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Oronde Gadsden II wasn’t himself in Syracuse’s loss to Stanford or its win over Holy Cross.

After registering 13 receptions, 201 receiving yards and three touchdowns throughout SU’s first two games, the tight end was silenced to just three receptions for 16 yards in its ensuing two contests. Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord continuously said he needed to do a better job getting Gadsden the ball.

Meanwhile, first-year head coach Fran Brown lauded Gadsden’s work in protection, noting he was doing the little things to help the Orange win after their victory over the Crusaders. In terms of getting more involved in the receiving game, Brown said it’ll come when the time comes for it.

In primetime at Allegiant Stadium, Gadsden showcased his dominance when the lights shined brightest. The tight end notched a career-high 10 receptions and 142 receiving yards against No. 25 UNLV (4-1, 1-0 Mountain West), helping Syracuse (4-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) win its second game versus an AP Top 25 opponent this season.

“I didn’t know what could have happened this game,” Gadsden said postgame. “This could have been the game that I had, or it could have been a repeat of the last two weeks. You never know, but as long as we walk away with the win that’s all that matters.”

A big emphasis for McCord under center has been finding the open target. While he no longer has a true alpha as he did in Marvin Harrison Jr. at Ohio State, McCord has numerous options in the passing game. Between Gadsden, Jackson Meeks, Trebor Peña, Umari Hatcher and Zeed Haynes — who has missed SU’s last three games due to a personal matter — the Orange have a handful of players capable of being the signal caller’s go-to target any given game.

Against the Rebels, it was Gadsden.

After connecting just once last week, McCord and Gadsden quickly found a rapport on the Orange’s first drive. On SU’s second play from scrimmage, McCord hit his tight end on a curl route to move the chains on second-and-5.

The Orange used a 31-yard strike to Peña to get across midfield, but it was Gadsden who put them inside the red zone. On third-and-4 from UNLV’s 27-yard line, SU lined three receivers up to McCord’s left. McCord first motioned Gadsden to move toward the backfield, but he quickly thereafter moved his tight end back out wide.

As he lined up between Peña in the slot and Hatcher out wide, Rebels defensive back Johnathan Baldwin was five yards off the line of scrimmage and instantly sprinted toward the end zone once the ball was snapped. This left Gadsden wide open and McCord didn’t miss him, connecting for 11 yards.

A play later, with three tight ends on the field, Gadsden beat Jalen Catalon — who has four interceptions this year — one-on-one for a seven-yard gain. LeQuint Allen Jr. proceeded to score the first of his career-high four touchdowns on the ensuing play, giving SU a 7-0 lead.

Gadsden remained a focal point on the Orange’s second drive. Following back-to-back Allen Jr. touches that netted a first down, Gadsden broke off his biggest play of the season. Starting initially in a crouch at the line of scrimmage to the right of fellow tight ends Max Mang and Dan Villari, Gadsden slipped behind UNLV’s defense, which initially stepped up on McCord’s play action.

Linebacker Jackson Woodard was the closest defender near Gadsden, but the tight end created a solid three yards of separation, which further opened up as McCord hit him on a crossing route. After catching the ball nearly 25 yards downfield at midfield, Gadsden added about 15 more after the catch along the sideline for a 39-yard gain.

The Orange quickly moved the ball inside the red zone, and again found Gadsden matched up versus Catalon. This time, the defensive back pressed up on Gadsden, but as he made a move toward the middle of the end zone, his 6-foot-5 frame proved to be too much. To prevent a potential touchdown, Catalon interfered with the pass, bringing SU to the three-yard line. It again set up an Allen Jr. touchdown.

While Syracuse’s offense stalled throughout the rest of the first half, Gadsden hauled in two more catches for 20 yards. Both receptions helped lead to a Jayden Oh made field goal, which cut the Orange’s halftime deficit to 21-17 after they allowed UNLV to score three unanswered touchdowns.

To regain the lead in the second half, SU leaned on running backs Allen Jr. and Yasin Willis — who combined for 191 total yards. The duo helped Syracuse take a 31-21 lead midway through the third quarter. A UNLV field goal cut its lead to 31-24, but a 25-yard gain from Gadsden on third-and-10 put the Orange in position to answer back.

Though after back-to-back touches from the running backs that gained just a yard, McCord again faced third-and-long. Again, he looked for Gadsden. This time, Catalon broke up the pass, which set up the Rebels’ blocked punt touchdown that tied the game 31-31.

Gadsden was a non-factor on SU’s ensuing 13-play drive that led it into the red zone. The drive stalled after McCord threw an interception, which led to UNLV taking a 38-31 lead with less than three minutes in the fourth quarter.

But when McCord needed his No. 1 target most, Gadsden rose to the occasion. On a broken play to begin the drive, Gadsden showcased his playmaking ability by shedding free from Jett Elad as McCord moved to his right. After catching the ball near the first down chains, he added seven after the catch.

McCord and Meeks propelled the Orange to UNLV’s 33-yard line with just under two minutes remaining, but back-to-back incompletions forced a third-and-10. SU utilized three receivers to McCord’s right, with Gadsden being the closest one to him. The tight end had a one-on-one versus Elad and created separation as he broke toward the sideline.

However, he was a yard short of the first down, which the Orange picked up on a jet sweep to Allen Jr. With under 30 seconds left, Syracuse forced overtime as McCord and Meeks connected for a touchdown.

UNLV took a 41-38 lead in overtime, which set Syracuse up to score a walk-off touchdown. It appeared the Orange would attempt to kick a game-tying field goal as their drive stalled out on third-and-20, but a roughing the passer penalty gave them a first down at UNLV’s 12-yard line. Two plays later, Gadsden corralled a nine-yard pass that got SU to the one-yard line, setting up Allen Jr.’s game-winning score.

While he didn’t find the end zone, Gadsden showcased his dominance by catalyzing SU’s aerial attack — which saw McCord throw a career-high 63 passes. Though he didn’t excel in SU’s passing game the last couple of weeks, Gadsden rose up to ignite a stunning win.

“I think he’s doing an amazing job, and we know he can catch, and now he’s showing you that he can block,” Brown said of Gadsden. “So he’s a complete tight end. He’s just that guy. He’s the X-factor that we have.”

Published on October 5, 2024 at 3:32 am

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon