A walk-off field goal kick completed the Syracuse Orange football team’s first loss of the season, a game that certainly produced plenty of frustration across the position groups. A comeback attempt saw Syracuse take its first lead with about three minutes remaining, but it wasn’t enough as the Stanford Cardinal won 26-24.

Aside from the fact that this is the first defeat for the Orange in 2024, the numbers will be a lot more interesting this time around. For how many players have stood up on a large scale, an equal number have not delivered the best performances. How did the scorebook finally take shape this week?

Here’s a look at the position ratings from Syracuse’s Friday night loss to Stanford:

Quarterbacks: B

Two interceptions (one of which, while not his fault, resulted in a pick six for the Cardinal) unfortunately proved costly in hindsight, but it’s hard to blame Kyle McCord for that one. He still finished with a 64% completion percentage, 339 yards, and two TDs. He overcame a bad day for the offensive line, a really bad day for Oronde Gadsden, and a really (really) bad performance running the ball. B feels fair, though I was tempted to go B+ a second time around.

Running backs: C+

It’s tough to give a grade higher than C+ when LeQuint Allen (8 carries, 25 yards, 3.1 YPC) and Yasin Willis (4 carries, 9 yards, 2.2 YPC) combined for just 34 rushing yards the entire game. How much of that is their fault versus the O-line? There’s blame everywhere, no matter what. I’m giving it a C+ primarily because of Allen. First, that miraculous nine-yard run that set up Syracuse’s late-game TD was his longest of the night and came at the perfect time. Second, he still caught four passes for 43 yards and proved he can be a threat when the run ball is completely nonexistent.

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Wide Receivers: C+

This is probably the most “debatable” rating on the board. The tight ends were noticeably absent against Stanford. Gadsden finished with two catches for 12 yards and had at least two terribly Costly penalties, one of which negated a huge catch by Umari Hatcher. Dan Villari’s route error led to the pick-six to put the Cardinal back up by 10. At the same time, I’d still go C+ because of this: Even with all that, plus no run game or consistent protection for McCord, this receiving corps is still very productive. Trebor Pena (10 catches, 101 yards) again led the way, but big shoutouts go to big plays by Hatcher (3 catches, 84 yards) and Darrell Gill Jr. (4 catches for 55 yards).

Offensive line: D-

From the hardest grade we now go to the easiest grade to hand out… and that is not good. Costly holding penalties set the Orange back, especially in the first half. The ground game was not a threat at all, especially with how clogged the middle was. McCord had a good day. but was under pressure all night.

Defense Line: D

When the defense struggles collectively, it’s hard to pinpoint who was “worse” on the entire unit. However, there was only one sack on the day and a few too many plays where Stanford’s Ashton Daniels had significant time in the pocket or to move around. He simply missed a few shots on a couple of makeable throws. When Stanford’s run was stopped, it was largely due to tackles before the line of scrimmage by the defensive backs. The only instance for a D+ was when the unit at least caused Stanford to receive a couple of false start penalties as well.

Linebackers: C-

This unit played mostly tackles, but Derek McDonald led the team in tackles (six) and really improved compared to his first two games. Stopping the run was an issue, but again, things looked better in the second half. You can go anywhere from a D+ to a C with this unit.

Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

Defensive backs: C

Just like the receiver grade, you had a handful of players that shined and others that didn’t so much. I personally can’t go lower than C because Clarence Lewis and Devin Grant both came away with an interception to at least keep the comeback momentum going. It was lost on the pick-six, but Stanford only managed two field goals in the second half. The first two quarters were rough, but there was real improvement in coverage outside of that one final Stanford play (which was more of a coaching error than anything else).

Special teams: B

Nothing in favor of the Orange, but nothing against them either. Jack Stonehouse kicked six times for an average of 49.8 yards per kick. Brady Denaburg hit his only field goal. Malachi James and Pena returned the ball only once each.

Now it’s your turn: How would you rate the Orange after their 26-24 loss to Stanford?