The MVP of Syracuse’s 31-28 victory over #23 Georgia Tech was neither quarterback Kyle McCord, who threw for 382 yards and four touchdowns, nor Oronde Gadsden II or Trebor Pena, who each caught six passes and two scores from McCord.

It is Orange offensive coordinator, Jeff Nixon, who was the Most Valuable Playcaller. Yes, it was a cheap misdirection. No, it does not detract from anything SU’s new offensive coordinator did.

Nixon had an excellent offensive plan ready to go from the jump against the Yellow Jackets. After LeQuint Allen picked up a half dozen yards on the first play from scrimmage, the second Syracuse play added Will Nixon to the backfield. The Orange went play action to Allen, pulling linemen from left to right to create the illusion of attack at the exact same spot of the Tech defense as the previous play.

Only Will Nixon released at the snap to the left flat ahead of the pulling linemen.

So, when Allen headed toward the line without the ball, the Jackets crashed down, leaving Nixon alone on the left side with no defenders nearby. McCord had the first of many schemed-open completions, swinging an easy pass that Nixon caught in stride and turned into a 20-yard pickup.

A few plays later, with SU facing a third-and-ten, Nixon had the aligned with three receivers on the left side and one on the right. The three receivers on the left all ran downfield routes to clear out while Jackson Meeks ran a cross from right-to-left, clearing out a world of space for a screen pass to Allen on the right side. The do-everything tailback had three blockers in front of him and picked up 19 of the 28 yards he would gain on the play before a Georgia Tech defender could lay a finger on him.

Nixon had a great plan for the game and executed it with his playcalling. The less-heralded of the coordinators that came in with Fran Brown forced the visitors to try to cover every square inch of the JMA Wireless Dome field. Syracuse utilized rub routes, zone-beating combo routes, and all that turf in stretching the Yellow Jackets to nearly their breaking point in rolling up 515 yards on offense.

Through two games, McCord has shown to be the perfect lieutenant to carry out Jeff Nixon’s orders.

The Ohio State transfer’s accuracy has been the delivery system for the Orange offense. McCord has almost always been on-time and on-target thus far, making just about every one of Jeff Nixon’s calls work as designed, whether it’s an easy toss to a nearby running back or zipping the ball through a handful of defenders downfield to a diving receiver to move the sticks.

Going forward, that accuracy is going to be very important for the Orange program and not just for this season. McCord’s work through two games illustrates the importance of that accuracy in making Jeff Nixon’s decisions pay off. SU has committed zero turnovers in two games and converted 19-of-32 third downs and all three of their fourth down attempts. A lot of that success points back to McCord putting the ball right on his receivers.

That points to a new expectation for Syracuse’s quarterbacks, both now and in the future. McCord’s accuracy has been a key to unlocking the talent of a gifted group of skill players around him and getting the most out of each of Nixon’s calls.

It also sends a message to both the other quarterbacks on the Orange roster and those who are interested in joining it in the future. Accuracy is almost certainly the most valued trait in an SU quarterback.

Take note, Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, Michael Johnson, Jr., Jakhari Williams, and other quarterbacks who think they want to be part of this offense. If you are not on the mark, you will not be on the field.

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