Cuse finishes the year 3-2 away from home
The Syracuse Orange moved to 7-3 after a clean performance against the California Golden Bears. Fran Brown’s squad once again washed away the stink from a loss and found a way to keep from letting a promising season slide down the drain.
We saw all three phases contribute to a strong start on the road and it allowed the Orange to dictate the game to Cal. Instead of being able to run the ball against Syracuse’s struggling run defense, Cal was forced to throw more often and the Orange took advantage.
Coming into the game, Syracuse had been out-scored in the first half of games, but they took control from the start by playing pretty clean football. While a large amount of fans were sweating out the men’s basketball finish, Syracuse controlled the ball for eight minutes in the first quarter. While they had to settle for two Jackson Kennedy field goals, the defense forced two interceptions, the second on this incredible play by Davien Kerr.
WHAT A PICK! @CuseFootball has two INTs early vs. @CalFootball. pic.twitter.com/zGgENjXNI1
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) November 16, 2024
The second quarter was all about finishing drives as Syracuse scored touchdowns on all three possessions. LeQuint Allen (23 carries for 109 yards and two scores), Trebor Pena (11 receptions for 97 yards plus 22 yards rushing) and Oronde Gadsden (8 catches for 109) did the bulk of the work as Syracuse got rolling.
While the second half wasn’t as clean as once again penalties on offense killed drives, Syracuse was able to get two more field goals from Kennedy to keep Cal chasing the entire half. The big key was Kyle McCord avoided throwing any interceptions against a team tied for the NCAA lead in the category.
Playing clean allowed Fran Brown to get clean before the flight back to Syracuse. While we can lament two games handed to opponents and the gauntlet looming in 2025, we shouldn’t lose sight of the culture the program is building. With two games to go, the Orange have a chance to surpass the pre-season Vegas odds and media projections. More importantly they can change the narrative about Syracuse Football seasons going down the drain in November.