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Darrell Gill Jr. came into Syracuse’s matchup against UConn with 235 receiving yards on the season over nine games played. He nearly matched that total on Saturday alone.

On a day where quarterback Kyle McCord set SU’s single-season passing yards record, Gill left his own mark on the history books. He recorded nine receptions for 177 yards, beating his previous career-highs into submission. It was the most yards in a single game by any Orange receiver since 2017 — all from someone who was thought to be a reserve.

McCord said postgame that Gill’s gaudy performance is reflective of SU’s deep receiving corps. He never knows who he’s going to favor with his targets. It’s all dependent on what he sees. And Saturday, on the game’s first play, he noticed Gill galloping past Huskies cornerback Malcolm Bell, prompting McCord to release a 53-yard bomb that his receiver hauled in.

“From the first play, having that huge completion set the tempo for the rest of the game,” McCord said of his connection with Gill, who entered Saturday as SU’s No. 6 leading receiver. “Obviously, his volume isn’t as high as the other guys. But (in practice), he’s going 110% every single rep, so it gives me confidence when he’s in the game and I just throw his way.”

It was Gill’s game Saturday, as Syracuse (8-3, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) took down UConn (7-4, Independent) 31-24 to clinch its highest win total since 2018. For an offense led by the country’s leader in passing yards, SU’s receivers have taken center stage this year. Yet, of all the dominant showings from Trebor Peña, Oronde Gadsden II, Jackson Meeks and Co., Gill’s stands out among the rest.

Steve Ishmael was the last Syracuse receiver to post more than 177 yards, racking up 11 receptions for 187 yards on Nov. 25, 2017, versus Boston College. But Ishmael was SU’s bonafide No. 1 wideout that year. Gill was supposed to warm the bench.

The sophomore from Atascocita, Texas, accumulated just seven catches for 60 yards as a freshman. Then this season, buried beneath Meeks, Zeed Haynes, Peña and Umari Hatcher on Syracuse’s wide receiver depth chart, he hadn’t received consistent reps.

Gill’s best game until Saturday came two weeks prior, grabbing two passes for 50 receiving yards and a touchdown in SU’s 37-31 loss to Boston College. His season-bests for yards and receptions were 55 and four, respectively. He already broke and matched those totals by the end of the first quarter Saturday, accumulating 85 yards on four receptions.

Postgame, Gill didn’t have much to say about his big day being an inflection point for his season. He understands Syracuse’s strong receiving depth, and takes his opportunities when he can as a second-year player. That comes from staying on the same page as McCord, Gill said, and getting his hands ready as quickly as possible.

“He’s trying to get the ball out and move the ball downfield real fast,” Gill said of McCord. “You just gotta get your eyes around.”

As always, Gill was ready. This time was when he finally reaped the benefits. As he neared midfield on a go route to begin the contest, Gill’s eyes were squarely locked onto McCord’s high-arcing pass that fell right into the receiver’s arms. His 53-yard catch set up a 22-yard Gadsden touchdown reception on the very next play for a 7-0 Orange lead.

He continued to emerge as McCord’s go-to option Saturday. The quarterback consistently found him across all depths of the field, but particularly on deep passes.

On a third-and-15 in the second quarter from UConn’s 23-yard line, McCord rolled right once the pocket collapsed, looking for Gill downfield. Working on Huskies’ cornerback Cam Chadwick, Gill ran a go route into the end zone. Though he adjusted to McCord’s movement, instead darting back across the goal line for a comeback route.

“Whenever he’s rolling out, (it’s a) scramble drill, that’s all it is. Just find an area where he can get you the ball,” Gill said of the play. “Because Kyle’s gonna get you the ball no matter what. It’s just based on if you’re going to catch it or not.”

McCord fired, and Gill brought the ball to his chest while tapping his feet to the turf to secure the snag. Chadwick shoved him out of bounds, but not before Gill’s 19-yard catch for a crucial first down — which set up a LeQuint Allen Jr. one-yard rushing touchdown.

Later on, with 15 seconds left in the second quarter and SU up 21-14, McCord threw deep over the middle to Gill, trying to put the Orange into field goal range. The ball was placed in a contentious spot, as Gill was flying right toward it with UConn’s Rante Jones converging from the opposite direction.

Gill didn’t care. He leapt up for the catch, smashed into Jones’ helmet and cradled the ball in his right arm for a 23-yard reception. While Jackson Kennedy couldn’t convert the ensuing 52-yard field goal, Gill improbably put the Orange in a place to at least try one.

He even showed off his athleticism with some yards after catch in the third quarter. On a second-and-4 from the Huskies’ 37-yard line, McCord tossed a simple out route for Gill on the far sideline. UConn cornerback D’Mon Brinson lunged toward him for the tackle, yet Gill turned upfield so rapidly that he left Brinson in a cloud of dust behind him. Gill scampered forward until he was tackled at the five, finishing off a 32-yard catch and run.

For Syracuse head coach Fran Brown, Gill’s breakout game didn’t come as too much of a surprise. He credited Gill’s ability to play from the X, Z and slot receiver positions, and Gill’s attention to detail working with wide receivers coach Ross Douglas, for what led to Saturday’s showing.

But it’s also Gill’s maturity as a sophomore that Brown has noticed. With clear eyes off the field, Gill’s on-field promise only grows.

“He just listens, he does everything right,” Brown said of Gill. “He’s never on a list, he’s never late to class, he’s never not making his weight. All the things that are required that don’t require talent? He does them. Which is the reason why, when it’s time for football, he’s able to excel in football.”

Published on November 23, 2024 at 7:24 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews