonna learn from this,” Coach said about how the team will respond in the coming weeks. “They’re hurt, I don’t wanna see them hurt.”

Syracuse has now lost five straight games that did not take place on a Saturday, with the last victory coming at home against Virginia in September 2022. 

Stanford, now 1-0 in the ACC, plays another team in Orange before heading to South Carolina to face the Clemson Tigers. 

Coach Brown has this week to prepare for their final game in the JMA Wireless Dome for a few weeks, which is against Holy Cross on Saturday. 

The team will head on the road for the first time this season. They play three straight-away games at UNLV, North Carolina State, and Pittsburgh. The Orange will look to improve their offensive performance, clean up their run defense, and return to being physical.