Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord struggled through his worst performance of the season Thursday in a lopsided 41-13 loss at No. 19 Pittsburgh, throwing five interceptions and taking four sacks against the Panthers. The former Ohio State signal-caller entered the midweek ACC contest as a contender for the national passing title with his 360 passing yards per game (good for second-most at the FBS level), and he remains on pace to challenge Miami’s Cam Ward even with the disastrous outing.
Four of McCord’s five interceptions came in the first half, and Pittsburgh returned three of them for pick-sixes. McCord never threw more than two interceptions in a game prior to the Pittsburgh loss. He posted two picks twice last season as the Ohio State starter and matched that tally through the first half of the 2024 campaign. His turnovers Thursday more than doubled his previous single-game career-high.
“I believe we have the best quarterback in the country, and I believe in him 100%,” Syracuse coach Fran Brown said postgame on the Syracuse Sports Network radio broadcast. “The ball just didn’t bounce that way. It just happens that way.”…