Ohio’s season begins Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York when Ohio takes on non-conference opponent Syracuse.
The Bobcats are coming off a successful season that saw them win 10 games, including their bowl game victory at the Myrtle Beach Bowl against Georgia Southern. They will be looking to start their season off with an upset against a Power 4 team in Syracuse.
The Orange will be a tough test for the Bobcats; here is everything you need to know about Syracuse.
Head Coach
Saturday’s game is the first game that newly hired Syracuse head coach Fran Brown will coach for the Orange. He was hired in late November after the school fired coach Dino Babers, who finished his last season with the team with a record of 6-7, ending his eight-year tenure with the Orange.
Brown was previously the defensive backs coach for Georgia, where he won the 2023 SEC and national championships. The season opener against Ohio will be his first game as a head coach of a Division I program.
Quarterbacks
Syracuse landed one of the biggest names in the transfer portal as a quarterback during the offseason, bringing in former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord. The senior will enter his first year for the Orange and looks to show stability for himself and the team.
McCord entered the portal after spending last season as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. McCord put up decent numbers last season, throwing for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns. However, his downfall was an inability to come through in crucial moments, an example being his game-ending interception against Michigan.
McCord still has talent and a year of starting experience for one of the best programs in the country and should bring Syracuse some solid quarterback play.
Running Backs
LeQuint Allen returns for his junior season this year for Syracuse. As a sophomore, the running back had a good year in 2023 going for 1,064 yards and nine touchdowns. His stellar season earned him All-ACC honors at the end of the year. With another year of development, he could cause some problems on the ground for Ohio.
Wide Receivers
Syracuse hit the portal hard this offseason to rebuild the offense, bringing in not only a highly touted transfer quarterback but also two talented wide receivers to catch passes from McCord.
Fran Brown brought two former Georgia receivers to Syracuse, getting Jackson Meeks and Yazeed Haynes from the transfer portal. Neither player saw the field much for the Bulldogs last season, but they will be getting opportunities to shine for Syracuse this season.
Umari Hatcher also returns for the Orange after finishing second on the team in receiving yards last season with 482 yards and three touchdowns.
Defense
Syracuse was a middle-of-the-pack defense last season in the ACC, finishing 8th and 9th in scoring and yardage defense respectively. The team returns many key players in 2024, including its top four tacklers from last season with linebacker Marlowe Wax, safety Justin Barron, linebacker Derek McDonald and defensive back Alijah Clark.
These men have experience and a lot of talent. They should improve this season and Ohio will be a good litmus test for them to open up the season.
