Syracuse 42, Holy Cross 14: Orange overcomes sloppy play to win

A sloppy Syracuse Orange team played much closer to the Holy Cross Crusaders than many people thought. However, thanks to improvements on defense, Syracuse was able to hold out long enough to earn a 42-14 win.

The Orange came out hot and dominant, just like we expected from Syracuse. The Cuse defense held Holy Cross to three consecutive possessions early in the game. By the end of the first quarter, Holy Cross had only 14 yards of total offense, 12 of which came on the ground.

On the other side of the ball, Syracuse used its trademark pro passing attack to methodically move down the field and score with ease. Kyle McCord threw touchdown passes to four different receivers in the first half and continued to distribute the ball to his numerous receiving options.

However, after a Syracuse touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, the Orange's game began to feel disorganized. Holy Cross quickly rebounded with a wide-open 63-yard touchdown on a close pass that left receiver Max Mosey completely untouched. On the opposite side of the ball, Syracuse's drives stalled as the offensive line provided poor protection. McCord was sacked twice – once after a defender raced past Enrique Cruz and tagged him at a right tackle, and again after a defender tackled Mark Petry with a swim. McCord also had to outrun several collapsing pockets to avoid sacks.

Holy Cross began to find offensive momentum against a familiar defensive problem in Syracuse. The soft zone coverage allowed the Crusaders to march up the field. Finally, Holy Cross scored on a trick play – a running back pass from Sam Slade to a wide-open tight end Jacob Petersen. Also a source of frustration for fans in the Dome was the lack of pressure on Holy Cross quarterback Joe Pesansky. The first half saw several three-point attempts by the Syracuse defense, which ended with a 28-14 lead for Syracuse.

While the Orange defense stayed strong in the second half, Syracuse's offensive line began killing drives. Several big gains were wiped out due to offensive line penalties, and McCord continued to come under pressure due to collapsing pockets. Syracuse also lost points after Brady Denaburg missed a 28-yard and 45-yard field goal.

What kept the Orange offense going was an improved rushing attack and the individual brilliance of Jackson Meeks. LeQuint Allen finally got going and helped rush for 44 yards in the third quarter. He picked up crucial yards and first downs to bring the Orange offense down. On the other hand, Jackson Meeks became a safety valve for Kyle McCord as he won impressive one-on-one battles against tight coverage. A rushing touchdown from Allen finally gave Syracuse a 35-14 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The defense was the star of the show in the second half, culminating in a pick-six for Jayden Bellamy. After rushing to 134 yards in the 2nd quarter, the Orange defense held Holy Cross to 32 yards and multiple three-pointers in the 2nd half. The pressure finally reached Pesansky and Syracuse successfully repelled the Holy Cross attack. The Crusaders' running backs only ran for 19 yards. After Bellamy's interception, the substitutes provided coverage on both sides of the ball for the remainder of the game. The highlight player among the backups was KingJoseph Edwards, who had three sacks.

McCord finished the day with 385 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions on 28-50 passing. He became the first Orange quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards in four consecutive games. Meeks took advantage of his opportunity as the No. 1 wide receiver and caught 10 balls for 161 yards and a touchdown. Allen ran 16 times for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Syracuse hits the road for the first time next week for a night match at UNLV on Friday, Oct. 4. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET.