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SAN DIEGO — As Kyle McCord spoke on his future, Fran Brown looked to the sky and prayed. It’s well-documented now that McCord’s out of eligibility. An initial waiver to buy a fifth year was denied. He’s now appealing the ruling.

So while McCord mulled over his future, Brown put his hands together, shut his eyes and looked above, mouthing “please God” multiple times.

Brown knows an extra year for McCord equals more success. Now, he’ll just have to wait. But if that was McCord’s last college game, it was a stellar exit.

McCord’s 453 passing yards and five touchdowns led Syracuse (10-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast) past Washington State (8-5, 0-1 Pac-12) 52-35 in the Holiday Bowl. Entering the game, McCord already reset program passing records.

His performance against the Cougars gave the gunslinger the ACC record for passing yards (4,779) and completions (391), surpassing Deshaun Watson’s 2016 numbers in two fewer games. The win and McCord’s play capped off a historic season.

“To be sitting here and have that record now, it’s crazy to see how everything comes full circle,” McCord said postgame.

The signal-caller’s time at Syracuse has been brief. It started with a talk in his apartment at Ohio State with Brown. The quarterback was thrown under the bus, scapegoated and practically forced out following a middling year that ended in a one-score loss to the eventual national champions.

There, in his Columbus living room, McCord found a home in Syracuse. Brown told McCord exactly how the season would go. With all the confidence poured into him, the signal caller became the unequivocal leader of a new era.

The flashes of greatness glared throughout the 2024 season. Other than one major hiccup, each win was on McCord’s golden arm. The success continued in Snapdragon Stadium Friday.

SU’s quarterback started 0-for-3, with pressure consuming him. On the next drive, he quickly found his pace. And looking for Trebor Peña — his leading receiver all season — was his comfort zone.

A 29-yard catch from Darrell Gill Jr. — who finished with a team-leading 145 receiving yards — got the Orange rolling. Then, McCord dropped back and delivered a gorgeous back-shoulder ball to the left pylon to Peña for six points.

Connections like that don’t grow overnight. Thirteen games into the season, McCord’s attachment to his receivers proved deadly.

“At this point, you got so many reps of that, I knew exactly what Peña was thinking. Anytime you get press man (coverage), I want (Peña) to take that matchup and give them a chance to go up and get it,” McCord said.

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord totaled 453 passing yards and five touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl. The passing yard mark is the most by a SU quarterback ever in a bowl game. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor

Following his first touchdown pass, McCord got Jackson Meeks and LeQuint Allen Jr. involved. Then, it was Oronde Gadsden II. The tight end streaked through the goal line, getting inside leverage, to tie the game at 21-21.

Gadsden was one of the longest-tenured players at SU. He made the plan clear to Brown when deciding whether to stay with the Orange.

“If you get a quarterback, I’m here. If you don’t, I’m out,” Brown said Gadsden told him.

Brown got him a quarterback, and the rest is history. But taking over a team for one season is no easy feat. Still, Brown said McCord quickly found his way.

On the first day in the weight room, McCord was one of the final contenders in a last-man-standing push-up battle. Everyone stopped, but McCord kept going.

“From that moment, I knew, like, ‘Oh, this dude is tough,’” Brown said. “Everybody else knew it was tough, and I knew that it was on me to just push and to keep making sure everyone knew who Kyle was and what he was about.”

The same relentless attitude showed against the Cougars. McCord completed nine straight passes across two drives. The first was capped with a touchdown in the left corner to Gadsden.

No matter the target, McCord picked apart the WSU secondary. It continued on as Syracuse pulled away. A screen pass to Peña, aided by an exceptional block by Meeks, went the distance for 45 yards, pushing SU’s lead to 42-28.

With minutes to play, McCord had one more touchdown in him. Trusting Allen, he hit the running back on a screen with a free rusher closing in. Allen caught the ball at Washington State’s 45-yard line and galloped into the end zone untouched. Count them on a hand. That’s five for McCord, the most in his career.

McCord’s 2024 season ended on a high note. He’s revered by alumni, admired by teammates and recruits and loved by fans. But the love is most notable from his head coach.

“This is my guy,” Brown said while looking toward McCord. “I love this guy. I truly love him, I care about him and he’s just that dude for real.”

“No matter who goes in and plays, we always say as long as we got (McCord) in the house, he’s going to get the ball around to the guys,” Brown added.

What started in a Columbus living room possibly ended in San Diego. The Orange have prepared for an exit, bringing in LSU transfer Rickie Collins Jr.

But now, everyone plays the waiting game. A return to Syracuse by his own choice? Or, a shift to the next level after the NCAA’s decision? McCord’s future was delayed as he prepared for the Holiday Bowl and the NCAA entered a holiday off-period. Now, following another magical night for the quarterback, his fate will soon be decided.

“I really haven’t been thinking about that too much,” McCord said of his future. “I’ve kind of been focused on the ballgame. Now that we’ve got some time off, and if I do get that extra year, we’ll see. It would definitely be a tough decision to make either way.”

Published on December 28, 2024 at 3:11 am

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