Under the Friday night lights, @CuseFootball was stunned by @StanfordFball 26-24 after a walk-off field goal in the Dome. @swilkes04 and @Austin_Barach had the call. pic.twitter.com/pJMk0E95r8
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) September 21, 2024
It took a couple of minutes for Stanford to set up a 4th-and-9 play from the Syracuse 45-yard line. Down 24-23 with 37 seconds left, the Cardinal called timeout. Then the Orange responded with a timeout of their own.
But it took just a couple of seconds for Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels to connect with his top target Elic Ayomanor for 27 yards, setting up a first down and a field goal two plays later.
After hitting from 51 yards earlier in the night, a 39-yard field goal as time expired by Stanford kicker Emmet Kenney looked easy. And as the ball passed through the uprights, it solidified a first-ever ACC win for Stanford (2-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) and a first-ever loss for Syracuse (2-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) under head coach Fran Brown.
When the dust had settled, Brown put the loss on his own shoulders.
“I think we can all get better,” Brown said in a postgame press conference. “Especially the head football coach.”
A series of things went wrong for Syracuse in its post-bye week loss. The Orange are now 4-10 in their most recent games coming off an off week.
The offensive troubles were evident early for Syracuse. On its first five drives of the game, SU would punt four times and kick one field goal.
The Cardinal offense meanwhile feasted early. Early in the first, Stanford drove 78 yards, capped by a 17-yard touchdown reception by Ayomanor, his first of the season.
Syracuse’s offense remained desolate for most of the first half. But as the second quarter wound down, quarterback Kyle McCord flashed his usual genius.
“(McCord) played good football,” Brown said. “When adversity hit, he came back and responded.”
The Ohio State transfer aired out a 67-yard touchdown pass to wideout Umari Hatcher to bring the halftime deficit to 13-10. After a slow start to the season, Hatcher found his footing against the Cardinal. The junior had only three receptions, but made use of it going for 84 yards.
Syracuse’s offense stalled to begin the third. And things got even worse when McCord threw a pick-six to safety Mitch Leigber to put Stanford up 20-10. It was the first interception returned for a touchdown for Stanford since 2022.The signal caller finished the day with 339 yards and a 138.3 QBR, but two interceptions put a dent in his day.
The turnovers keep piling up in the dome.@Austin_Barach details @StanfordFball's first pick-six since 2022.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) September 21, 2024
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A throw cut off by Cardinal safety Jay Green led to a Stanford field goal in the fourth. It was Green’s first interception of the season, but ended up being pivotal in the Stanford victory.
A late run from Syracuse kept things interesting. A 19-yard rushing touchdown by McCord, the longest of his career, to end the third brought Syracuse within three, 20-17. The signal caller, usually known for his lack of running abilities, took off and dove for the end zone, breaking a tackle en route.
And Jackson Meeks caught his first-ever collegiate touchdown with three minutes left in the third to give the Orange a 24-23 lead. The play-action passing touchdown put Syracuse ahead for the first time all game.
The Orange went to the air attack to take their first lead late in the fourth quarter. @swilkes04 had the call on @CuseFootball wideout Jackson Meeks' seven-yard score.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) September 21, 2024
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But the Stanford offense proved too much. Namely the connection of Daniels to Ayomanor. The redshift sophomore receiver finished with 87 yards on seven targets. And when faced with one-on-one coverage on the 4th-and-9 play, he easily took control.
While the Syracuse passing game eventually found some rhythm, the rush was non-existent Friday night. Running back LeQuint Allen finished with a season-low 25 yards on 8 carries. And the Orange as a whole finished with 26 yards on the ground, compared to 173 for the Cardinal. It didn’t help that Syraucse was without backup running back Will Nixon, who didn’t dress for the game.
“They outphiyscal-ed us today,” Brown said. “We gotta be able to run the football.”
Another missing piece of the puzzle for Syracuse’s offense was tight end Ornde Gadsden. Usually McCord’s top target, the receiver had just two catches for 12 yards.
“Every time I looked at him, he was in one way, shape or form, being doubled,” McCord said after the game.
Even though Gadsden was locked up, wide receiver Trebor Pena kept his strong start to the season going. The New Jersey native was held scoreless for the first time this year, but 101 yards on 10 receptions were both season highs.

While the loss now presents the first major hurdle for Brown in his head coaching career, the defense did have some standouts in the loss. After just one turnover in the first two games, SU had two interceptions, one by safety Devin Grant and one by defensive back Clarence Lewis, against Stanford.
The Orange can take those positives into its next matchup a week from Saturday against Holy Cross. The J.M.A. Wireless Dome is sold out for the family weekend matchup. Kickoff is set for noon. WAER’s coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with countdown to kickoff.