Fran Brown didn’t spend Monday pretending Syracuse’s 1-2 start is anything other than what it is.
With the Orange coming off back-to-back losses and heading into an early bye week, Brown used the break to reset the message inside the program. He said a conversation with his relative, Uncle Puh, helped frame the moment for the team.
"He looked at this situation and he said, 'Fran, this is a situation that weak-minded people would think we got a problem. But strong-minded people will look at it as an opportunity," Brown shared.
"I think this is a big opportunity... We just got to play one game at a time."
That opportunity arrives Saturday at Pratt & Whitney Stadium against UConn, and Syracuse’s path back starts with the basics. Brown said the bye week was spent cleaning up the issues that have been dragging the Orange down: pre-snap penalties, missed tackles and an offense that hasn’t been able to sustain drives.
"Before you guys even ask, we worked on that the entire bye week," Brown said. "Make sure that we handle our business and do what's best for us during the play. Taking one more step to finish out the block, one more step to be able to tackle."
The offensive line is a major piece of the fix. Syracuse has controlled the ball well - more than 33 minutes of possession per game - but too many possessions have ended with long-yardage problems before the offense could find rhythm. Brown put that burden on the front.
"From an offensive line perspective... they haven't played up to their potential yet," Brown said. "So we're working on that and making sure that could be something that works itself out."
That same evaluation helped create an opening for Ahmad Miller. After giving Syracuse a physical lift between the tackles at Pitt, Miller carried that momentum into the bye week and earned a larger role.
"You do well when you go out, you get to earn a bigger role," Brown said. "You embrace your role, and once you embrace it, then you get to change it depending on what you do with it.
He embraced his role, he got an opportunity to carry the football and he done a good job on it. He done a good job the last four days of practice that we had on bye week."
Brown also singled out tight end Daunte Bacheyie, pushing the sophomore to grow beyond his receiving value and become a reliable blocker on the edge and in split-zone work.
On the other side of the ball, Syracuse’s numbers look strong enough on paper. The Orange are ranked inside the top 20 nationally and are allowing just 258.7 yards per game.
But Brown said the defense still has a glaring issue: takeaways. Through three games, Syracuse has forced only two turnovers and sits at minus-three in turnover margin.
"We're doing a good job on defense," Brown said. "Coach VK is a great teacher...
It's important that we get more takeaways. That's something that he preaches and he pushed for us to be able to do that and go out there and get some kills."
That matters against a UConn offense expected to lean on heavy personnel and try to challenge Syracuse at the point of attack, especially in the gaps and on the edge.
Brown also made it clear that the red zone has to get fixed. Settling for field goals instead of touchdowns has been a major problem in both losses, and he said that has to change if Syracuse wants the bye week to mean anything.
"The number one thing we have to do is play complementary football and help each other," Brown said. "The second thing I think we have to do is be able to score in the red area.
The red zone is something that killed us over those last two weeks. If we get touchdowns instead of field goals, then we sitting here talking a little bit different."
There is also a defined answer at kicker. Brown confirmed freshman Shay Barker will continue handling placekicking duties after taking over at Pittsburgh.
The bye week gave Syracuse a chance to stare directly at the problems. Now the Orange have to show the fixes hold up when the ball is kicked off Saturday afternoon.
In Other News...
Former Syracuse Transfers Are Already Creating One Early Debate
The first month of the 2026 season has already offered a clearer picture of what Syracuse lost when 20 football players hit the transfer portal after the 2025 campaign. A review of 10 of those former Orange shows a familiar split that can make portal fallout so hard to judge early on: some players have quickly found roles and are logging game action for new programs, while others are still waiting to get on the field and establish where they fit.
For Syracuse fans, the early debate is less about where those players landed and more about what their departures mean for the roster that remains. The mixed start has underscored how unpredictable transfer movement can be, with some exits already looking like immediate contributors elsewhere and others still in limbo as the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Has A Real Shot To End One Frustrating Syracuse Streak
UConn and Syracuse are meeting in a nonconference game with both programs looking for a reset after uneven starts. The Huskies come in at 2-2 after recent losses, while Syracuse is 1-2 and trying to stop a two-game skid, which gives this matchup a little more edge than the usual early-season crossover. Both coaching staffs spent the week talking through quarterback play and the availability of key pieces, a sign that neither sideline is quite settled yet.
For Syracuse, there is also the possibility of getting another young weapon involved if freshman Calvin Russell III is ready to make his debut. That kind of fresh energy can matter in a game like this, where the Orange are trying to steady themselves and avoid letting a frustrating stretch linger. UConn, meanwhile, has a chance to walk in and make life even tougher for a Syracuse team still searching for traction. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Depth Chart Hints At Fran Browns Next Big Calls
Syracuse is already at a familiar early-season crossroads under Fran Brown, with a new defensive staff and a fresh system still being sorted out as the Orange move through the third game of the year. After opening with a win over New Hampshire and then dropping games to California and Pittsburgh, the focus has shifted to how Brown and his staff want to line up the roster heading into the UConn matchup.
The projected depth chart for that game offers the clearest snapshot yet of where some of those choices stand on both offense and defense, showing starters and backups across the board. For a team still trying to settle into its identity, the chart is less a finished answer than a preview of the next set of decisions Brown has to make as Syracuse tries to steady itself. [Read more 🡒]