Syracuse Orange starting QB for Week 4: Who is Fran Brown's QB1 for game against Stanford Cardinal?
The Syracuse Orange have started the season with two back-to-back wins followed by an open week to come into this encounter where they'll face a foe they have never faced before. The All-ACC matchup will see the Orange take on the new entrants, the Stanford Cardinal on Friday with kickoff scheduled at 7:30 pm ET in JMA Wireless Dome.
For the Orange, Ohio State transfer senior quarterback Kyle McCord started the first two games at center. Barring any injury or setback prior to the game, he should get the nod to start his third game.
Will Kyle McCord continue to start for Syracuse in Week 4?
Yes, with no injuries to report, Kyle McCord will be at the center for the Orange. The quarterback has lived up to the expectations after Fran Brown recruited him for his team.
At Ohio State, as a freshman in 2021, he played backup quarterback to CJ Stroud. After little to no action in his first two years at Ohio State, he was in the running for a starting quarterback bid last season with Devin Brown.
After earning the starting role, he led Ohio State to an 11-1 record, completing 229 of 348 passes for 3170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.
However, McCord wanted certainty of his starting role in 2024 ahead of Ohio State’s 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic. Ryan Day couldn't give him the role and McCord left the program and entered the NCAA transfer portal. Eventually, it led him to the Syracuse Orange.
Kyle McCord's performance in the first two games of the 2024 season
Despite being a transfer quarterback, McCord found synergy with his team early. He's already thrown eight touchdown passes to his route runners while setting career highs in a single game.
In his Week 1 debut game against Ohio Bobcats, he passed for a career-high 354 yards, including four touchdown passes. He followed that up with another four-touchdown performance against then No. 23 Georgia Tech, where he threw for 381 yards.
Following a 31-28 win over Georgia Tech, Fran Brown was so happy with his signal-caller that he said he "should send him (Ryan Day) a bottle of champagne for allowing us to get him (Kyle McCord).”
The oddsmakers don't expect Troy Taylor's Stanford Cardinal to challenge the undefeated Orange. Syracuse enters this game as an 8.5-point home favorite.
Do you think Kyle McCord will extend his season record to 3-0? Let us know your view on him in the comments section.