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BERKELEY, Calif. — Syracuse traveled nearly 2,800 miles to face California for the first time as Atlantic Coast Conference foes. It may have substituted the thick sweatshirts and brisk wind for sunglasses and palm trees, but it was what SU left behind that mattered most.

At last, the Orange’s “prone to poor starts” narrative remained in the northeast. A 27-7 halftime lead signified the best football they’ve displayed all year.

Even after Jaivian Thomas exploded for a 75-yard rushing touchdown early in the second quarter, SU was unbothered. The Orange calmly charged downfield in succession, spurred by two 20-plus-yard completions from Kyle McCord to Trebor Peña and Oronde Gadsden II. LeQuint Allen Jr. punched in a one-yard rushing score off a crack toss to stamp a 20-7 lead.

A response like that on the road would’ve been pure fiction in prior regimes. But, as inconsistently as they may show it, the Orange will not be deterred under Fran Brown — who’s not even close to satisfied.

“I don’t just want to be average,” Brown said. “Seven (wins) is still average. We want to make sure we get above that. Life is not about just becoming average and then being OK, because that’s complacent. When kids start to hear that and they listen to that, then we become complacent and end up losing, which is why we’re 7-3 and not 9-1.”

Syracuse (7-3, 4-3 ACC) downed the Golden Bears (5-5, 1-5 ACC) 33-25 Saturday in California Memorial Stadium, clinching its third season with four conference victories since joining the ACC in 2013. While aided by timely takeaways, SU’s offense moved with pace despite facing a ferocious Cal defense — led by star edge rusher Xavier Carlton and NCAA interception leader Nohl Williams, who Brown said he was “scared to death” of.

Both of them did just about nothing, though. SU offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon stalled Williams and Carlton by using a heavy dosage of the run game while giving McCord quick reads. It’s safe to say the adjustments paid off. McCord finished 29-for-46 passing for 323 yards and a touchdown. Syracuse ran all over the Golden Bears, totaling 148 yards on the ground — sparked by Allen Jr.’s 109-yard, two-score day.

“We just all worked together. Kyle threw it well, we ran the ball, we just did whatever we were able to get,” Brown said. “It felt like we took what we needed to take at (different) times in the game.”

Plus, David Wohlabaugh Jr. started at left tackle over typical starter Da’Metrius Weatherspoon after the latter struggled against Boston College last week. Both Brown and McCord complemented Syracuse’s offensive line play, saying it was the key to victory. Brown challenged them all week, he said, and McCord’s declaration of comfortability in the pocket proved the challenge was needed.

“That’s why we won the game,” McCord, who took just one sack Saturday, said of his offensive line. “That opens up everything for me. It doesn’t just let the defense tee off.”

To start the scoring, Jackson Kennedy nailed a 24-yard field goal to put Syracuse up 3-0 midway through the first quarter. It quickly received another prime scoring chance once linebacker Marlowe Wax picked off Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza on the Golden Bears’ opening drive.

But the Orange couldn’t maximize it, as they were held out of the end zone. Kennedy drilled a 42-yard field goal to put SU up 6-0. Yet, it felt like a missed opportunity.

Capitalizing with touchdowns off turnovers is paramount. That was the recipe for how Syracuse defeated NC State on Oct. 12, after all. And, like clockwork, Elijah Robinson’s defense handed them another shot.

Mendoza threw up a deep ball from near midfield that SU cornerback Davien Kerr hauled in via a spectacular effort. He went full-extension to high point the ball as his back slammed to the turf while securing the interception. Two Cal drives resulted in two Syracuse turnovers. This time, the Orange finally took full advantage.

Allen Jr. sliced through the D gap untouched en route to a 30-yard rushing touchdown. Kennedy’s extra point increased SU’s lead to 13-0. No bad start this time, right?

Wrong — for a brief moment. Thomas went untouched on his 75-yard touchdown scamper. The entirety of the Orange’s linebacking corps and secondary shifted right, and Thomas went left. Syracuse’s defensive lapse cut its lead to 13-7 with 13:20 left in the second quarter.

Though the Orange immediately shrugged it off. Allen Jr. glided across the goal line for a one-yard score and, after SU forced a Cal punt, McCord capped off an eight-play, 70-yard scoring drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Meeks. Within nine minutes of Thomas’ potential game-shifting score, the Orange ballooned their lead from six to 20.

It wasn’t just how they finished, but it was their knack for explosive, clutch plays that carried them throughout the day. Nixon’s conservative strategy from earlier progressively opened up Syracuse’s vertical attack.

On that third touchdown drive, McCord hit Justus Ross-Simmons on a post route for a 40-yard pickup. He then completed a rather nonchalant fourth-and-3 pass to Meeks on an out route, slotting the through in a narrow window with Williams in coverage.

The sentiment stayed intact. Answering an early third-quarter Cal touchdown, McCord dotted a pass over the middle to Gadsden in tight coverage for 12 yards to move the chains in SU’s territory. A few plays later, he perfectly threaded the needle to a diving Gadsden for a 20-yard completion on a crucial fourth-and-2, leading to a Kennedy 43-yard field goal make.

“I just looked back for the ball as always because, as a receiver, you always think you’re getting the ball every play,” Gadsden said of his fourth-down reception. “(The throw) was a little bit far out, but I was able to make the catch.”

Toe-to-toe against a defense that allowed less than 20 points per game heading into Saturday, Syracuse didn’t flinch. For the first time since developing a 17-point lead over then-No. 23 Georgia Tech in Week 2, the Orange’s offense flexed their muscles from start-to-finish against a quality opponent. Whether it was third-and-9, fourth-and-3, fourth-and-5, the situation didn’t seem to matter. SU was successful on 4-of-4 fourth-down attempts and moved the chains on seven third-down tries.

Still, Syracuse stumbled late. It only scored three points in the third quarter and let up a Ryan Coe field goal for the Golden Bears to claw back in contention. It then punted to hand Cal the ball back at its 33-yard line with 11:09 remaining in the game.

But complementary football won the day. Fadil Diggs sacked Mendoza on a third-and-10 to induce a three and out. Kennedy’s fourth field goal, a 32-yarder, doused salt on the Golden Bears’ wounds.

Considering Syracuse’s second-half struggles parlayed with it still winning by double-digits, Saturday’s result was a testament to the Orange’s high-flying first-half offense. Williams and Carlton were held silent. And Brown’s squad loudly escaped the Bay Area victorious — blasting Tupac’s “California Love” in the postgame locker room to mock its opponent.

“To get a win all the way across the country, playing for that type of coach is huge,” McCord said.

Published on November 16, 2024 at 6:38 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews