Syracuse (2-0, 1-0 ACC) hosts Stanford (1-1) for the Cardinal's first-ever ACC football game at the JMA Wireless Dome on Friday evening.
Opponent: Stanford Cardinal
Date & Time: Friday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Location: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
TV: ESPN
PREDICTION (The Juice's Season Record: 1-1)
While Stanford is averaging an impressive 34 points per game in their two outings this season, a slightly deeper look into the numbers suggests things are not as great as they seem on the surface. The Cardinal rank 97th in Division I, averaging 5.36 yards per play, and posted 3.92 yards per play against their lone Power 4 opponent, TCU.
Syracuse, meanwhile, stands 35th in offense nationally at 6.72 yards per play. While both Orange games have been against D-I foes, there was little difference in their productivity against Ohio and fellow ACC team Georgia Tech. SU put up 6.86 yards per play on the Bobcats and averaged 6.60 yards per snap against the Yellow Jackets.
A second area where Stanford struggled against TCU was defending the pass. The Horned Frogs’ Josh Hoover completed 28-of-42 of passes for 353 yards and a pair of scores in their win over the Cardinal, connecting with three different wide receivers at least six times each, totaling 23 completions, 331 yards, and both scores.
Those numbers seem like something Kyle McCord, Oronde Gadsden II, Trebor Pena, and friends should be salivating over.
Hoover’s stat line would blend in pretty well with McCord’s game log, as he has bested 353 passing yards while hitting for four scores in each game this season.
Both teams have had 13 days to tend to issues between games, but between Stanford’s troubled pass defense and their cross-country travel, things set up pretty nicely for SU on Friday night.
McCord will have another big game in a 34-20 Syracuse victory.
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