Virginia Tech has faced several quality quarterbacks this season. Diego Pavia led Vanderbilt to a historic win in the first game of the season. Cam Ward was clutch in Miami’s comeback against Virginia Tech in Hard Rock Stadium. This weekend Virginia Tech will face, in my estimation, the best pure passer of the year.
Kyle McCord had a miserable game versus Pittsburgh last weekend, but don’t let that one-off performance fool you. It was a disaster for McCord in every way possible. Three first-half pick-sixes doomed the Orange from the very beginning, but this was a very atypical performance from McCord, who has had an otherwise stellar season. He has already thrown for 2,481 yards on the season. Couple that with 19 touchdown passes with a 63.6% completion percentage and McCord ranks near the top of the ACC.
The good news is that Virginia Tech is ranked 2nd in pass defense allowing a paltry 196.3 yards per game. Brent Pry has spoken about the challenges of playing in the dome, and the Hokie secondary better be ready.
McCord’s path to Syracuse has been well documented, but many were surprised (myself included) by the complete change in the team's improvement. If you are not familiar the quick story is that McCord was the starter at Ohio State and everything was peachy.
The Buckeyes lost to eventual national champion Michigan, and that’s when the problems started. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day was not comfortable telling McCord he would be the starter for the 2024 campaign, and McCord hastily entered the portal.
I always thought he was a quality player and I was curious where he would end up. When it was announced he was heading to Syracuse, I was a bit surprised, and started looking a little closer. Fran Brown is the main reason McCord wears orange now instead of red. Brown has known about McCord since Little League and capitalized on that connection. Brown is one of the best young coaches in the A.C.C., and it should be no surprise McCord has performed this well. Virginia Tech’s secondary better be ready, or it might be another nightmare at the dome.