Protect Kyle McCord: Easier said than done
Fran Brown’s answer was quick and simple, repeating a message he’s been pushing the entire season.
“To protect Kyle McCord,” said Brown.
Brown and his Syracuse Orange coaching staff have been rotating offensive linemen more frequently in games. This trend has continued as the season has moved into its latter stages.
It was very common at the beginning of the season to see all five starting offensive linemen play the entire game. Da’Metrius Weatherspoon, Jakob Bradford, J’Onre Reed, Mark Petry and Savion Washington usually played all the offensive snaps in front of McCord. Sometimes, Enrique Cruz came in for one series, but didn’t play a significant part of the game.
Now, it’s not unusual to see eight Syracuse offensive linemen play in a game. The usual rotation players rotating in are David Wohlabaugh, Joe Cruz and Josh Ilaoa. The three played more than 25 snaps against Boston College this past weekend.
“Whoever’s in just has to do their job,” said McCord. “And I think that there’s a good mix of guys who are able to play.”
A failure to keep McCord’s jersey clean has been a common issue in Syracuse’s losses. The Orange have allowed four sacks in each of their three defeats this season. By comparison, McCord has been sacked a combined eight times in Syracuse’s six wins.
Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
The lack of protection in losses has the Orange coaching staff searching for answers. Fortunately for Syracuse’s offensive linemen, changing personnel feels natural already.
“We do a good job of rotation alignment, whether that’s in practice or in game.” said Wohlabaugh. “You’re getting reps with a lot of different people, So it’s not really anything where I go in and feel uncomfortable with a guy compared to another guy.”
Communication between the offensive linemen is an often overlooked aspect of changing personnel in front of the quarterback. Getting on the same page when it comes to blocking assignments can be tricky with someone new next to you. McCord credits the centers in Reed and Ilaoa for communicating well when they’re on the ball.
But everyone knows in the program that the main goal is the one reiterated by the head coach – protect Kyle McCord.
“It’s just all about finding that consistent group,” said McCord. “What group of guys is working the best with the run and the pass, just who can be the most consistent.”