Emmet Kenney kicked four field goals, including a 39-yarder as time expired, to send visiting Stanford to a 26-24 win over Syracuse on Friday night.
Playing in their first Atlantic Coast Conference game following a long run in the Pac-12, the Cardinal (2-1, 1-0 ACC) never trailed until the waning minutes. Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord found receiver Darrell Gill Jr. for 24 yards on third-and-17 then hooked up with Jackson Meeks for a 13-yard TD with 3:13 remaining as the hosts jumped ahead 24-23.
However, the Orange (2-1, 1-1) were unable to stop Stanford on the final possession. Ashton Daniels’ 27-yard back-shoulder throw to Elic Ayomanor on fourth-and-9 set up the Cardinal at the 18-yard line, allowing Kenney to drill the winning kick in the final seconds.
McCord finished 27 of 42 for 339 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, plus a rushing score. Daniels went 23 of 38 for 178 yards with one TD and two picks.
McCord accounted for two touchdowns — one for each team — in the latter portions of the third quarter. With a little more than four minutes left, he was intercepted by Mitch Leigber, who returned it 71 yards to put Stanford ahead 20-10 following the extra point. However, McCord got the points right back for the Orange, scoring on a 19-yard run in which he jumped over a defender on his leap into the end zone.
McCord’s second interception of the game — this one nabbed by Jay Green — set up the Cardinal around midfield less than a minute into the fourth quarter. The visitors drove into the red zone before settling for Kenney’s 35-yard field goal that made it 23-17 with 9:19 to play.
After the teams exchanged punts to begin the contest, Stanford drove 78 yards — capped by Ayomanor’s one-handed TD grab — to open the scoring. Another punt by the Orange set up Kenney’s 38-yard field goal to make it 10-0 early in the second quarter.
The Cardinal still held a 10-point advantage, 13-3, after Kenney’s 51-yard field goal with 1:35 remaining in the half. Yet, that left Syracuse enough time to cash in on McCord’s last-minute 67-yard TD pass to Umari Hatcher, whose defender fell down on the play.
