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PITTSBURGH — Kyle McCord stood at the podium postgame defeated. It’s a feeling the quarterback isn’t accustomed to.

Whether it’s been at Syracuse throughout his brief tenure, Ohio State or St. Joseph’s Prep in Pennsylvania, McCord has won every step of the way. Losses, especially in blowout fashion, have never been something he’s dealt with.

But it was a reality he had to face head-on after the Orange suffered their worst result of the Fran Brown Era.

“I’ve never at any level of football got beat like this,” McCord said postgame.

In Syracuse’s (5-2, 2-2 ACC) 41-13 blowout loss against No. 19 Pittsburgh (7-0, 3-0 ACC), McCord threw a career-high five interceptions, including three pick-sixes, on 64 passing attempts. It’s the fourth time in program history SU has thrown five interceptions in a single game, last doing it twice in 1982. The loss snaps the Orange’s three-game winning streak and marks their second loss coming off a bye week.

Syracuse lived and died by McCord throughout its first six games. His 282 pass attempts put him on pace for 564 at the end of the season, which would be the third most in ACC history. Syracuse’s game plan didn’t change on the road at Acrisure Stadium.

After the Marlowe Wax — who hadn’t played since Week 1 due to injury — led defense forced an instant three-and-out to begin the game, SU dialed up four consecutive McCord drop backs.

But the signal caller was off, first forcing a throw to Umari Hatcher in double coverage before missing Oronde Gadsden II — who later suffered an injury in the second half — after picking up a first down open down the seam. Despite two poor throws, the Orange, who attempted passes on 66.5% of their offensive plays through six games, called another McCord drop back.

Running back LeQuint Allen Jr. motioned right pre-snap, instantly eliminating a running threat. Still, he was wide open for a quick hitter in the flat. But McCord had his eyes set on Trebor Peña the instant the ball was snapped.

Because the quarterback never took his eyes off Peña, his initial inside leverage versus linebacker Rasheem Biles didn’t matter. As the slot receiver broke toward the sidelines on his out route and McCord released the ball, Biles instantly jumped it and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown.

When Syracuse’s offense returned to the field following the pick-six, it gained a quick first down on Allen Jr. runs but quickly thereafter faced third-and-10. McCord needed to make a big-time throw like he had countless times this season. He instead threw his second interception, tying his single-game career-high on SU’s second drive.

McCord fired a rope to Gadsden beyond the first-down chains across the middle of the field, but Pitt defensive back Javon McIntyre stuck his hand in at the last second and popped the ball in the air. As the ball sat aimlessly in mid-air, Jackson Meeks and Panthers defensive back Ryland Gandy fought for it, but neither came down with it. Instead, linebacker Brandon George, who was lying across his stomach at SU’s 44-yard line, miraculously hauled in the ball.

“Who would ever think that, in my opinion, one of the better quarterbacks in the country would have that kind of first quarter like that where the ball just didn’t bounce our way,” Brown said.

Pitt’s offense, which accumulated a season-low 217 total yards, only manufactured a field goal despite the strong field possession, giving it a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter. The Orange were down two possessions but still had 53 minutes to put their high-octane offense together. McCord’s woes spiraled even further on SU’s next drive, however.

Facing third-and-12 from SU’s 49-yard line, Pitt edge rusher Jimmy Scott beat left tackle Da’Metrius Weatherspoon and hounded McCord. Before taking an inevitable sack, McCord tried squeezing a throw to Gadsden two yards shy of the first-down chains. The ball was significantly underthrown, landing in Kyle Louis’ arms. The linebacker returned it 60 yards down the sideline, securing the Panthers’ second pick-six and giving them a 17-0 lead.

“He’s our quarterback. He’s our leader,” Brown said. “That’s why we stuck with him, and we’re gonna continue to stick with him. He just had one bad game, so that’s part of football, it happens. I think you’ll be able to see the kind of fire he has as it keeps going from here on out.”

Syracuse finally broke onto Pittsburgh’s side of the field to begin the second quarter but was instantly faced with fourth-and-6 from the 36-yard line. The Orange kept their offense on the field, and though McCord didn’t throw an interception, they turned the ball over on downs.

In a half where SU controlled possession for over 20 minutes, Pitt’s first drive in the second quarter was one of its few legitimate offensive possessions. And it took advantage, coasting 65 yards down the field on seven plays, extending its lead to 24-0 on a 20-yard strike from quarterback Eli Holstein to Censere Lee. Holstein finished the game passing 11-of-15 for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

The teams remained at a 24-0 stalemate as halftime neared, but the Orange looked to spark their offense in the two-minute drill backed up inside their 10-yard line. Yet, McCord did what he did best throughout the game — score points for the Panthers.

After failing to connect with Allen Jr. on a screen, Braylan Lovelace picked the ball off and walked into the end zone for Pitt’s third pick-six. It marked just the sixth time since 2000 that an FBS team threw three or more interceptions returned for a touchdown.

McCord’s woes continued in the second half, as he threw his fifth interception, and Syracuse faltered to its first blowout loss of the Brown era. McCord said the feeling sucks, but he has to take it on the chin to move forward.

Heading into a month the program has drastically struggled, and ultimately cost former head coach Dino Babers his job, McCord knows he needs to right the ship to help the Orange move forward.

“I said to the guys, we have way too much talent, we put in way too much work to let that happen and so everything that we do from this point on has to be to learn from this and grow from it,” McCord said.

Published on October 24, 2024 at 11:26 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon