IN THE HUDDLE
Syracuse vs. Stanford
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‘OFFENSIVE SCIENTIST’
SU’s average passing yards in first two games of 2024 vs. 2023 totals
By Aiden Stepansky asst. sports editor
At the peak of his professional career, former National Football League running back Lamar Miller turned to Jeff Nixon’s advice.
Miller was selected in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins and blossomed into a 1000-yard rusher in year three under the tutelage of Nixon, his running backs coach. Miller remembers Nixon preaching decisiveness, going with his gut and quickly shooting a gap.
When his four-year rookie contract expired, Miller signed with Houston. As he became a Pro Bowl running back with the Texans, Nixon’s guidance never left his mind.
“I used to sometimes be too patient on certain plays,” Miller said. “When I went back and watched the film, I remember Nixon being in the back of my head saying, ‘Be decisive. When you make your decision, just go with it.’”
Miller’s not alone in his experience. Over Nixon’s 27-year career, he’s helped star running backs like Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, Reggie Bush, Christian McCaffery and Saquon Barkley flourish at the highest level.
Mixed with his NFL experience came a three-year stint at Baylor, calling plays for a Bears team that won 11 games in 2019. After spending 2023 with the New York Giants, Nixon is back in the NCAA, serving as Syracuse’s offensive coordinator in its first year under head coach Fran Brown.
“You gotta be able to spread the ball around. And he’s been in the NFL, he understands what it’s like to be able to give the ball to everyone and go in and out of different formations,” Brown said of Nixon. So far, Nixon has constructed one of the top offenses in the nation, led by quarterback Kyle McCord. Nixon set out his vision for the offense in the spring, hoping to make the unit as balanced as possible.
Through SU’s first two games, Nixon’s done just that. Though, the passing game has stood out the most. The Orange have totaled 735 yards through the air in their first two contests, along with eight touchdowns.
It’s a more complicated offense than Syracuse has run in the past. Wide receiver Zeed Haynes said there are more motions and shifts than he’s ever seen before. McCord described the installation process as learning “a million different plays and formations.” But the new look brings concept twists that constantly keep teams off balance. All with an added flare and malleability of personnel, as quarterbacks coach Nunzio Campanile sees it.
For star veteran tight end Oronde Gadsden II, Nixon’s advancements bring a breath of fresh air to a team that struggled to stretch the field under its past coaching regime.
“You see Nixon out there, he was dicing them up,” Gadsden said after SU’s win over then-No. 23 Georgia Tech.
Long before crafting Syracuse’s offense, Nixon was a running backs coach at Division II Shippensburg in Pennsylvania from 1999 to 2002. He moved into D-I coaching, working at Chattanooga for three years before a season at Temple in 2006.
Then, Nixon broke into the NFL, helping the Philadelphia Eagles to three playoff appearances in four years as an offensive
and special teams assistant. Following the 2010 season, the running backs coach role opened with the Dolphins.
Nixon was surrounded by future coaching stars in Miami, featuring current Giants head coach Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator. When Joe Philbin took over as the Dolphins’ head coach a year later, Nixon stayed in the same role. Philbin built an offensive staff full of masterminds, including Dan Campbell (Lions head coach), Zac Taylor (Bengals head coach) and Ben Johnson (Lions offensive coordinator).
Nixon’s impact in Miami was immediate. In his five years prior with New Orleans, Bush totaled over 1000 yards from scrimmage just once. Working with Nixon, he eclipsed the total in both years with the Dolphins.
Bush turned in his best rushing season of his NFL career in 2011, recording 1,086 yards on the ground. In 2012, he put up 986. While Bush was a seasoned veteran coming into his own, Nixon emphasized the simple things, often doing individual blocking drills with Bush before and after practice.
“Our best player on offense in 2012 was Bush. It really created a culture in the running backs room,” said Phil McGeoghan, who worked with Dolphins wide receivers from 2012-15. “Work first, protection first, the toughness and intellectual side of past protection. That was very, very important to (Nixon).”
Nixon’s expertise wasn’t created overnight. And it certainly wasn’t limited to running backs.
McGeoghan recalled a late night toward the end of the 2012 season. Nixon’s office was right next to his, and they often visited each other to discuss strategy. That night, McGeoghan stepped into Nixon’s office and saw him downloading data into multiple Terabyte drives.
Nixon said he was pulling from the offense’s hot folders throughout the season, and making an offseason study plan.
“He has the ability to soak in so much information,” McGeoghan said. “So when you had all these people come in with different systems and philosophies and techniques and fundamentals, he’s like a hard drive. He’ll just download your stuff, and then it’s in his brain.”
As Nixon helped push Bush to his heights, he was also helping develop a young running back from the University of Miami.
Miller, self admittedly, didn’t know much as a rookie about the speed of the NFL and getting accustomed to the play style. He said since the day he met Nixon, however, he received a new education on terminology, the playbook and blocking.
“He was always the same guy every day,” Miller said of Nixon. “He always was critical with certain points. It just made me personally a better pro.”
Nixon’s time in Miami ended when Philbin was fired following the 2015 season. He moved to the San Francisco 49ers for a brief stint as the tight ends coach before returning to the NCAA in 2017. Nixon took over as the co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Baylor under then-head coach Matt Rhule. With Brown and Elijah Robinson on the defensive coaching staff, the Bears flipped a 1-11 team into the No. 13 team in the nation two years later.
Success as a play caller gave Nixon another professional opportunity. Rhule left Baylor for the Carolina Panthers, and Nixon followed.
The Panthers struggled to find their offensive identity with McCaffery injured in 2020, but Nixon helped journeyman Mike Davis have a career-best season. The next year, McCaffery was limited again but this time, rookie Chuba Hubbard stepped up.
In 2022, the Panthers started 1-4 and Rhule was fired. Ten days later, McCaffery was dealt to San Francisco. Carolina needed a mid-season rebrand offensively, and Nixon was at the forefront.
“I think people relied on him a little bit more. He just had more of a leadership role,” said Jody Owens, a Panthers offensive assistant at the time. “Coach (Ben) McAdoo, the offensive coordinator at the time, really relied on Coach Nixon and he wanted him in every game plan meeting.”
Despite losing their star player, Nixon made sure the production from the running backs didn’t wane. Following McCaffery’s trade, four-year veteran D’Onta Foreman was pushed into a starting role while Hubbard became the third-down back.
The Panthers became a prolific rushing attack in what former Panthers wide receiver coach Joe Dailey describes as a “heavy run-oriented offense.” Foreman found his groove, finishing with a career-high 914 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Through the dysfunction, Nixon stood on his principles. Owens recalls Nixon on one occasion pulling out DVDs to show the running backs film. Foreman and Hubbard were both in new roles, and Nixon helped point them in the right direction. Carolina won six-of-11 games to close out the season and finished second in the NFC South.
“Offensive scientist comes to mind,” Dailey said of Nixon. “He can provide you with both tactical knowledge and schematic design on how offenses and defenses are built and attacked. As well as the technical aspects of specific positions. So he has a mastery of the game of football, knowledge-wise. And you can only do that if you’re well studied.”
Nixon departed Carolina for New York, coaching under Daboll for one season before reuniting with Brown and Robinson at Syracuse. With the Orange, he’s installed a pro-style offense.
McCord compared the cut-ups of the scheme entirely to what NFL teams are running. As he looks to get drafted, it’s a comparison that McCord thinks will prepare him and the rest of the offense.
With Nixon’s NFL experience comes an overwhelming expertise in the running back room. SU’s corps includes Nixon’s son, Will, starter LeQuint Allen Jr. and freshman Yasin Willis. For Allen Jr., 2024 is a pivotal year to shoot up draft boards. He was a 1000-yard rusher a year ago and an All-ACC selection. The addition of Nixon in Allen Jr.’s third season with the Orange has given him an extra push toward his NFL dreams.
Allen Jr. says Nixon compared details of his game to when he coached McCaffery. The two have similar abilities to catch out of the backfield and block when needed. Though, the biggest similarity between the superstar back and the one aspiring to be one, is having Nixon in their corner.
“Knowing how many legends he coached, and wanting to become a legend, I just listen to everything (Nixon) says and let it follow,” Allen Jr. said.
By Cooper Andrews managing editor
John Wildhack wants Syracuse to be the supreme block “S.” SU’s director of athletics since 2016 prides himself on building the Orange into a worldwide commodity, with an emphasis that their bright orange “S” logo — which debuted in 1893 — must remain a universal symbol.
He sits each day in his office — a room buried in the John A. Lally Athletics Complex with hardwood floors that mimic Syracuse’s basketball court — attempting to ascertain how to do so.
What can be done differently? What’s best for the university moving forward?
In the fluid landscape of college sports, though, unpredictability reigns. The Atlantic Coast Conference has already added another block “S” school, which has to quickly get comfortable with the grueling 3,000-mile flight from northern California to central New York.
Yet the distance excites Wildhack, after the ACC admitted Stanford, California-Berkeley and Southern Methodist into the conference on Sept. 1, 2023. Breaking from the tradition of solely traveling up and down the Atlantic Ocean every season means Syracuse can venture its influence westward. Wildhack said when he flew out west to meet with alumni donors in the past, their top complaint was that SU rarely played in the region. That’s no longer an issue.
“Our brand is a global brand, right?” Wildhack reasoned after stating his support of the ACC’s expansion. “We’ve got a large student population from California, and a growing undergraduate population from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. So I thought, from a brand perspective, it made a lot of sense for Syracuse.”
‘NATIONAL BRAND’
“There might be some stability,” Wildhack mean that there’s no change In the meantime, bought into the ACC. about SU’s place in 18-team field (17 in football dence) as an opportunity
is that more change is coming,” ESPN College Football Senior Writer Pete Thamel said. “Whether that’s continued incremental change as we’ve seen or some type of wholesale shift that reorganizes the whole space remains to be seen. But the only thing I can say with confidence is that there’s no permanence to this moment we are in.”
Thamel added that the ACC gained some security with its three-school expansion, while also increasing shared revenue going forward. It’s been a welcome development for the conference, issuing a successful response to the domino effect that ensued in 2022.
On June 30 of that year, USC and UCLA announced their split from the Pacific-12, moving to the midwestdominated Big Ten. Oregon and Washington followed suit on Aug. 4, 2023, also bolting for the Big Ten. Then, a flood of universities left the Pac-12, many of which merged with the Big 12, seemingly ending the Pac-12 for good.
The ACC reacted quickly, Wildhack said. Discussions were sparked to add Cal and Stanford to the mix, while
Network — the conference’s personalized streaming channel powered by ESPN — to break into heavily-populated markets in the Bay Area. Plus, SMU’s interest put another lucrative market into play with the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. For Wildhack, it was a no-brainer. Only Florida State, Clemson and North Carolina voted no.
The ACC’s shift is a microcosm of the past two years’ conference realignment developments. No school, or conference, is safe anymore. The traditions of playing geographically close are gone. It’s a system based around money paired with on-field success, a recipe for significant parody.
Even on Sept. 12, the Pac-12 clawed out of its grave by adding four schools from the Mountain West beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. For Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Diego State to rebuild a power conference and break away from the uncertainty regarding the Mountain West’s media deal ending in 2026, the decision wasn’t difficult. The ACC’s media deal expires in 2036. Once that nears, further change is inevitable.
He lauded the ACC’s most national titles over Division I conferences. confidence in SU’s athletic women’s lacrosse team Fours, its men’s lacrosse teams ascending and women’s rowing programs, position across the board.
Still, Wildhack knows “Much of it is driven conference realignment. program here and we path, and then we need Football is king. Just games averaged 13.5 million five years. And with ESPN since SMU, Stanford and broadcast media revenue it opens up an annual split among the other rewarded more, per ESPN.
It’s been years since the country’s top programs, ball success directly reaps hype has grown immensely
‘NATIONAL BRAND’
a short period here where there’s Wildhack said of the ACC. “It doesn’t change coming.” Wildhack and Syracuse are fully He said there was never any doubt the conference and now sees the football due to Notre Dame’s indepen opportunity Syracuse can seize.
ACC’s recent success, as it holds the over the last three years among all conferences. At the same time, Wildhack’s athletic status is sky-high. With its team reaching back-to-back Final lacrosse team and women’s basketball already top-notch field hockey and programs, Syracuse is in a comfortable board. knows it all comes down to one sport. driven by football,” Wildhack said of realignment. “We’ve invested in the football we need to get it good. We’re on that need to keep it good.”
Just last season, New Year’s Six bowl million viewers, its best audience in ESPN reporting last September that and Cal won’t receive a full share of revenue for at least the next nine years, annual pot of $50-60 million that will be schools. Programs that win will be ESPN. since Syracuse football was included with programs, much less the ACC’s. But footreaps benefits for the university. SU’s immensely under first-year head coach
Schools like Stanford, which sports a quartered academic schedule, don’t even begin classes until midSeptember, increasing its ability to fly east early each school year. It won’t be a perfect system — Stanford, Cal and SMU will always be at a travel disadvantage — but administrators have pledged that it’ll work out.
“Obviously, the increased travel was a concern,” Knowlton said.“But we have been very intentional and deliberate about employing the best practices to mitigate the challenges our student-athletes face as much as we can.”
Knowlton said Cal has hired a sleep expert and examined how its players can maximize their time on airplanes. California has also increased its academic support for student-athletes, among other extra measures.
According to Knowlton, the Golden Bears will attempt to schedule nonconference games versus West Coast schools to minimize travel. He even expressed positivity in that just 12 of Cal’s 30 athletic teams will be experiencing significantly increased travel due to realignment.
His mission to stay in the ACC, though, hasn’t been impacted by Florida State and Clemson’s ongoing lawsuits against the conference.
In December 2023, FSU sued the ACC to challenge a contract that binds schools with the conference, arguing that the financial penalties for withdrawing are unfairly large. Clemson then sued the ACC in March, also seeking to exit the conference. The ACC has countersued both universities as litigation currently continues.
It’s fostered some uncertainty for the conference’s future. FSU and Clemson are traditionally the class of the ACC’s football scene. Losing them would force a major revenue decrease. At the ACC Football Kickoff in July, Phillips lambasted the lawsuits.
“We will fight to protect the ACC and our members for as long as it takes,” the conference’s commissioner said during a press conference. “These disputes continue to be extremely damaging, disruptive and incredibly harmful to the league as well as overshadowing our student-
athletes and the incredible successes taking place on the field and within the conference.”
The threat of Clemson and Florida State’s exits haven’t concerned Wildhack. He said he holds strong relationships with each of their athletic directors, Graham Neff and Michael Alford, respectively. He hasn’t found it more difficult to collaborate with them while the lawsuits persist. Syracuse’s focus, however, is on completing its shorterterm goals so it can grow its place within the ACC for the foreseeable future. Especially in football. Wildhack said the ACC is an under-the-radar football conference, and Cal’s Week 2 win over Auburn of the SEC this year helps prove that. He wants nothing more than for SU to develop consistency in its program, and his trust in Brown’s squad shows that the 2024 campaign is critical.
At the same time, establishing greater West Coast outreach is important to Wildhack going forward. He said the alumni response to football playing at California and the basketball programs taking trips to the Bay Area has been overwhelmingly positive. Wildhack said marketing plans haven’t been put into action out west yet, but they’re expecting a major turnout from fans and alumni for those road contests.
Before the Orange travel to Berkeley in mid-November, though, their inaugural meeting with Stanford looms. Wildhack recalled a lighthearted conversation he had with Muir regarding the historic game, reminding him that it’ll be another prime opportunity for Syracuse to grow its image.
“‘This is the battle of the block S’s,’” Wildhack joked to Muir. “But I think it’s great because Stanford’s a national brand, and we’re a national brand,” he added.
ccandrew@syr.edu @cooper_andrews
CANADA’S CATCH
By Justin Girshon asst. sports editor
All it took was three plays for Justin Dillon to know Elic Ayomanor would be Canada’s next great wide receiver.
For Dillon’s vision to come true, he knew Ayomanor — a Medicine Hat, Alberta, native — needed to enroll in a prep school in the United States as quickly as possible. Dillon had seen hockey players move to Canada to develop in its system.
He recognized the best football players similarly needed to move to the U.S., prompting him to create 730 Scouting, a high school placement and NCAA Recruiting agency for Canadian football players. Utilizing his connections to Division I and high school prep coaches in the U.S., Dillon gives Canadian players their best chance of reaching the National Football League.
Ayomanor was just a freshman in high school, but to chase his dream, he and his family trusted Dillon. Three years later, he committed to Stanford.
Through 730 Scouting, Ayomanor enrolled at The Peddie School (New Jersey) as a sophomore before transferring to Deerfield Academy (Massachusetts). While at Deerfield, Ayomanor’s junior campaign was canceled due to COVID-19 and he suffered a knee injury forcing him to miss most of his senior year.
Still, Ayomanor received significant interest from D-I programs, including Tennessee, Notre Dame and Cal, before choosing Stanford. While the wide receiver was healthy upon arriving on campus in 2022, another knee injury forced him to miss his freshman year. Ayomanor then burst onto the scene in 2023, notching 62 receptions, 1,013 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Friday,
Ayomanor leads Stanford into its first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference matchup with Syracuse.
“This young man comes from Medicine Hat, Alberta, is on one of the biggest stages and he’s really doing it,” Dillon said of Ayomanor. “And not only is he doing it, he’s creating a path for more Canadians.”
In the 2023 NFL season, 88 foreign-born players recorded a snap. Twenty-two were Canadian, while only four caught a pass — wide receivers Josh Palmer and Chase Claypool and running backs Chuba Hubbard and Chase Brown.
Ayomanor, who is eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft, could join the group next year. He wouldn’t be in that position without Kwame Osei. Before Ayomanor moved to America, he played for Team Alberta — a club football team for amateurs — where Osei was an assistant coach.
After Ayomanor had a multi-touchdown game as a freshman in high school, Osei remembers asking him what his goals were with his football career. According to Osei, most kids in Canada don’t have a vision beyond developing in their province.
Ayomanor said he wanted to play in the NFL. Osei responded that he needed to move to the U.S. as soon as possible and he needed to speak with his mother, Pamela Weiterman, when he got home. If he was interested, Osei, who helps recruit players for 730 Scouting, was going to connect Ayomanor with Dillon.
The next day, Osei said he had a long conversation over the phone with Weiterman. While it took some time, she agreed to let her son move to the U.S. Osei instantly told Dillon about Ayomanor.
While Dillon trusts Osei, he needed to see Ayomanor play before facilitating anything. From there, Ayomanor ensured he had someone filming his games with Team Alberta and his high school. At the end of the season, Osei put together a highlight reel and sent them to Dillon.
Dillon was impressed and utilized his connections with The Peddie School and Deerfield Academy to get Ayomanor offers in America. The wide receiver chose the Peddie School.
“Right now, he’s the example,” Osei said of Ayomanor’s move to America. “As he rises, he’s lifting a whole generation of young Canadian athletes that are going to be inspired by what he does and ball out and maximize their gifts too.”
Despite choosing Peddie over Deerfield, Ayomanor transferred to Deerfield after his sophomore season due to a coaching change. Deerfield head coach Brian Barbato was instantly drawn to Ayomanor when Dillon compared him to Zay Flowers, John Metchie III and Claypool. The three NFL wide receivers have vastly different play styles. Flowers is shifty, Metchie III is a vertical threat and Claypool is a big-bodied physical weapon.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Ayomanor couples his imposing frame with elite speed. Barbato says Ayomanor wanted to run routes like he was 5-foot-6, adding a shifty element to his game.
“When you have a guy who’s 6-foot-(2) whose goal is to run routes like (Julian) Edelman, I think that speaks to his craft and hunger,” Barbato said of Ayomanor.
Yet, because of COVID-19, Deerfield didn’t have a regular season. Had Ayomanor stayed in Canada, he likely wouldn’t have made a name for himself in a pivotal recruiting year.
Instead, he regularly lined up against numerous future D-I players at Deerfield in practice and intersquad games. Similar to how he garnered Dillon’s attention, Ayomanor made a recruiting video to show collegiate programs. Just ahead of his senior season, he chose Stanford.
But as Ayomanor looked to build momentum before joining the Cardinal, his season quickly
ended. Ayomanor suffered a season-ending PCL tear in Deerfield’s second game.
While his high school career was derailed, Ayomanor was fully healthy for Stanford’s 2022 summer training camp. On one of the final days of preseason camp, however, Ayomanor suffered another knee injury. Another year of football was stripped from him.
In 2023, Ayomanor played his first full season since he was at The Peddie School in 2019. Initially, he got off to a slow start. Everything changed in a mid-October game on the road versus Colorado. Mainly facing standout cornerback Travis Hunter, Ayomanor hauled in 13 catches, 294 receiving yards and three touchdowns en route to Stanford’s 46-43 double-overtime win.
“I was beyond proud, I literally had tears in my eyes,” Osei said of Ayomanor’s performance versus Colorado.
That performance propelled Ayomanor to a dominant end of the season, where he received Pro Football Focus First Team Freshman All-America and All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors. Now, with a full year of D-I experience under his belt and another year removed from his knee injuries, Ayomanor is one of the best wide receiver prospects in college football.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Canadians fell in love with Vince Carter when he played for the Toronto Raptors. While it’s primarily a hockey country, Carter’s stardom propelled a generation of basketball stars, including Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins and Shai GilgeousAlexander. Osei believes Ayomanor can have a similar impact paving the way for Canada’s next generation on the gridiron.
“Elic could be that one where the next generation is inspired by Elic Ayomanor,” Osei said. Justingirshon@gmail.com @JustinGirshon
INAUGURAL BATTLE
By Cooper Andrews managing editor
Syracuse and Stanford have both been prominent universities since the late 1800s. In that time, SU saw some of the most legendary athletes of all time across a multitude of sports pass through its corridors, like Jim Brown, Pearl Washington and the Gait brothers. The Cardinal have also developed a renowned institution of athletic excellence, as Stanford students or alumni have medaled in every Olympic games since 1908.
Yet, the two schools, located on opposite sides of the United States, have never battled on the gridiron. That changes Friday night.
The Orange host the Cardinal on primetime in their third game of the 2024 season, which comes after an idle week. Before the bye, SU quickly found a rhythm in its first two games under head coach Fran Brown. Syracuse defeated Ohio, then upset then-No. 23 Georgia Tech as quarterback Kyle McCord led the nation with eight passing touchdowns through the first two weeks.
Meanwhile, Stanford enters Friday following an idle week as well. But the Cardinal stumbled at home in Week 1, with a narrow loss to TCU, before bludgeoning Cal Poly of the Big Sky Conference in their next contest.
Here’s what to know before Syracuse (2-0, 1-0 ACC) takes on Stanford (1-1, 0-0 ACC) in the JMA Wireless Dome:
All-time series
This is the teams’ first-ever meeting.
The Cardinal report
Following former head coach David Shaw’s 12-year tenure, Stanford is now in its second season of the Troy Taylor era. The Cardinal struggled significantly in their first campaign under Taylor. Stanford went just 3-9, falling to a measly 2-7 in Pac-12 competition.
Friday will be the first-ever ACC game for the Cardinal. The university was admitted in the conference’s three-school expansion on Sept. 1, 2023, along with California-Berkeley and SMU. On paper, Stanford may be in for a rude awakening against Syracuse.
The Cardinal faltered in a variety of avenues in their 34-27 Week 1 loss at home to TCU. The Horned Frogs’ offense outgained Stanford by 171 yards, mostly due to an 188-yard passing yards discrepancy. Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels completed under 50% of his 35 pass attempts while the Cardinal rushing offense generated just 3.3 yards per carry.
Stanford did recover two fumbles against TCU, but only one resulted in a touchdown on the other end. It garnered just one sack as well, allowing Horned Frogs’ quarterback Josh Hoover to sit back in a clean pocket and run a successful pass-heavy offense. The Cardinal stayed close overall, but lacked enough explosive offense to match TCU.
In its next game, Stanford dominated Cal Poly 41-7 and racked up 437 total yards of offense. Though, versus a lowly Football Championship Subdivision opponent, any positives taken from that matchup won’t be as easy to replicate against a team like SU.
How Syracuse beats Stanford It sounds simple, but the Orange just need to play their game to leave the Dome with a victory. McCord is already receiving early Heisman Trophy attention for his 735 yards and eight touchdowns across Syracuse’s first two wins. SU hasn’t even had to rely on running back LeQuint Allen Jr. much thus far. On Friday, that will likely continue.
McCord has looked at ease within offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon’s set. He’s worked well in the shotgun, often reading defenses pre-snap and quickly releasing the ball to open receivers. It’s helped that McCord has a deep wide receivers room, providing him with crafty route runners like Zeed Haynes and speed options like Trebor Peña. Plus, star tight end Oronde Gadsden II is a one-on-one nightmare in the middle of the field.
Based on Stanford’s passing defense struggles against TCU, the Orange can find early success by sporting an air-raid offense. On the flipside, an improved Syracuse rushing defense is facing a Cardinal attack that hasn’t found its identity yet. Their leading rusher is Daniels, with just 118 yards.
Without a true bellcow in the backfield, Stanford’s ground game shouldn’t make much of an impact. Syracuse properly adjusted in its first game without linebacker Marlowe Wax, and signs point that Friday will reap a similar outcome.
Stat to know: 33.3%
In Stanford’s season-opening loss to TCU, it converted just 33.3% of its third downs. The Cardinal went 5-for-15 on third-down conversions,
three fewer than the Horned Frogs, as their offensive inconsistency led to a narrow defeat.
For a Syracuse defense that’s still getting used to being without Wax, getting off the field as much as possible will be crucial Friday. The Orange will want to provide McCord and the offense with persistent possessions to develop an early lead. They accomplished this for the most part against Georgia Tech, though late special teams errors made the game closer than it needed to be. If SU can stall Stanford on third down, expect a lopsided scoreline to rapidly materialize.
Player to watch: Ashton Daniels, quarterback, No. 14
Daniels, a junior, is in his second season as Stanford starting quarterback. In 2023, he completed just 58.8% of his passes (191-of-325), tossing 2,247 yards and 11 touchdowns while adding 292 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. But there aren’t many qualities that stand out about the 6-foot-2, 215-pound signal-caller.
He doesn’t possess the strongest arm and, while mobile, isn’t going to outrun players past the second level. He’s graded solid thus far in 2024 per Pro Football Focus’ rankings, garnering an above average 77.3 passing grade. But much of his air success came through facing Cal Poly. Daniels will have his work cut out for him to try to match Syracuse’s offense, and will match up against a strong secondary led by Duce Chestnut and Alijah Clark.
ccandrew@syr.edu @cooper_andrews
STAYING ON
Yard difference in SU’s ACC opener versus Georgia Tech
BEAT WRITERS AGREE SU
AIDEN STEPANSKY
hrough Syracuse’s first two games under first-year head coach Fran Brown, the Orange are 2-0. SU drove through a Mid-American Conference opponent in Ohio, winning by 16. In its Atlantic Coast Conference opener versus then-No. 23 Georgia Tech, Syracuse
The Orange have established their identity as a team full of offensive firepower in the first two contests. Quarterback Kyle McCord has eight touchdowns while wide receiver Trebor Peña has five. From Week 1 to Week 2, SU also saw improvements in its rushing defense — even with the loss of linebacker Marlowe Wax.
After its first bye week of the season, Syracuse takes on Stanford for the first-ever matchup between the two schools. The Cardinal joined the ACC in 2024 and are 1-1 to begin the campaign.
Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (2-0, 1-0 ACC) will fare against Stanford (1-1, 0-0 ACC): sports@dailyorange.com
WELCOME TO THE ACC SYRACUSE 41 | STANFORD 24
Syracuse’s matchup versus Stanford officially breaks in the new age of the ACC. The matchup will be the first in-conference game for any of the three expansion teams: Cal, SMU and Stanford. In the Cardinal’s first contest in the conference, SU will give them a warm welcome. The Orange offense through the season’s first two games has proven they are elite in passing. Led by McCord, Peña and Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse will score the ball with ease. Stanford has allowed 278.5 yards per game in the air thus far, while the Orange average 367.5. Additionally, Stanford accumulated a coverage grade of 58.1 last game and SU put up a passing grade of 89. I also see improved special teams for the Orange on Friday. SU’s unit had multiple mistakes against Georgia Tech that could’ve cost it the game if in a closer matchup with a better opponent. But Brown and his staff showed from game one to game two that improvements aren’t a recommendation, but a requirement.
Syracuse will get out to a quick lead, similar to its matchup against GT, and gradually pull ahead throughout the game. The Cardinal could break through at times with the electric play of Elic Ayomanor on the outside, but it won’t nearly be enough. This time, SU won’t falter down the stretch and will keep Stanford far out of reach until the final buzzer, winning by 17 to remain at the top of the conference.
ON COURSE
SYRACUSE 48 | STANFORD 23
The Cardinal are long past the days of Jim Harbaugh or David Shaw at the helm. They’re no longer the perennial Rose Bowl threat as they were for most of the late 2000s and the early 2010s. Now, they’re in the ACC. And they’re one of the worst teams in it.
Not to copy my fellow scribe Aiden, but this really will be a rude welcome to the conference for Stanford. I envision Syracuse blowing the brakes off of the Cardinal. McCord and Co. will only be more explosive following a bye week to shore up their weak points, while SU’s defense will only be better trained to perform without Wax.
Ashton Daniels doesn’t pose much of a concern under center for Stanford. Other than a few big gains, Syracuse didn’t let GT dual-threat quarterback Haynes King run all over it. Daniels isn’t quite as mobile and doesn’t have a solidified running back next to him in the backfield. Ayomanor has potential to dominate one-on-one matchups, though I think the Orange can sit their defense back and let their secondary blanket Stanford’s outside receiving options. And for Syracuse’s offense, Friday will be a field day. The Cardinal are one of the easiest conference foes the Orange will face in 2024. It’s time for SU to let the sparks fly from the get-go and ride McCord’s arm to what should be a very one-sided affair.
JUSTIN GIRSHON
EAST COAST BEST COAST
SYRACUSE 37 | STANFORD 24
After picking up a ranked win over Georgia Tech, the only thing stopping Syracuse’s momentum is its bye week. Following their week off, the Orange will pick up right where they left off facing Stanford in the JMA Wireless Dome.
Throughout its first two games, McCord and Syracuse’s offense were humming. The Cardinal won’t be the team to contain them. Facing TCU in Week 1, Stanford allowed 34 points in a seven-point loss. The Horned Frogs’ 75.5 offensive grade on Pro Football Focus is the 53rd-best in Division I. Meanwhile, SU’s 80.9 grade is the 24th-best. Against a more potent offensive attack, with LeQuint Allen Jr., Trebor Peña and Oronde Gadsden II all thriving, I highly doubt Stanford will contain SU’s offense as it continues to show it’s one of the best units in the nation.
While it contained Georgia Tech’s rushing attack, I still think SU has some questions to answer defensively. Unfortunately for Stanford, Christian McCaffrey was last in its backfield nearly a decade ago, and I don’t think the Cardinal will be the team that exploits the Orange’s potential weaknesses. Syracuse’s schedule takes a turn in October when it faces UNLV, NC State and Pittsburgh. In the meantime, it has no excuse not to remain unbeaten.
