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In the 277 days since taking over as Syracuse’s head coach, Fran Brown has revolutionized SU’s program. On the recruiting trail, its 2024 and 2025 freshmen classes rank as its two best in the last 23 years. In the transfer portal, Brown acquired former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord and Texas A&M edge rusher Fadil Diggs, among others.

Additionally, he retained SU’s core of Justin Barron, Marlowe Wax, Oronde Gadsden II and LeQuint Allen Jr. Brown brought in a flurry of coaches with head coaching and National Football League experience, like Jeff Nixon, Elijah Robinson and Ross Douglas.

All was accomplished to turn around the program before taking the field. The first test for Brown came in the season opener against Ohio. And as he geared up for his first assignment, ready to pour out of the tunnel, butterflies hit the first-year head coach.

“I needed to go back and use the bathroom,” Brown joked with a smirk. “I called my wife probably three times, just throughout the day. I’ve been tight for the last three days. I’ve just been nervous a little bit.”

Then Brown saw his players. While it’s often Brown giving pep talks to his players, his nerves cooled when speaking with McCord pregame.

“​​I told him that I loved him and I appreciated him for what he’s done for me this past eight months, and that it was finally time,” McCord said postgame. “A lot of preparation was put into this game but at a certain point, you just have to put the ball down and go play.”

Though SU wasn’t perfect in Brown’s debut, it came out on top. After a rough first drive, Syracuse’s offense led by McCord hit its stride in the passing game. He totaled career-highs in passing yards (354) and touchdowns (four) in his opening game, while Trebor Pena found the end zone three times. In the end, Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) defeated Ohio (0-1, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) 38-22, giving Brown his first win as a head coach.

The Bobcats started with the ball and drove through Robinson’s new-look defense, rushing the ball 8-of-11 plays. Syracuse’s defense eventually made a stop, tackling Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro four yards short of the marker. The Bobcats opened the scoring with a 42-yard field goal.

Ohio’s offense continued to use the run game to punish SU’s defensive line on the second drive. In the 4-2-5 defense, SU’s interior tackles got little push against the Bobcats front. The early disparity allowed Anthony Tyus III to run wild, and Ohio again moved into the red zone.

But SU’s defense stood tall. On third down, Denis Jaquez Jr. got in on Navarro for a sack, forcing another field goal. It was a trend throughout the day as the Orange held the Bobcats to 2-for-11 on third down and were strong closer to the goal line.

“When we got in the red zone, we bend but don’t break,” said Diggs, who finished the game with two sacks and eight total tackles. “We bumped them down to make sure that they didn’t cross the line.”

As for the first look at Nixon’s offense, the group was out of sorts early on. McCord nearly threw an interception on his first throw, and Syracuse didn’t run the ball once on its opening drive, quickly going three-and-out.

After a three-yard rush by Allen Jr. to start the second drive, the first quarter came to an end with SU having the ball for just 1:03 out of 15 minutes. McCord found his groove in the beginning of the second quarter, mixing in checkdowns and deep shots.

Oronde Gadsden II crosses the goal line for his first score of the season in Syracuse’s 38-22 win over Ohio. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

He found Peña twice, converting both for a first-down conversion. On the seventh play of the drive, McCord found Gadsden down the left sideline, where he alluded a defender and tip-toed sideline for the first score of the season. The seven-play, 75-yard drive was a bounce back and a glimpse of the expected offensive firepower.

McCord then looked to Peña again in the slot on the next drive. The duo converted a third-and-14 before a field goal extended SU’s lead to four.

While SU’s defense settled in, it allowed Ohio to stay in the game largely because of its rushing defense and lack of discipline. Tyus started the Bobcats’ final drive of the first half by forcing a Marcellus Barnes Jr. miss in the middle for a 44-yard rush. Barron added on 15 yards with a late hit out of bounds, pushing Ohio down to the Syracuse 16.

Barron committed another penalty the next play, and the Bobcats went down to the five-yard line, but SU again held up to force a third field goal. Brown called two timeouts on the drive, allowing SU 49 seconds to extend its lead before the half. In a methodical drive where McCord went 6-for-8 in 44 seconds, he found Peña again, this time in the back corner of the end zone to push the Orange lead to eight at the half.

Following a three-and-out from the Orange offense to begin the second half, Ohio’s rushing game got back to work. Tyus, who played in his first game with the Bobcats after transferring from Northwestern, started the drive with a 21-yard rush and then finished it with a 13-yard one for a touchdown, cutting the lead to one.

Syracuse then answered back. As Allen Jr. saw little use in the first half, he rushed four times on SU’s third-quarter scoring drive and ended it with a highlight one-handed catch in the end zone. Back on defense, the Orange lost Wax after limping off with assistance. The middle linebacker is a key piece to SU’s defense and left the field on crutches. Postgame, Brown said they expect Wax to miss a few weeks.

The Orange then garnered their biggest lead of the day, with McCord throwing his fourth touchdown and second to Peña, pushing the lead to 15. Syracuse’s offense added another at the beginning of the fourth quarter on a Peña end-around.

Though starting his SU career and the game with a three-and-out, McCord led the offense to six scoring drives in the end.

“That’s one of the perks of playing a lot of football,” McCord said. “You’re not always gonna have a picture-perfect start. Obviously would’ve liked to start and drive down the field and score, but when that’s not the case, I think you just have to have trust in your preparation.”

As for watching his star quarterback in their first game together, Brown had a simple message.

“Send Ryan Day a bottle of champagne for allowing us to get Kyle McCord,” Brown said.

While McCord excelled, Syracuse’s defense allowed another big play from Tyus, bringing his total up to 191 rushing yards on the day. He finished the day with 203 yards and two touchdowns.

But the offensive cushion built in the passing game throughout the game allowed the Orange to pull away, securing Brown’s first win on an exceptional day from McCord.

Though it was just one game, Brown says he’s learned he must control his composure more on the sidelines. As for what he’s learned about his team, it’s a bunch that is sticking to his consistent message built throughout the offseason of following D.A.R.T.: being detailed, accountable, relentless and tough.

“If we put it all together, we’ll be playing really good complementary football,” Brown said. “But you also saw that we’re able to pick up the slack … I learned that we’re trying to live D.A.R.T. on the football field.”

Published on August 31, 2024 at 7:12 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky