Syracuse football's Kyle McCord sets ACC single-season passing record
12/28/2024 12:11 AM
Syracuse football quarterback Kyle McCord set an ACC single-season record during the DirecTV Holiday Bowl against Washington State on Friday night. The Ohio State transfer has had a superb season with the Orange. Under first-year head coach Fran Brown, McCord has made Syracuse a football school again as the Orange finished the regular season as the No. 21 team in the nation.
Syracuse continued its winning ways against the Cougars in a 52-35 blowout to give the program its tenth win. On3 confirmed that in the third quarter, McCord officially passed Clemson QB Deshaun Watson for the most passing yards in a single season in ACC history. The previous record was 4,593 yards through the air.
Kyle McCord has revitalized this historic football program
Syracuse football was once a proud program throughout the mid and late-20th century. This school brought about icons like Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, and Jim Ringo. In the late 1990s, Syracuse also developed NFL legends like Donovan McNabb, Dwight Freeney, and Marvin Harrison. However, since the turn of the century, the program has slowly deteriorated. Before this year, Syracuse had only had two ten-win seasons since 2000. One of those seasons took place in 2001.
While Fran Brown may not have the program at the level it was in the late 1950s and 60s, it is now clearly trending in the right direction. The highlight of the season was Syracuse’s incredible Senior Day upset over No. 6 Miami. McCord was the star of that night, throwing for 380 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Orange to the 42-38 victory. The senior was first in the country in passing yards at 4779 after Friday night’s win over Washington. That total accounts for about 367 passing yards a game.
McCord ultimately finished tenth in Heisman Trophy voting and was named Second-team All-ACC. 2024 was a redemption year for the senior as some critics blamed the quarterback for the Buckeyes’ disappointing year the previous year. Ohio State, however, has been catching strays throughout the year with every terrific performance McCord has put forth. While the Buckeyes can still win the national championship this season, if there were a twelve-team playoff last year, they would’ve easily qualified as well.
Kyle McCord can ultimately look back on his college career with a great sense of accomplishment. He has helped rebuild a proud program with Fran Brown in just one season and could potentially be a first-round pick in this upcoming NFL Draft. That’s a remarkable accomplishment for the Mount Laurel, New Jersey native.
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