AP Player of the Week: QB Kyle McCord shreds Miami defense in Syracuse’s first top-10 win since 2017
AP Player of the Week: QB Kyle McCord shreds Miami defense in Syracuse’s first top-10 win since 2017
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (6) throws during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Miami on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (6) throws a pass during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against California, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord, left, celebrates with wide receiver Braden Davis as fans rushed the field after their win against Miami in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (6) throws during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Miami on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (6) throws during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Miami on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (6) throws a pass during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against California, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (6) throws a pass during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against California, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord, left, celebrates with wide receiver Braden Davis as fans rushed the field after their win against Miami in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord, left, celebrates with wide receiver Braden Davis as fans rushed the field after their win against Miami in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
The Associated Press national player of the week in college football for Week 14 of the season:
Kyle McCord, Syracuse
The Ohio State transfer completed 26 of 36 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-38 win over then-No. 8 Miami, knocking the Hurricanes out of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and making way for Clemson to face SMU.
McCord, who leads the nation with 360 yards passing per game, has thrown for a school-record 29 touchdowns and helped the Orange win nine games for the first time since 2018. The Orange, at No. 23, are ranked in the AP Top 25 this week for the first time in two years.
Eight of his passes against Miami went for more than 20 yards, and he was 10 of 12 for 224 yards and two TDS in the second half.
Runner-up
Hawaii true freshman Micah Alejado was 37 of 57 for 469 yards and five touchdowns in his first start in a 38-30 win over New Mexico. Alejado set school records for passing yards and passing touchdowns in a starting debut. Alejado added 54 yards rushing, giving him 523 total yards and breaking Cole McDonald’s school record of 514.
Honorable mention
Colorado WR-CB Travis Hunter padded his Heisman Trophy resume with 10 catches for 116 yards and three touchdowns, an interception and two pass breakups in a 52-0 win over Oklahoma State. ... South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers’ 20-yard touchdown run with 1:08 to play gave the Gamecocks a 17-14 win over Clemson. Sellers finished with 166 yards rushing and two scores and was 13-of-24 passing for 164 yards. ... Memphis RB Mario Anderson Jr. had his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season with a team-high 177 yards in a 34-24 win over Tulane. ... Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty rushed for 226 yards and a touchdown in a 34-18 win over Oregon State. ... Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders threw for 438 yards and five touchdowns against Oklahoma State. ... Colorado State QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi was 31 for 46 for 370 yards and four touchdowns and he ran for a fifth as the Rams used a run of 29 consecutive points to beat Utah State 42-37.
Six stats
— Boise State’s Jeanty finished the regular season with a rushing average of 191 yards per game, 53 more than the next closest rusher.
— Iowa’s five first downs against Nebraska were the fewest in a win in the FBS since at least 2000.
— Oklahoma State’s defense has allowed 122 plays of 30-plus yards in its last 39 games, most in the nation, according to Sportradar.
— Sanders’ completion rate of 74.2% for Colorado (337 of 454) is the second-highest in the nation over the last four years. Oregon’s Bo Nix completed 77.4% last season.
— Donovan Ezeiruaku’s average of 1.38 sacks per game for Boston College is highest in the nation since 2019.
— Iowa State QB Rocco Becht completed just 13 of 36 passes against Kansas State, making the Cyclones the first FBS team since 2002 to win a conference game with so few completions while having so many attempts.
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