2024 Boston College Football Early Opponent Preview, Week 11: Syracuse

BCCentral previews the Eagles upcoming season’s opponents. Up next is the Syracuse Orange.

Boston College Athletics

The Boston College Eagles football team plays a home game against the Syracuse Orange in Week 11 in the upcoming college football season. 

Both programs will be led by first-year head coaches, albeit in different ways. Boston College hired Bill O’Brien in Jan., just weeks after he accepted the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State. This will be O’Brien’s first year as a collegiate head coach since 2013 when he was with Penn State. Since then, the 54-year-old has served as the head coach of the Houston Texas  from 2014-20 and offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2021-22 and with the New England Patriots in 2023. 

Syracuse will be led by Fran Brown, who was hired by the Orange in Nov. of 2023. Brown has never been a head coach and has served as a defensive backs coach in all but one season of his coaching career (2012). Brown has made stops at Temple, Baylor, Rutgers, and most recently Georgia. 

Let’s take a look at the matchup: 

Offense

The biggest question mark for any program is always who will be in the quarterback position come Sept. That is the case for Syracuse. The team lost its starting quarterback Garrett Shrader due to eligibility. However, the Orange have options with three quarterbacks currently on the roster, backup quarterbacks from last season Carlos Del-Rio Wilson and Braden Davis. Syracuse also added a massive pickup via the transfer portal in former Ohio State QB Kyle McCord, who was a five-star prospect from the class of 2021. McCord spent three seasons with the Buckeyes and earned the starting position in 2023 where he went 229-of-348 for 3,170 yards, 224 touchdowns, and six interceptions. 

As for offensive weapons, Syracuse retained its top rusher in running back LeQuint Allen. Last season, Allen tallied 245 rush attempts for 1,064 yards and nine touchdowns. The group also kept its second and third-best wide receivers Umari Hatcher and Donovan Brown. In 2023, the duo combined for 59 receptions, 803 yards and four touchdowns. 

Syracuse’s top wide receiver, Damien Alford was dismissed from the program in Feb., for undisclosed reasons. 

Defense

The Syracuse defense will look similar to how it did in the previous season. The Orange retained its top three tacklers, defensive back Justin Barron and linebackers Derek McDonald and Marlowe Wax. In 2023, the trio combined for a total of 267 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, ten pass breakups and quarterback hits, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two sacks. 

Schedule

The Eagles will head into this matchup with over two weeks of rest as the team has its second BYE week of the season scheduled during Week 10 and has a Friday night matchup against Louisville in Week 9.  The game is also one of the Eagles theme games. This week it will be Military Appreciation & Healthcare Heroes Day. The day prior (Nov. 8) is also significant for Boston College athletics as it is the ceremony for the 2024 Varsity Club Hall of Fame. 

Syracuse will travel to Chestnut Hill after a home matchup against Virginia Tech. This will be its first of a two-game road trip. 

Outlook

If the history of recent matchups continues its trend, this will be a close, tight contest throughout the entirety of the game. In three of the last four games between the two programs, the margin of defeat has been within ten points and two of those were one possession or less. If the Eagles come out victorious, it will be their first win against the Orange at home since 2014. 

Syracuse at Boston College: 

BCCentral takes a long look at each of the Eagles upcoming opponents this season, including its Week 11 matchup against the Syracuse Orange. 

The Game:

Date: Nov. 9

Time: TBD

TV: TBD

Location: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Series: Syracuse leads the all-time series 33-23

Last Meeting: The Eagles won the last game between the two teams on Nov. 3, 2023, 17-10 at Syracuse. 

The Team:

The Coach: Fran Brown

Offensive Coordinator: Jeff Nixon

Defensive Coordinator: Elijah Robinson

2023 Record: 6-7

Players to Watch: QB Kyle McCord, RB LeQuint Allen, WR Umari Hatcher, WR Donovan Brown, DB Justin Barron, LB Derek McDonald, LB Marlowe Wax, P Jack Stonehouse, K Brady Denaburg.

Top Newcomer: Recruit- Four-Star EDGE KingJoseph Edwards, Transfer- Former Ohio State QB Kyle McCord. 

The School:

Location: Syracuse, N.Y.

Founded: 1870

Enrollment: 22,698

Nickname: ‘Cuse. 

Colors: Orange, White, and Blue

Mascot: Otto the Orange

The Program:

Last Time Beat Boston College: 2022.

Last Time Won ACC: Never. 

National Championships: One — 1959. 

Playoff Appearances: None. 

Conference Championships: Five, all in Big East — 1996; 1997; 1998; 2004; 2012. 

Bowl Appearances: 28 — 16-11-1 record.

Last Time Didn’t Play in a Bowl: 2021.

Heisman Trophies: One — Ernie Davis in 1961.

2024 NFL Draft: None.

Last 4 Recruiting Class Rankings: 2024 No. 36; 2023 No. 73; 2022 No. 65; 2021 No. 64.

Schedule

Aug 31: vs. Ohio

Sept. 7: vs. Georgia Tech

Sept. 20: vs. Stanford

Sept. 28: vs. Holy Cross

Oct. 4: at UNLV

Oct. 12: at NC State

Oct. 24: at Pittsburgh

Nov. 2: vs. Virginia Tech

Nov. 9: at Boston College

Nov. 16: at Cal

Nov. 23: vs. UConn

Nov. 30: vs. Miami

This is a BCCentral series. To read the rest of the early opponent previews, check out:Week 1 at Floirda State,Week 2 vs. Duquesne, Week 3 at Missouri, Week 4 vs. Michigan State,Week 5 vs. Western KentuckyWeek 6 at Virginia, Week 8 at Virginia Tech, and Week 9 vs. Louisville.