Previewing Stanford football's matchup against Syracuse

Dylan Grausz | Sep 19, 2024

Nov 26, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Mitch Leigber (32) runs the ball against the Brigham Young Cougars during the first half at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images

ACC competition is officially here. After an early season bye week, the Stanford Cardinal return to action this week, hitting the road to face off against the Syracuse Orange, the first time ever that the schools will face one another. For Stanford (1-1) the first game ever against a member of the ACC as a member of the conference will bring about a tough test, as Syracuse has started off the Fran Brown era on a high note, with the Cardinal eager to begin conference play with a win. For Syracuse (2-0), a win this week could possibly get them into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2022. Here is a preview of this week’s matchup between the two teams.

Game Information

When: Friday, Sep. 20, 4:30 p.m. PDT

Where: JMA Wireless Dome; Syracuse, New York

How to watch: ESPN/Fubo 

Spread: Syracuse: -9.5 (-110); Stanford: +9.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Syracuse: -335; Stanford: +265

Total: 57.5 (over -115/under -105)

Players to Watch - Stanford

Elijah Brown, QB

Ever since enrolling at Stanford and officially joining the team, the hype surrounding Brown has grown tremendously, as the former Mater Dei star comes into college possessing a ton of talent and potential. And in his college debut against Cal Poly before the bye, Brown wasted no time in making his presence known, going 7-for-7 for 97 yards while also leading a touchdown drive in his first possession.  While junior Ashton Daniels is still the starting quarterback and is expected to take a majority of the snaps on Friday, Brown should see himself in the rotation and get some meaningful reps.

Ismael Cisse, WR

Last season, Cisse saw very limited action, playing in only two games while getting one target all year. But so far in 2024, things have looked vastly different for the sophomore out of Cherry Creek High School as this year, he has slowly started to become a major part of the offense, even leading the Cardinal both in targets and catches in the week two win. Catching eight passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, Cisse was clearly the No. 1 receiving option last game. In a room that already has guys like Elic Ayomanor, Jackson Harris and Tiger Bachmeier, Cisse may have to fight for reps, but what he has shown so far makes him a marquee weapon for the quarterbacks for the foreseeable future.

Mitch Leigber, S

Defense has been key for Stanford all year long and one reason for that is because of the strong performances by Leigber, who has become one of the team’s most important leaders on the defensive side of the ball. During his first two seasons, Leigber played a limited role, only making one tackle combined during his freshman and sophomore seasons on The Farm but coming off of a career year last season where he became a starting safety and recorded 53 tackles, two sacks and a tackle for loss, Leigber came into this year as an expected starter and has been crucial through two games, having made 11 tackles already. Facing a Syracuse team that likes to pass, expect Leigber to be busy back there all game long.

Players to Watch - Syracuse

Kyle McCord, QB

The Orange have experienced a lot of turnover from last year, not only losing last year’s quarterback in Garrett Shrader but moving on from longtime head coach Dino Babers and effectively beginning a rebuild of the program. However, McCord’s longtime relationship with current coach Brown, whom he has known since his PeeWee football days, led him to choose Syracuse as his transfer school after he opted to leave Ohio State. Through the team’s first two games, he has thrown eight touchdowns to only one interception, while throwing for 735 yards on a 69.4% completion. A star at Ohio State last year, McCord’s experience playing for elite college football programs has been evident in the early going this year.

Oronde Gadsden II, TE

Not often are tight ends the most talented receivers on the field, but Gadsden has squashed that notion for Syracuse this season, leading the team in receptions (13), yards (201) and average yards per catch (15.5) while being second on the team with three touchdowns. A solid blocker as well, Gadsden is an all-around star for Syracuse and should continue to produce well into the season.

Fadil Diggs, DL

Another new face to Syracuse this season, as Diggs played at Texas A&M previously, he comes to New York adding another solid pass rusher to the mix as the 6’5”, 261 pound Diggs is very hard to guard when he is lined up on the edge, currently leading the Orange in sacks with two while also leading the way in tackles with 15. Known for also being a great run stopper, Diggs will be one to watch when it comes to stopping the Stanford run game.

By the Numbers

25 - number of rushing yards Stanford’s defense gave up against Cal Poly

While the Cardinal have lost a game already, they have looked like a much more improved unit, especially on defense, with the team putting together a dominant performance against Cal Poly where they held the Mustangs to 25 total rush yards, which is the third fewest allowed in a game since Bobby April became the defensive coordinator. They also only allowed just one first down on a run, the first time since 2014 that the Cardinal have done that.

10 - current ranking of Stanford’s run defense in the NCAA through three weeks

Defense has been the name of the game for Stanford so far this season as the team has established itself as one of the nation’s best units when it comes to stopping the run. Since the start of the 2023 season, the Cardinal have only allowed 39 rushing yards per game to opposing teams in wins. And so far through three weeks, despite a loss to TCU in week one, the Cardinal currently rank as the No. 10 run defense in the entire NCAA.

Four - number of Eastern time zone game Stanford will play this season

This season will bring about a lot of change and adjustments for Stanford, with one of those being the grueling travel schedule that the team must endure this year. Playing in New York this week, week four marks the first of four games that Stanford will play in the Eastern Time Zone, which is the most in a single season in program history. After this week, the Cardinal travel to South Carolina to take on Clemson followed by other East Coast games against Notre Dame in Indiana and NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Score prediction

Syracuse 35, Stanford 17

Stanford has looked much improved in a lot of ways this season, not only seeing major jumps from a lot of key players, but also looking much crisper in terms of knowledge of Troy Taylor’s system. Still, playing in a new conference brings about a whole new slew of challenges, and on top of facing a team like Syracuse for the first time ever, a program that is extremely talented, it is entirely possible that Stanford will struggle immensely in this game. The travel will take some getting used to as well as playing in a unique environment for college football like the one that Syracuse has with its domed stadium. Stanford will come in and give it its all, but Syracuse may be too much to handle this week.