Syracuse Beat Writer Answers Five Questions About the Orange

What has been the impact of new coach Fran Brown and transfer quarterback Kyle McCord, and why can't Syracuse stop the run?

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord / Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Each week we ask a reporter who covers Cal’s next football opponent to answer five questions about that opponent.

This week we asked Syracuse Post-Standard sports writer Chris Carlson five questions about Syracuse (6-3, 3-3 ACC), which faces Cal (5-4, 1-4 ACC) in a noon game on Saturday in Berkeley.

We provide an excerpt from each of Carlson’s answers, but you may want to view the entire video for each question to get his complete response.

--- 1. What impact has first-year head coach Fran Brown had on the Syracuse football program?

“You could probably say this with most first-year coaches, but he’s brought a lot of energy to a program that sort of hasn’t had it and where a lot of people thought mediocrity was the standard. He came in and said ‘That is not acceptable to me,’ The way he said it you tend to believe him.’

“His recruiting immediately, it’s the best we’ve seen at Syracuse in the recruiting-ranking era.”

“There’s sort of this hope that for the first time in a long time that Syracuse can maybe be better than average.”

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--- 2. How would you assess quarterback Kyle McCord’s season after transferring from Ohio State?

“I thought Kyle would be good or pretty good – he’s been great.”

“he’s the reason they’re 6-3. I don’t know if they would have won two games without him.”

“He gets the ball out so quick he hides the issues they have on the offensive line. They’ve been able to protect the defense by running this ball-control passing offense, which is rare.”

“He’s the only reason Syracuse has a chance on Saturday.”

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--- 3. How big a deal would it be for Syracuse to finish with a winning conference record, since it has done so only once since 2012?

“Pretty Big.. They have crashed and burned in every November except one since they joined the ACC. For them to accomplish that, they’re probably going to have to finish November the strongest they’ve finished it except that one season in 2018. It would be a good sign that Fran Brown is on the right track.”

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--- 4. Syracuse’s defense has been good against the pass, but not so good against the run. Why?

“The last two games have been horrific. Boston College [last week] ran for 313 yards, and pretty much told them they were going to run the ball on every play.”

“Elijah Robinson, the defensive coordinator, has come in, he’s running a 4-2-5, more traditional and they don’t have the defensive linemen right now to do that incredibly well. And they’ve had some injuries.”

“They’re not particularly well equipped to defend the run this season.”

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--- 5.  Who are Syracuse’s best players?

“McCord is tops on the list.”

Carlson also mentioned tight end Oronde Gadsden III, and the remarkable touchdown catch he had against Boston College

He also mentioned wide receivers Trebor Pena and Jackson Meeks on offense.

“On defense it’s sort of slim pickings.”

But Carlson did mention linebacker Marlowe Wax and defensive end Fadil Diggs.

“When they’ve won [Diggs] has made big plays.”

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