Syracuse Football 2020 Season Superlatives: The MVPs
Syracuse football's 2020 season came to a close on Saturday with a loss at No. 2 Notre Dame. The loss gave the Orange their second one win campaign in the last 15 years. Still, despite that, there were positives to take away. At AllSyracuse.com, we hand out our season awards.
OFFENSIVE MVP
Mike McAllister: Chris Elmore. Affectionately known as Rhino among teammates and the fan base, Elmore is one of the more selfless teammates you will find. He played fullback, tight end and defensive line during the 2019 season. This year, due to injuries along the offensive line that left them with limited available players, Elmore moved to guard to help out the team. All he did was play solid football against ACC competition at a position he had not played since high school. In fact, at different points this season, he was the highest graded offensive lineman on Syracuse's roster per Pro Football Focus. When Syracuse got healthier along the offensive line, he moved back to fullback/tight end. Never once did Elmore complain. He always put the team first. He is the real MVP.
Jacob Payne: Taj Harris & Chris Elmore. A 1-10 season doesn't normally accompany an offensive juggernaut, and the 2020 Syracuse Orange are no exception. In a year derailed by injury, new play calling, and a pandemic, offensive production was hard to come by. Despite adjusting to four different quarterbacks throughout the season, junior WR Taj Harris somehow managed to produce like a top 5 target in the ACC. Harris' career highs in receptions (58), yards (735), and touchdowns (5) made him an invaluable asset, no matter who was behind center.
An offensive line decimated by injury needed reinforcements, so Chris Elmore traded in his fullback No. 5 for an offensive guard's No. 63. Elmore was unsure about the position change and uncertain about how he would measure up. After all, it was a skill set he hasn't been asked to use since he was an eighth-grader. But Elmore didn't simply serve as a stopgap; he flourished. Among lineman appearing in six or more games, Elmore was the most accomplished pass and run blocker. According to Pro Football Focus, his most dominant performance came against Liberty, posting a pass-blocking grade of 77.0 and a run-blocking grade of 75.1. Not bad for a tight end/fullback.
RELATED: SYRACUSE FOOTBALL'S ROOKIES OF THE YEAR
DEFENSIVE MVP
McAllister: Mikel Jones. The sophomore linebacker had a spectacular 2020 season. Jones was a playmaker all year, leading the team in tackles (69), interceptions (4), quarterback hurries (5), forced fumbles (3) and fumble recoveries (2). With a year of experience in the 3-3-5, and a full offseason of development, Jones could be even better next season.
Payne: Mikel Jones. Syracuse's defense forced more turnovers (24) than any other team in the country, and Mikel Jones had more takeaways than anybody else on the 'Cuse defense. Jones matched his unreal four-interception turnout with an equally impressive four forced fumbles in 11 games. His eight turnovers surpass the collective effort of Penn State (7) and Mizzou (6). Jone's 57 tackles were second only to Ja'Had Carter's 58 for the team lead. Wherever the ball was, so was Mikel Jones.
SPECIAL TEAMS MVP
McAllister: Nolan Cooney. Replacing an NFL caliber punter is never easy, and yet that is what Syracuse seems to do over and over again. Cooney took over punting duties from Sterling Hofrichter, who is now with the Atlanta Falcons. All Cooney did was finish third in the ACC in punting average (44.8 yards per boot) and lead the conference in punts inside the 20 and punts of over 50 yards.
Payne: Nolan Cooney. Syracuse punter Nolan Cooney punted more than any other punter in the country. Cooney's 74 punts traveled a total distance of 3,314 yards for an average of 44.78 yards per punt. You didn't need to look up the stats to know that Cooney got a lot of work this season, but that is just ridiculous. His 44.78 AVG was good enough for the third-best ranking in the ACC. The two punters ahead of Cooney punted 34 fewer times.
