SYRACUSE, N.Y. — For the third straight season overall, Syracuse football has opened 2-0.
Fran Brown's second win was not so pretty at times, but effective use of the clock helped hold off the 23rd ranked Yellow Jackets 31-28, Saturday afternoon in front of an announced Dome crowd of 39,550.
Here are three takeaways from Brown's second game as a victorious head coach:
We know Kyle McCord can pass the football, but he can run it, too.
McCord joined Eric Dungey as the only Syracuse quarterbacks to pass for over 350 yards in consecutive games, finishing with 381 yards on 32-for-46 passing and four touchdowns, two apiece to Trebor Pena and Orande Gadsden, who each hauled in six catches on the day. For the second straight week, McCord hooked up with eight different 'Cuse receivers.
In the third quarter on a third and eight play and with his receivers covered, McCord took off to his left, turned the corner and sprinted 15 yards for a first down, emotionally spiking the ball after going out of bounds and keeping the drive going.
The Syracuse defense was on a mission to be physical.
Brown told the media afterwards that he knew it was going to be a physical game against an ACC opponent and coaching staff that he was familiar with, after his two year stint at Georgia.
"Number zero (DB Duce Chestnut) said to me he's going to be busy hitting between 12 and four (game length), and you saw it. You know what the "T" in D.A.R.T. stands for, "tough."
Chestnut finished with four tackles, while the extraordinary Fadil Diggs was in on a co-team high seven tackles including four for loss of yardage.
There's plenty of work to do during an open week, especially on special teams.
A win is a win, and being 2-0 is the end goal after two weeks with two more still to play this month. But special teams will need some tinkering, as the coaching staff did with the defense before facing the Jackets.
SU had a field goal and punt blocked, Brady Denaburg knocked the second half kickoff out of bounds, and Georgia Tech converted an onsides kick late that could have been trouble.
"We have lots to work on, Brown said afterwards, but we got it done."
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