This story was originally published by Dead Spin
After a long run in the Pac-12 Conference, Stanford makes its Atlantic Coast Conference debut Friday night when it visits Syracuse and its impressive quarterback, Kyle McCord.
The Cardinal (1-1, 0-0 ACC) are now part of a 17-team league that features a recognizable face in Cal, another newcomer in SMU and the 14 returning teams from a season ago. The Orange (2-0, 1-0) are included in that latter group and are coming off a big victory against another veteran ACC foe, Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets, then ranked No. 23, visited the Orange two weekends ago and left with a 31-28 loss. McCord threw for 381 yards and four touchdown passes for Syracuse, giving him 735 yards and eight TD strikes through the first two games of the season.
“I’m very thankful, of course, and the team is thankful to have him as our quarterback,” Orange coach Fran Brown said of the Ohio State transfer.
Meanwhile, Stanford trounced FCS foe Cal Poly its last time out, posting a 41-7 victory as Ashton Daniels and Elijah Brown combined to complete 26 of 30 passes for 318 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“So much of a quarterback is just experience and knowing what to expect,” Cardinal coach Troy Taylor said of Daniels, “and he just continues to grow in that area. 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 be key in determining the winner of this one. Stanford returned a punt for a touchdown, blocked a field goal and converted a fake punt in its last game, while Syracuse had a punt blocked, had a field goal blocked and failed to recover a Georgia Tech onside kick in its most recent contest.
“Those things are momentum changers,” said Cardinal cornerback Collin Wright, who recorded an interception in the Week 2 win.
This is the first ever meeting between the teams.
–Field Level Media
