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Syracuse suffered its first loss under first-year head coach Fran Brown last Friday, falling to Stanford on a game-winning field goal as time expired. For the first time in 2024, SU’s offense was stagnant and McCord struggled. Additionally, the Orange defense failed to stop star wide receiver Elic Ayomanor.

Looking to rebound from its first loss, Syracuse takes on Football Championship Subdivision foe Holy Cross. The Crusaders have just one win through their first four contests, defeating Bryant on Sept. 14. Since 1978, SU is 21-0 against FCS opponents.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (2-1, 1-1 ACC) will fare against Holy Cross (1-3, 0-0 Patriot League):

Aiden Stepansky (2-1)
Bounce back
Syracuse 45, Holy Cross 20

Well, I don’t think any of us expected that result in Week 4. Syracuse’s loss to Stanford last Friday was a true shocker and a wake-up call. Literally. SU quarterback Kyle McCord said Tuesday he’s barely slept since, tossing and turning over the missed opportunity of a 3-0 start.

Luckily for QB1 and the Orange, their Week 5 opponent makes for a great time to clean up the flurry of mistakes put on film against the Cardinal. A matchup with Holy Cross allows for a tune-up before a difficult two-game road trip that brings Syracuse out west to Las Vegas, then south to Raleigh.

I believe the Orange will use it as such. The Crusaders have been unimpressive, to say the least, in their first four games under Dan Curran. And Holy Cross is without star running back Jordan Fuller for the rest of the season.

Despite leading for just three minutes and 13 seconds in its bout with Stanford, Syracuse will jump out to an early lead, and will never trail in the game. McCord and Co. will get their mojo back and I foresee a heavy emphasis on the running game after the first three games’ disastrous showing. The Orange defense will also likely try a few different tactics, moving Justin Barron around again as they get one week closer to Marlowe Wax’s return.

SU will bounce back from its first loss under Brown and take care of business, bringing my fellow scribe Justin back to the .500 mark on the young season.

Cooper Andrews (2-1)
Holy moly
Syracuse 45, Holy Cross 10

Last week went horribly for your favorite trio of scribes. We all picked Syracuse by double-digits, only to be dumbfounded when Stanford knocked off the Orange in the Dome. It’s safe to say I took the worst loss too. I thought SU would win by 25. I even said on The Daily Orange Instagram account that Stanford is the worst team in the ACC.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Syracuse was sloppy, undisciplined and completely out of whack for the majority of the contest. What had been a dominant passing attack became part of SU’s downfall, with McCord tossing a pair of brutal picks. Even more discouraging was the coaching decision to leave Clarence Lewis one-on-one with Ayomanor on fourth-and-9 with 37 seconds left.

It’s only Brown’s first loss as head coach, but make no mistake, the Orange should have easily beaten the Cardinal. After letting a win slip away, though, I think they’ll take their rage out upon Holy Cross Saturday. The Crusaders don’t stand a chance against Syracuse. Just look at last year, when Patriot League foe Colgate was destroyed 65-0 by a Dino Babers-run SU. Saturday’s result won’t be that lopsided, but you can expect something similar.

Justin Girshon (1-2)
Back in the win column
Syracuse 44, Holy Cross 17

If you told me Syracuse would be 2-1 through its first three games, I’d say that’s great. It probably lost a close game against Georgia Tech before bouncing back against Stanford after its bye. Wrong.

With a chance to potentially crack the AP Poll Top 25, the only thing SU cracked was its winning streak. From the get-go, the Orange looked nothing like the team they were over the first two weeks. McCord was out of rhythm. SU had more injured players coming off the bye than we anticipated. And Ayomanor’s one-handed touchdown grab set the tone for an unlikely upset.

All things considered, a 2-1 record is all anyone could ask from Syracuse thus far. Though it feels like there’s some meat left on the bone for what could’ve been if the Orange took care of business versus the Cardinal.

But this is a new week. And after failing to sleep and watching SU’s loss five times before Saturday morning, McCord will come out firing on all cylinders. Syracuse is favored by 28.5 points, the most it will likely be favored by in any game this season. I have no doubt the Orange will steamroll to their third win.

Published on September 25, 2024 at 9:52 pm