Kyle McCord steers Syracuse to 24-17 road win at NC State
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Kyle McCord threw for 346 yards and two touchdowns as Syracuse defeated North Carolina State 24-17 Saturday night.
McCord connected on 31 of 42 passes for the Orange (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), while LeQuint Allen supplemented Syracuse’s offensive attack with 119 yards of total offense and a touchdown on 23 touches. Jackson Meeks hauled in 11 passes for 116 yards and one of McCord’s scores.
“Just thankful that we’ve been able to start off pretty good,” first-year Syracuse coach Fran Brown said. “I thought we gave up too many big plays, but we were able to complement each other… I’m just happy for Syracuse University right now.”
The Wolfpack (3-4, 0-3) were powered by true freshman quarterback CJ Bailey, who completed 17 of 24 throws for a season-high 329 yards and two touchdowns. Bailey also rushed for a team-high 28 yards.
With a 17-7 lead late in the third quarter, the momentum of the game shifted to Syracuse’s favor when Justin Barron intercepted Bailey and returned it 53 yards. That halted an eight-play Wolfpack drive that was nearing the red zone. Syracuse responded with an eight-play drive of its own that ended with McCord finding Meeks for a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal.
“We talk about it every week, the guys know it, the most important thing on the field is the ball,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “There’s a reason they named the game after it. We’re not coveting the ball enough. We got to get back to protecting the football. That’s how you win games.”
N.C. State responded quickly, with Bailey finding Noah Rogers for a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown, but Syracuse took more than six minutes off the clock with its next possession. The Wolfpack trimmed the deficit with a field goal, but the Orange cleanly recovered an onside kick attempt and drained what time remained.
THE TAKEAWAY
Syracuse: With McCord leading the way, the Orange won in Raleigh for the first time since 2013. He entered this game leading the nation in completions, and McCord has now passed for more than 300 yards in all six games this year, which ties a single-season program record for Syracuse. The transfer from Ohio State has provided a big boost to the Orange under Brown.
N.C. State: The Wolfpack have now suffered back-to-back losses at home for the first time since 2019. It was another game where N.C. State — which ranked 107th nationally in total offense entering Saturday — lost the turnover battle, 3-0, allowing the Orange to score off each of its crucial errors. Syracuse had possession for 13 minutes longer than N.C. State did, allowing the Orange to run 31 more plays than the Wolfpack.
BIG GAME FOR BARRON
Barron’s opportunistic play on defense helped Syracuse win two consecutive road games for the first time since 2012. In addition to his interception — just the second of the fifth-year defensive back’s career — Barron also recovered a fumble in the second quarter.
“It’s exciting. We’ve been preaching it all season, and we really focused in on it and were able to get the ball,” Barron said. “It’s something that you really see on film, just the way the ball carriers carry the ball. They were carrying it really loose.”
Barron led Syracuse in tackles with eight, one of which was a crucial sack of Bailey on a third down in the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT
Syracuse: After a bye, the Orange play at No. 22 Pittsburgh on Oct. 24.
N.C. State: The Wolfpack travel to the West Coast to face California on Saturday.
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