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Syracuse's Kyle McCord Throws Three Pick Sixes in Historically Bad First Half vs. Pitt

Karl Rasmussen

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord throws a pass during the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord throws a pass during the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers. / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
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Thursday was not Kyle McCord's night.

The Syracuse quarterback made the wrong kind of history during the Orange's game against Pitt. By the time the halftime whistles blew, Syracuse found themselves trailing 31–0, though it wasn't due to any extraordinary play from the Panthers' offense.

Instead, the blame rested squarely on McCord, who shockingly threw four interceptions in the first half, three of which were taken back for touchdowns by the defense.

On Syracuse's opening drive of the game, McCord was picked off by Rasheem Biles, who returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.

Not the best start to the game, but Syracuse certainly had the chance to recover from that mistake by cleaning up their play on offense. That didn't happen.

Their next drive ended in similar fashion after a McCord pass was intercepted by Brandon George. This one, fortunately, wasn't returned to the end zone. On the third Orange drive, McCord was picked off by Pitt's Kyle Louis who took the errant throw and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown.

Finally, just before halftime, McCord started and ended the drive with an interception to Braylan Lovelace who housed it on a 33-yard return.

Yikes.

Pitt became the first team to record three pick sixes in one half since FIU recorded three in the second half against Florida Atlantic back in 2005. They're in pursuit of the record for most defensive touchdowns in a single game, which stands at four.

As for McCord, he's nearly matched his season total for interceptions, having entered play with six picks on the year. He's now at 10 after the disastrous first half against Pitt.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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