Get ready for BC’s game against Syracuse with this Q&A with Christian from Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Thank you, Christian, for your time and incredibly thoughtful answers!
BCI: Syracuse is 6-2, with losses to Stanford and Pitt. Have you been surprised, disappointed, (or neither) by the Orange so far?
TNAM: Is it weird to say yes to all three options? On one hand, I’m surprised by how well the season has gone so far. The Orange fanbase has celebrated like animals when Syracuse reached bowl eligibility in recent seasons. For the Orange to achieve win No. 6 after the win over Virginia Tech and for the feeling around the fanbase being mostly described as “cool” is such a welcome change.
At the same time, Cuse fans are probably disappointed that Syracuse isn’t 8-0 after the losses you mention. The Stanford one hurts since the Cardinal don’t look great by the kindest of terms. The Pitt one hurts because the game was marred by five Kyle McCord interceptions. Each loss came after Syracuse’s bye week, which was a common problem from the Dino Babers Era. Also, there have been highly uncomfortable moments in each Syracuse win, which haven’t done a great job of settling the fanbase’s nerves.
Put it all together, and I guess the overall response should be “We all should’ve seen this coming.” Preseason, Syracuse fans would be doing backflips if they were 6-2 coming into this game. Now, Orange fans are happy but are hungry for more.
BCI: How is the fanbase feeling about Fran Brown’s early tenure as head coach?
TNAM: I’ve followed and been a part of the Syracuse football fanbase for 10 years now. This is easily the most hyped and attentive that I’ve seen social media and the community be around the football program or any athletic program on campus. It was already a win when Fran Brown’s much-hyped recruiting skills brought McCord, a lot of name-brand transfers, and multiple high recruitment flips all within his first couple of weeks as the head coach.
Then the practices started and fans continued their enamorment of Brown after seeing his coaching style. The big thing is that Brown has continued the momentum with good results on the field and a resiliency based on its D.A.R.T. philosophy – Detailed, Accountable, Relentless, Tough. Fans have bought into the program behind that philosophy. It’s hard to remember a coach at Syracuse for any support who has more support behind him than Brown in the recent decade.
BCI: What’s it been like watching Kyle McCord every week?
TNAM: College football and Syracuse have followed a trend of dual-threat quarterbacks in recent times. Fans and programs have enjoyed the explosive nature that a quarterback with that skill set can do. However, me personally, I’ve always enjoyed having an offense run by a pocket passer and field general. Kyle McCord fits right into that genre. It’s been a while since the Orange have had a pocket passer as the quarterback. Ryan Nassib was the last one. Tommy DeVito was also a pocket passer, but a horrific offensive line in 2019, an injury in 2020, and a preference for a dual-threat QB in Garrett Shrader in 2021 limited his impact with the Orange.
Now enter McCord, who really hammers home the “field general” archetype of quarterback that Syracuse has not had since Nassib. The trust between McCord and Brown is only rivaled in football by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid in Kansas City. He’s the only Syracuse quarterback to throw for 300 yards in a season seven times, and he did it in a row to start the season.
McCord’s game knowledge and accuracy have been such a welcome change for Syracuse fans to see, as the Orange are so used to quarterbacks who like to run more than throw in recent seasons. With Brown and offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon preferring a “pro-style” NFL offensive system, having a quarterback like McCord has been a comforting feeling for the Orange.
BCI: Who have been your favorite offensive and defensive players to watch or root for this season?
TNAM: The scary thing that Syracuse has on offense is that McCord has options for days on who he wants to target. You have versatile running back LeQuint Allen, who can hit holes hard when giving space or catch effectively out of the backfield. You have Georgia transfer Jackson Meeks, who came over with Brown and can win one-on-one battles on the outside. You have mismatch nightmare Oronde Gadsden, who at tight end can take over a game by himself if the BC defense doesn’t show him the necessary respect.
But my pick for an offensive player to watch is Trebor Pena, Syracuse slot receiver. You expect the outside receivers and the physical specimen in Gadsden to garner the most attention. But Pena, with his punt return speed, can be used in a variety of ways. He can go on downfield routes, but recently he’s been picking up first downs and delivering explosive plays on screens. Pena has been awfully difficult to cover as he’s often going in motion to set up these screens.
Defensively, Marlowe Wax had been out since suffering an injury in the third quarter of Syracuse’s first game. He returned two weeks ago and earned ACC Linebacker of the Week honors after 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and the game-winning forced fumble against Virginia Tech. It’s easy to identify him as the heart and soul of the Orange defense, and in passing situations he’ll either rush or be the QB spy on Thomas Castellanos.
BCI: Who would you pick to be an x-factor against BC?
TNAM: Fans and media don’t know if he’ll play, but redshirt freshman Zeed Haynes has game-breaking potential. He returned to the program last week after temporarily leaving to deal with a personal family issue. He’s slowly working his way back, but if a transfer redshirt freshman can be listed as WR1 for the first two games of the season among all of the talent Syracuse has, you can bet Brown will be itching to get him on the field as soon as he’s ready.
If Haynes doesn’t play, Allen is a good shout. You expect NFL “pro-style” offenses would be pass heavy, and Syracuse is very pass heavy. Allen provides necessary balance with his rushing. Much of the early Orange offense is RPO based. But if Syracuse calls designed runs for Allen, he can pick up chunks of yards with ease and is almost automatic in the red zone.
BCI: What are Syracuse’s biggest strengths and weaknesses?
TNAM: Well, if it hasn’t already been made clear, it’s the offense. The Orange offense is such a delight to watch with McCord at the helm and the skill position players that Syracuse has for him to work with. There’s a reason why in just one season, McCord is rewriting some of the record books. This is an offense that can be explosive, but will mainly focus on methodical drives and look to dominate time of possession to score. It’s a lot of fun to watch the offense go to work.
That leaves the defense, and there’s been a glaring problem on the defense that has yet to be solved. For those who are familiar with Pro Football Focus grades, the category that is significantly bad is the tackling department. The Orange have scored below average as a team in five of their eight games, with four of the games scoring significantly below average. That doesn’t fill me with a ton of hope in containing Castellanos and the BC running backs.
Finally, we get to special teams… and the less said the better. Syracuse has essentially been a four-down team especially with confidence down after an abysmal punt blocking performance against UNLV, seeing a blocked punt returned for a touchdown against the Orange. Orange kicking has not fared well either, as Syracuse used its THIRD kicker of the year last week against Virginia Tech with Brown trying to ride the hot leg from the week of practice. If it’s fourth and manageable, Brown is going for it.
BCI: What’s your prediction for the game?
TNAM: First of all, welcome back to The CW. Syracuse didn’t get the pleasure of The CW last season, so to make up for it, the Orange will now play on The CW three weeks in a row. BC is the second of The CW Orange sandwich. Syracuse will play Cal on our new favorite sports network next week.
As for this game, it’s hard to rule Syracuse out of any game given the offensive potential. And then when I see that BC has failed to score more than 28 points against an FBS team this season, I gain more hope for Syracuse’s fortunes in this game. I’m sure Bill O’Brien is cooking something up to stop Kyle McCord. However, even with Syracuse’s tackling issues, there are enough explosive players on the Orange defense side of the ball to make BC’s life a problem. Give me the Orange 31-21 in this game.