Syracuse will try to make it 14 straight victories over Holy Cross when the teams meet in a non-conference game Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y.
The Orange (2-1) are coming off a 26-24, last-second loss to Stanford and will finish a four-game homestand to open the season.
Holy Cross, under new coach Dan Curran, is 1-3 after giving up a touchdown with 12 seconds left and losing to Yale 38-31 last week. All three of the Crusaders’ losses have been by a touchdown or less.
Syracuse has won the last 13 meetings between the schools and is eager to remove the bitter taste from the Stanford defeat.
“We’re excited to play against these guys,” Orange first-year coach Fran Brown said of Holy Cross. “I think they all do a good job and are a good football team. Those guys are coming off a tough loss, just like us, so it will be a good game.”
Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord has energized the Orange offense at quarterback. He’s thrown for more than 300 yards in each of Syracuse’s first three games, and he ranks third in the nation with an average of 358 passing yards per game.
Three Orange wide receivers have 12 or more catches, led by Trebor Pena with 22. LeQuint Allen leads the rushing attack with 206 yards on 38 carries.
McCord has been sacked six times, and Brown said his team needs to be better balanced.
“We just have to run the football better,” Brown said. “We have some things to work on in practice, some things to help out our offensive line, and help Kyle so we don’t put as much pressure on him.”
Holy Cross is coming off a season in which it won a share of the Patriot League title. Curran took over for Bob Chesney after 11 years at Merrimack. Chesney left Holy Cross after last season to become James Madison’s head coach.
The Crusaders’ offense took a big hit when All-America senior running back Jordan Fuller was lost for the season to an injury in a win over Bryant on Sept. 14.
Joe Pesansky has thrown for 875 yards and four scores. All-Patriot League linebacker Frankie Monte had 17 tackles in the loss to Yale.
“They believe in each other,” Curran said of his team. “Every week is a new opportunity.”
