Syracuse Orange Football: Nightmare game for QB Kyle McCord in 41-13 loss to Pitt

Before the Syracuse Orange's conference matchup with No. 19 Pitt, ESPN's Pete Thamel broke the news on X/Twitter that LB Marlowe Wax and WR Trebor Pena would be ready to play.

But despite the positive news, the Orange honestly never gave themselves a chance in this game. Syracuse (5-2, 2-2) found itself in an early deficit that proved too big to get out of against Pitt (7-0, 3-0). The final score: 41-13 at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday night. Simply put, it's hard to win college football games, and it's even harder to do so on the road, but it's nearly impossible when you turn the ball over four times in the first half – especially when three of those turnovers are straight The opposition leads to 21 points. And it's ironic because Syracuse played arguably its best defensive game this season – holding Pitt to just 217 total yards on offense.

Something about bye weeks and Syracuse football, I don't know…

Syracuse showed strong defense. Pitt's first offensive possession, a three-pointer – Syracuse DB Alijah Clark almost got away with a pick on Pitt QB Eli Holstein's first pass attempt.

On the other hand, pretty much everything went wrong on Syracuse's first offensive drives. QB Kyle McCord threw an early pick-six to Pitt LB Rasheem Biles, who returned it 35 yards for the score. On the ensuing possession, on third down, McCord sent a ball flying through the air that ended up in the hands of Pitt DB Brandon George at the Pitt 44-yard line. Syracuse forced Pitt into a 49-yard field goal after losing the ball, and Panthers K Ben Sauls made it. Pitt led 10-0 after seven minutes of play in the first quarter.

And what seemed like a promising run for Syracuse turned into another unmitigated disaster. McCord's 11th pass attempt, an interception, returned Pitt LB Kyle Louis 59 yards to the house. Pitt was on top 17-0 at the time.

Syracuse was held to zero points after 15 minutes of play, something head coach Fran Brown didn't exactly envision at the start of the game.

SU had a chance to get on the scoreboard on fourth down in the second quarter, a deep ball intended for Syracuse TE Oronde Gadsden just out of reach of the big target. The Panthers regained possession on downs after the turnover and extended the lead to 24. Holstein connected with fellow WR Censere Lee from 20 yards out, capping a seven-play, 65-yard scoring drive.

On the next possession, Syracuse made a three-pointer and Pitt received the ball in good field position at the 35-yard line. A potential momentum swing for Syracuse, a dangerous pass from Holstein was intercepted by Syracuse DB Marcellus Barnes, but the play was ruled dead due to a questionable roughing the passer penalty for Wax. The Orange defense got another stop, with the score still 24-0 in favor of the Panthers midway through the second quarter.

Syracuse had another chance to put some points on the field late in the second quarter, but McCord took a sack from Biles – the LB who came away with the first pick-six – which put the offense out of field goal range urged. During the drive, Gadsden was seen heading to the locker room with two minutes left and later standing on the sidelines in street clothes.

And just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, McCord's 34th pass attempt caught another pick-six – Pitt's fourth interception and third pick-six of the game. Pitt went into halftime with a commanding 31-0 lead.

Prior to this game, only five FBS teams had returned three interceptions for points since 2000, and according to Pitt Athletics, it was the first time since September 3, 2022 (USC).

Syracuse came out of halftime with the football with McCord still under center. The Orange finally reached the end zone on a one-yard rush touchdown from McCord, capping an 18-play, nine-and-a-half-minute drive that included three fourth-down conversions. Brown went for two points, but SU couldn't convert. Pitt led 31-6 with five minutes left in the third.

SU made another stop on defense to give the ball back to the offense – an opportunity for Syracuse to build some momentum. Four plays later, McCord started again (his fifth interception of the game), this time by Pitt DB Phillip O'Brien Jr. Pitt set off at the Syracuse 45-yard line before scoring with a 29-yard touchdown. Pass reached the end zone from Holstein to Pitt WR Raphael Williams Jr.

In the fourth quarter, Sauls made a 57-yard field goal, the second longest in program history, which increased the Panthers' lead to 35. The score was 41-6 in favor of Pitt with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Another long drive (11 plays) by Syracuse led to their second score of the game, but seemingly too little, too late. A two-yard rushing touchdown from Syracuse TE Dan Villari made it 41-13 with seven minutes left in the fourth.

The Orange look to bounce back next week with a home game on Saturday, November 2nd against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Kickoff has not yet been announced by the ACC. It will be Syracuse's first home game since September 28th.