After a long tenure in the Pac-12 Conference, the Stanford Cardinal are set to make their Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) debut this Friday night as they travel to Syracuse to face off against the Orange and their standout quarterback, Kyle McCord. Stanford enters this matchup with a record of 1-1 and is now part of a 17-team league that includes familiar faces like Cal and new additions such as SMU, alongside 14 returning teams from last season.
The Syracuse Orange, boasting a 2-0 record and currently 1-0 in the ACC, are coming off a significant victory against Georgia Tech, where they edged out the Yellow Jackets, ranked No. 23 at the time, with a score of 31-28. McCord had an impressive performance in that game, throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns, bringing his season totals to 735 yards and eight touchdown passes. “I’m very thankful, of course, and the team is thankful to have him as our quarterback,” said Orange coach Fran Brown about the Ohio State transfer.
On the other side, Stanford recently dominated FCS opponent Cal Poly with a resounding 41-7 win. Quarterbacks Ashton Daniels and Elijah Brown combined for an impressive outing, completing 26 of 30 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns without any interceptions. Coach Troy Taylor praised Daniels’ growth and experience, noting, “He’s a dynamic runner, he’s a physical runner and he gives us a chance (to win). … I’m sure glad he stuck around to stay with us.”
Special teams could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of this game. In their last matchup, Stanford showcased their special teams prowess by returning a punt for a touchdown, blocking a field goal, and successfully executing a fake punt. Conversely, Syracuse faced some challenges with their special teams; they had a punt blocked and failed to recover an onside kick against Georgia Tech. Cardinal cornerback Collin Wright highlighted the importance of these plays: “Those things are momentum changers.”
This matchup marks the first-ever meeting between Stanford and Syracuse on the football field. As both teams look to establish themselves in their new conference settings, fans can expect an exciting showdown filled with potential game-changing moments.
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