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In a battle of the top two passers in the nation, explosive offense is expected. Kyle McCord entered Saturday’s contest with 3,946 passing yards — the most in the nation. Cam Ward led the country in passing touchdowns through 11 games, totaling 34.

Starting largely in Ward’s favor, a shootout quickly ensued. Despite trailing 21-0 in the second quarter, McCord’s 380 passing yards and three touchdowns outdueled Ward’s 349 and two touchdowns.

While the star quarterbacks took center stage, it was SU’s defense that made the game-altering play. With minutes to go in the third quarter and the game squared at 28-28, Ward hit star receiver Xavier Restrepo. As Restrepo was wrapped up, he fumbled the ball. Syracuse safety Devin Grant scooped it off a bounce and returned it 56 yards for a 35-28 lead — its first of the game.

Syracuse (9-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) took down No. 8 Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC) 42-38 Saturday in the regular-season finale, never trailing after Grant’s key score. SU secured its ninth win of 2024 and its first top-10 victory since 2017.

With the Orange leading 42-35 and nine minutes to play, Ward took the Hurricanes down to SU’s seven. Syracuse’s defense held strong and forced a field goal with 3:42 to play. Leading by four, McCord and LeQuint Allen Jr. capped the game, winding the clock and securing the victory.

Syracuse players burst onto the field in celebration following the Orange’s upset win over Miami. The win marked SU’s first top 10 victory since 2017. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

The Orange started the game with their defense on the field. Attempting to stop Ward was no easy feat. SU was mere feet away from forcing a three-and-out, but Ward worked his magic, scampering to the right and finding Jacolby George for 19 yards. A few plays later, Mark Fletcher Jr. punched in for the Hurricanes.

Miami’s offense entered as one of the best in the nation. With Ward as the signal caller, Restrepo and Elijah Arroyo through the air and a potent rushing attack, the Hurricanes played to their usual level. The question was if SU could match.

It seemed like Syracuse did just that. A second-and-5 strike resulted in Trebor Peña streaking down the left sideline for six. As the Orange celebrated, a flag was thrown for illegal formation, negating the touchdown.

SU turned it over on downs minutes later. Its defense, meanwhile, had nothing going. The Hurricanes punished it on the next drive, with Restrepo tipping the pylon to extend the lead to 14-0 just eight minutes in. As Miami got to McCord, Syracuse had no choice but to give it right back to Ward.

A Heisman Trophy contender and consensus top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ward continuously picked apart the Orange’s secondary. SU doesn’t often face quarterbacks of his caliber. Jameis Winston, Lamar Jackson and Trevor Lawrence have entered the Dome in recent memory and quickly found a rhythm. Ward followed suit.

To start the second quarter, Ward found a wide-open Arroyo in the end zone. Through his first three drives, the quarterback was exquisite — totaling 153 yards on 75% passing and two touchdowns. The Orange eventually answered, driving down the field with multiple strikes through the middle, followed by a rush by Allen Jr. into the end zone. With 10:54 to play in the first half, Syracuse trailed 21-7.

For the first time, SU mustered a defensive stop, forcing a punt and putting McCord back on the field. The comeback continued as the Orange drove down again.

Winding down the clock to under four minutes, Syracuse faced a pivotal third-and-9. McCord dropped back, turned left and fired a fade to Jackson Meeks one-on-one. Meeks high-pointed the ball in the back corner, boxing out Daryl Porter Jr. and cutting the deficit to seven.

While Ward entered as a top quarterback in the country, McCord has been equally as good throughout the year. Against UConn a week ago, he set a new program record for single-season passing yards. His conversion to Meeks gave him the passing touchdowns record.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward picked apart Syracuse’s defense for large portions of Saturday’s contest. Ward completed 25 of his 36 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

To close the half, both sides made defensive stops as Miami led 21-14. SU’s 14-point run, however, mixed with two defensive stops and receiving the ball to start the second half, shifted momentum in its favor.

McCord took his shots and didn’t miss. A 50-yard strike to Peña down the left side started it. On the next play, McCord surveyed right, hitting Peña on the back shoulder in the end zone. After trailing 21-0, Syracuse tied it.

Miami quickly took its lead right back. Ward dialed through the middle of SU’s zone, hitting Restrepo and Arroyo for 20-plus yards with a 17-yard rush mixed in between. Fletcher Jr. then crossed the goal line again. Syracuse answered with McCord hitting Meeks on a slant to tie the game 28-28 with under eight minutes to play in the third quarter. SU’s defense then berated Ward as Fadil Diggs sacked him for an eight-yard loss to force an eventual punt.

Just as the Orange drove downfield to take the lead, freshman running back Yasin Willis fumbled the ball and gave Miami back possession. Luckily for SU, Restrepo then coughed it up, giving Syracuse the lead to close the third frame.

From there, a shootout took place. Restrepo and the Hurricanes answered with a 40-yard gain down to the two followed by a Damien Martinez rushing score, knotting the game at 35. Syracuse then split through the defense with multiple passes to Jackson Meeks before an Allen Jr. score.

Syracuse forced a field goal with under four minutes to play and Allen Jr.’s multiple big rushes closed the game, pushing the Hurricanes out of the ACC Championship and producing its third ranked win in 2024.

Published on November 30, 2024 at 7:32 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky