Syracuse left its early bye week with a win, but not the kind that lets anybody breathe easy. The Orange went a few hours east and survived UConn in overtime, hanging on for a 42-41 victory after squandering a 20-point lead. A successful two-point conversion in the extra frame ended it, and SU got back to .500 with a result that brought some confidence on one side of the ball while leaving plenty of familiar problems in plain view.
The biggest reason Syracuse escaped with the win was the quarterback switch Fran Brown made at the last minute. After saying Steve Angeli would keep the starting job, Brown instead went with Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom, and the move changed the feel of the offense immediately.
Odom’s first drive showed why. After he helped the Orange move the chains on a third down, he rescued what looked like a busted play by gathering a low snap and firing a 40-yard touchdown to Umari Hatcher.
From there, Syracuse had more options. Odom’s mobility opened up the playbook, giving SU room to use tight ends in the passing game and work the read option with his legs.
He also delivered the deep throws Angeli had struggled to connect on through the first three weeks, including a bold 4th and 23 that ended in the end zone.
When the game came down to one more play, Odom finished it himself. He punched in the winning two-point conversion to seal the victory.
That decision may have been tough, especially with Angeli apparently not close to full strength, but it was the right one. Brown needed the better available quarterback on the field, and with the season and his own future under pressure, he went with the option that gave Syracuse the best chance to win.
Hatcher made sure that choice paid off. The sixth-year senior was the centerpiece of the passing game, catching 11 passes for 135 yards and hauling in two separate 40-plus-yard touchdowns.
In the biggest moments, Odom kept looking his way, and Hatcher kept delivering. That kind of day looks a lot like true WR1 territory.
The question now is whether Syracuse has enough behind him. Seven other players caught at least one pass, but only Darius Johnson and Justus Ross-Simmons had three or more.
Calvin Russell had two receptions in his Syracuse debut, though it looked like he was being worked back in gradually. Hatcher was outstanding, but the Orange can’t afford to lean on him too heavily, especially with top ACC corners likely to make life harder on him than UConn did.
Still, the offense’s good showing doesn’t erase how close this game came to becoming a disaster. Syracuse led 27-7 at halftime and still had a 34-14 advantage seven minutes into the third quarter.
That should have been enough to shut the door. Instead, the Orange let UConn hang around long enough to turn the afternoon into a nerve-wracking finish.
The list of issues was long, and the margin for error was thin. Syracuse did get a break in one area: UConn was penalized more often.
But that hardly softens the bigger concern. If the defense and special teams keep performing this way, bowl eligibility is going to be a serious problem.
So yes, there were real positives for Syracuse to take from this one. Odom changed the offense, and Hatcher looked every bit like the go-to receiver.
But the rest of it? Far too messy, far too close, and far too much like a team that can’t afford many more afternoons like this one.
In Other News...
Fran Brown's Blunt Syracuse Warning Overshadowed A Win Over UConn
Syracuse got the result it needed against UConn, but the path to the finish line was anything but clean. The Orange built an early lead, then watched the game tilt badly in the second half as the defense gave up 27 straight points, a collapse that turned a manageable afternoon into a far more uneasy one for a team still trying to settle into its identity.
Fran Brown did not try to soften any of it afterward. The defensive backs coach took responsibility for what happened, pointed to poor play in the secondary and a rush defense that also failed to hold up, and even made an in-game adjustment by shifting Chris Peal from cornerback to safety. For Syracuse, the win matters, but the warning sign may matter even more. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Just Got Pulled Into The ACCs Most Uncomfortable Week
The first weekend of October turned into a brutal sorting exercise across the ACC, with six league matchups suddenly clarifying who is rising, who is wobbling and who is simply trying to survive the month. Pittsburgh edged Virginia Tech but paid a steep price with starting quarterback Mason Heintschel going down with a season-ending ACL injury, while Miami made the loudest statement of the slate by rolling past Clemson. Wake Forest also looked sharp in a dominant win over Stanford, adding to a weekend that left Louisville and Virginia licking their wounds and Florida State looking far more convincing against Virginia.
For Syracuse, the larger lesson is less about any one final score than the way the conference is beginning to separate into uncomfortable tiers. SMU handled Boston College but still looked short of the expectations that came with the programs entry into the league, and three ACC teams ventured into non-conference play with mixed outcomes, adding even more noise to a week already crowded with consequences. In a conference this volatile, every result starts to matter faster than anyone would like, and Syracuse is now watching a race that feels like it could shift again by next Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse May Have Found An O-Line Answer It Suddenly Needed
Syracuse spent a recent game shuffling its offensive line, and the moves at least gave the unit a different look when it needed one. Kahlil Stewart stepped in at center and Jayden Mann took over at right guard, replacing Joe Cruz and Byron Washington as the Orange tried to settle things in front of quarterback Amari Odom.
The line still had its hands full, allowing eight pressures, but it did not give up a sack while Odom threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns. Syracuse also made changes in the secondary with mixed results, but the bigger takeaway was how the offense kept moving, with Umari Hatcher piling up 12 catches for 152 yards and three scores as the Orange searched for the right combination up front. [Read more 🡒]