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Syracuse has entered the AP Top-25 Poll for the first time under head coach Fran Brown, slotting in at No. 23 of this week’s rankings, which were released Sunday. The Orange shocked then-No. 8 Miami Saturday in a 42-38 upset win at the JMA Wireless Dome, launching them into the national rankings and ending the Hurricanes’ Atlantic Coast Conference title game bid.

Saturday’s result was SU’s first win over a top-10 opponent since beating then-No. 2 Clemson in 2017 and its third ranked victory of 2024. It also clinched the Orange’s third season with nine-plus wins since 2000 and the first regular season that ended with them in the top-25 since 2018.

“This win shows that Syracuse is for real,” SU quarterback Kyle McCord, who threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns against Miami, said. “To be a part of that team that turned things around and got things going in the right direction, I think that’s going to last forever.”

Early on against Miami, it looked like the Orange would get blown to bits. They trailed 21-0 by the early stages of the second quarter as Hurricanes’ star quarterback Cam Ward diced through SU’s secondary with ease.

Then, McCord and Co. got in a rhythm, scoring three unanswered touchdowns. Back-to-back respective touchdown drives by Ward and McCord made it 28-28. Then safety Devin Grant tallied a 56-yard scoop and score to put SU ahead by seven entering the fourth.

Miami clawed back to a tie game with a quick seven-point drive, but LeQuint Allen Jr. punched in a touchdown run on the opposite end to make it 42-35. Ward was brought down by Marlowe Wax on a third-and-goal scramble, which forced a Hurricanes’ field goal with 3:42 left to play. From there, the Orange ran the clock out with a few Allen Jr. carries and an 11-yard jet sweep to Trebor Peña — which gave SU the game-sealing first down.

“To bring back that winning culture of ‘Cuse and show everybody that ‘Cuse is back, this is just the beginning,” Grant, a transfer from Buffalo, said of Syracuse’s upset win.

The Orange now await their bowl-game assignment which, considering their top-25 status, could be against a high-level opponent. Heading into this week, Sports Illustrated projected SU to play Florida in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, while CBS Sports had Syracuse facing off with USC in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.

Published on December 1, 2024 at 2:07 pm

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