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Fran Brown passed his first test as Syracuse’s head coach this weekend as the Orange defeated Ohio 38-22. Despite getting off to a slow start, Kyle McCord led the way for SU’s offense with four passing touchdowns along with Trebor Peña’s three total scores.

At one point, the Orange led by 22. Though they weren’t perfect. Syracuse’s defense allowed 255 rushing yards and 203 to running back Anthony Tyus III. The fragility on defense in the trenches and in its open field tackling poses an even bigger test in week two.

Syracuse opens Atlantic Coast Conference play versus Georgia Tech Saturday. The Yellow Jackets are 2-0 to start 2024, including an upset victory over No. 10 Florida State in their season opener. Across its first two games, GT has rushed for 415 yards, mixing running back Jamal Haynes with dual-threat quarterback Haynes King.

“I think they’re a tough football team, and we have a good challenge coming in this week,” Brown said of the Yellow Jackets. “(I’m) excited to get these guys to come to play against us at the Dome.”

Here are some takeaways from Brown’s weekly Monday press conference before Syracuse’s (1-0, 0-0 ACC) conference opener against Georgia Tech (2-0, 1-0 ACC) Saturday:

Missing Marlowe

Brown confirmed Monday that linebacker Marlowe Wax will miss “about six weeks” with an injury that he wouldn’t specify.

In the third quarter Saturday, Wax rushed Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro and came up limping after the play. He couldn’t put any pressure on his right leg and attempted to limp to the sideline but couldn’t make it very far. He was helped off the field by defensive back Justin Barron and SU medical staff personnel.

Wax used crutches to make his way into the locker room and returned to the sideline with a boot on his right leg. After saying in his postgame press conference that Wax would miss a few weeks, Brown confirmed the estimated timeline.

In the preseason, Wax was named to the Bednarik Award Watchlist, the award given to the top linebacker in the country. Now, SU turns to redshirt freshman James Heard Jr. and redshirt junior Anwar Sparrow.

“They showed production, so you just hope they can do that job,” Brown said of Heard Jr. and Sparrow’s play after Wax’s exit. “You’re gonna need two or three to fill Marlowe not being there. So it’ll be fine. We just gotta keep them ready. It’s the next man up mentality.”

Heard Jr., a transfer from West Virginia, has a very close relationship with Brown. He said that he watched Heard Jr. play at Camden High School, his alma mater. Plus, Heard Jr.’s father’s mom and Brown’s father are second cousins.

The head coach pointed out his ability to rush the passer from the linebacker position. Though he is an inexperienced college player and didn’t start playing football until high school per Brown, he sees it as an attribute that could help Heard Jr. in his newfound role.

“He hasn’t played a long time, so I think he’ll continue to get better,” Brown said. “He had so much success in high school, but he didn’t get to play Little League football. He just played high school and then moved up. So I think his (best) football is still ahead of him.”

Breaking down GT

In his first ACC matchup as SU’s head coach, Brown matches up with a familiar face in GT head coach Brent Key. The second-year head coach was on Western Carolina’s staff in 2004 when Brown was a player there.

Early in 2024, Key’s team established its identity as a run-first team, rushing 70 times as opposed to 46 pass attempts. The Yellow Jackets’ philosophy doesn’t bode well for SU’s defense.

“We better stop it, or they’re going to keep running,” Brown said. “That’s just what coach Key does, too. He runs the football. He’s an offensive line coach at heart, so he’s going to try to run the ball.”

Brown even compared King — who has passed for 421 yards and ran for 81 in his first two games — to college football legend Vince Young. The Texas alumnus was also a dual threat, throwing for over 6,000 yards and running for over 3,000 in his three-year NCAA career.

Fixing Week 1 issues

While the focus shifts to Syracuse’s next opponent Georgia Tech, the Orange have things to tighten up after their first game under Brown. Even though SU scored 38 points, Brown feels the slow starts in both halves are something to improve upon.

“I think we got a long way to go,” Brown said of SU’s offense. “I felt like we started slow. So there was some things we want to be able to fix there.”

On defense, Brown doesn’t see any needed change schematically, but more in his player’s pursuit and physicality. He took responsibility for not pushing his defense enough and not preparing them for the game physically.

“We just gotta focus on us,” Brown said. “I think if we can look in the mirror and fix up the things that we need to and face them the right way, starting with me, then everything else will be fine.”

Published on September 2, 2024 at 5:13 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky