Syracuse threw for just eight yards last season against Pitt and still won the game. It helps to rack up nearly 400 yards on the ground, I guess.
It’s still kind of hard to believe how the Pitt vs. Syracuse matchup at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx worked out last year. Pitt wasn’t able to muster any sort of offense, and the Orange knew a steady run game would be enough to knock the Panthers off.
65 carries for 392 yards and two touchdowns on the ground last season. ‘Cuse might do that through the air this time around.
It’s the first season of the Fran Brown era in Syracuse, and the Orange are 5-1 (2-1 ACC) largely because of the new, explosive passing attack. Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord has been exactly what ‘Cuse needed.
McCord is one of the top passers in the nation at the halfway point, having completed 185-of-282 pass attempts (65.6%) for 2,160 yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Pat Narduzzi certainly respects the threat McCord poses to his defense.
“That one transfer quarterback, that Kyle McCord, is a tremendous football player,” Narduzzi said Friday. “If you’re not a Pitt fan, if you’re not a Syracuse fan, but you’re a quarterback fan, you should get your tickets now because that guy is going to play in the National Football League.
“We watched him on third down the other day. I don’t know if he throws an incomplete pass, especially on third and medium. He throws darts. He’s accurate. He’s smart. He knows where to go with the ball. He will be the best quarterback that’s walked in to play us in this stadium in a while. So, we got a great chore ahead for us to defend him and a slew of really good receivers.”
McCord has been one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in college football this season, ranked in the top 10 nationally in passing yards and touchdowns, and it will be a big test for the Panthers’ secondary.
According to Pro Football Focus, McCord has made 21 big-time throws this season (tied for the most in college football) and gets the ball out of his hand quickly. 2.47 seconds from the snap, to be exact.
Syracuse has done a good job keeping McCord clean this season, surrending pressure on less than 25% of his dropbacks, but he’s been excellent in a clean pocket and under pressure.
Pitt will also be tested downfield, where McCord thrives as a passer. He’s completed 22-of-37 pass attempts of 20+ yards (59.5%) for 681 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. And he’s especially effective over the middle of the field. He will test the entirety of the Pitt defense.
A good quarterback, one who is able to quickly and accurately get rid of the football, is the kryptonite to a Narduzzi defense.
Pitt hasn’t exactly faced a quarterback like McCord this season. North Carolina’s Jacolby Criswell and Cal’s Fernando Mendoza haven’t exactly tested the Panthers through the air this season, but the ACC is the conference of quarterbacks — even though there may be a ton of transfer quarterbacks.
“I would say it’s about the same in every conference that guys are flipping,” Narduzzi said. “I think the cohesion between a quarterback and his offensive coordinator slash quarterback coach is critical. If you’re not feeling it, they just take off and they find that marriage. It’s kind of like if you’re not feeling it in a marriage, you go find another one. And I think it’s the same thing for quarterbacks. I mean, especially in this day and age.
“You want to find that — you want to get that guy that believes in you that you can turn him into gold. And I think that’s obviously what happened with Eli. To me, that’s what’s happened with McCord, if obviously he wasn’t good enough to play at Ohio State or whatever. I don’t know what those issues are. But he’s phenomenal.”
Pitt and Syracuse will kick off at Acrisure Stadium Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., with an ESPN broadcast.