Syracuse vs. NC State: Box score, stats and game summary ft. Kyle McCord

Kyle McCord eclipsed7300 passing yards and threw two touchdowns as Syracuse continued its run in the upper echelon of the ACC, winning 24-17. 3-4 NC State fell to 0-3 in league play.

Syracuse had already claimed a pair of wins over ranked foes, besting Georgia Tech and UNLV already. The Orangemen's only loss so far came in a two-point defeat to Stanford. With a handful of ACC teams still unbeaten in league play, the Orangemen needed to avoid a second ACC loss to stay in competition for a high-level bowl bid (or possibly, even the College Football Playoff).

Meanwhile, NC State has had a difficult start to 2024, losing not only to Tennessee and Clemson, but also Wake Forest. Only three ACC teams have yet to win a conference game, and the Wolfpack remain in that group.

Syracuse was a 1.5 point favorite on the road in this pivotal ACC game. Kyle McCord, an Ohio State transfer, has led the Syracuse offense, while NC State has struggled defensively. The Wolfpack have allowed 33.7 points per game, in the bottom 15 of FBS football. True freshman CJ Bailey has taken the starting QB job for State.

Syracuse vs. NC State Box Score

Syracuse Passing Stats

Syracuse Rushing and Receiving Stats

Syracuse Kicking Stats

NC State Passing Stats

NC State Rushing and Receiving Stats

NC State Kicking Stats

Game Summary

Syracuse churned out a scoring drive on the game's opening possession, going 61 yards and 16 plays before settling for a 32 yard Jayden Oh field goal. NC State missed a field goal on their first possession, and Syracuse then reached the NC State red zone before turning the ball over on downs.

Late in the second quarter, Syracuse recovered a fumble and then drove 83 yards to extend their edge to 10-0. McCord connected with Umari Hatcher on a 28 yard scoring pass. NC State scored just before the half on a 14 yard Bailey to Justin Joly touchdown pass to make it 10-7 at halftime.

Syracuse extended its lead on a drive midway through the third quarter on a JaQuint Allen touchdown run. Early in the fourth quarter, McCord found Jackson Meeks for a 2-yard score that all but finished the game. Despite a 75 yard strike from Bailey to Noah Rogers on the second play following that score, the Syracuse lead held up. A field goal with 1:32 to play pulled the Wolfpack within 24-17.

At 5-1, Syracuse will now travel to No. 22 Pittsburgh next week, with both teams fairly likely to be in the top 25 for that battle. NC State falls to 3-4 and will travel to California to look for their first league victory.

• Syracuse: Jayden Oh, 32 yard field goal, 3-0, 8:13 left in 1st quarter
• Syracuse: Umari Hatcher 28 yard TD pass from Kyle McCord, (Oh XPT), 10-0, 2:40 left in 2nd quarter
• NC State: Justin Joly 14 yard TD pass from CJ Bailey (Vinesett XPT), 10-7, 0:31 left in 2nd quarter
• Syracuse: LeQuint Allen, 3 yard TD run (Oh XPT), 17-7, 6:39 left in 3rd quarter
• Syracuse: Jackson Meeks, 2 yard TD pass from Kyle McCord (Oh XPT), 24-7, 10:20 left in 4th quarter
• NC State: Noah Rogers, 75 yard TD pass from CJ Bailey (Vinesett XPT), 24-14, 9:31 left in 4th quarter
• NC State: Kanoah Vinesett 29 yard field goal, 24-17, 1:32 left in 4th quarter