Syracuse’s first shot at a ranked opponent this season comes Saturday at noon inside the JMA Wireless Dome, where the Orange are taking on No. 19 SMU on ESPN2.
The stakes are clear for both sides as they move through the middle third of the season. Syracuse is trying to beat a ranked team for the first time since Nov. 30, 2024, while SMU is looking to stay on track before its Nov. 14 matchup with No.
14 Wake Forest. The Mustangs and Wake Forest are tied for second place in the ACC.
Syracuse entered the day at 3-4 overall and 1-4 in the ACC, coming off its first ACC and Power Four win in 13 months. The Orange still haven’t beaten a Power Four team at home since Nov. 30, 2024, when they knocked Miami out of the ACC championship game and College Football Playoff race.
SMU arrived at 6-1 and 4-1, bringing one of the league’s most productive offenses with it. The Mustangs are averaging 36.4 points per game, which ranks fourth in the ACC, and they’re second in the conference in passing at 313.1 yards per game.
Syracuse, though, is up against a defense that has been stingy through the air. SMU is allowing just 179.1 passing yards per game, best in the ACC, and its third-down defense ranks fourth in FBS at 27.3%.
For Syracuse, the formula is straightforward: keep drives alive and avoid mistakes. Quarterback Steve Angeli looks healthier again, and the Orange have settled on key pieces around him in running backs Tylik Hill and Ahmad Miller, wide receivers Umari Hatcher and Calvin Russell III, and tight end Daunte Bacheyie. Those six will need to be sharp if Syracuse is going to pull the upset.
The Orange also had some personnel movement heading into kickoff. Defensive back Jai Eugene Jr. was ruled out after starting the last three games and spending time at nickel and safety. Angeli, center Kahlil Stewart and defensive tackle Dillan Fontus, who had been listed as questionable Thursday, were not included on Saturday’s pregame availability report.
SMU will be missing running back Dramecko Green and defensive end Ira Singleton IV.
Once the game got underway, Syracuse got an early lift from special teams and its defense. The Orange forced a punt, then Demetres Samuel Jr. gave the offense a short field with a punt return to Syracuse’s 45-yard line.
That set up Syracuse’s first score. Angeli scrambled for a 26-yard touchdown run, his first rushing touchdown of the season, to put the Orange ahead 7-0 with 10:04 left in the first quarter. Syracuse also made a change in the kicking game, with Tripp Woody back on PAT duty and Quinn Olcott handling kickoffs.
SMU answered with a drive that tested Syracuse’s defense. The Mustangs converted a 43-yard catch to Derrick McFall after getting the Orange into 3rd-and-7, then pushed all the way to Syracuse’s one-yard line.
But Syracuse held firm. Chris D’Appolonia turned a 2nd-and-goal option play into a six-yard loss, and Keyshawn Johnson sacked Kevin Jennings for a 17-yard loss on third down.
SMU settled for a 40-yard field goal, trimming the lead to 7-3 with 6:10 left in the quarter.
The Mustangs then took control of the scoreboard. They moved down the field with ease and hit another explosive play when Yannick Smith broke a Chase Geter tackle for a 32-yard catch to get SMU to Syracuse’s 13-yard line. Jalen Hale finished the drive with a nine-yard touchdown catch, giving SMU its first lead at 10-7 with 12 seconds left in the first quarter.
Syracuse’s response was flat. The Orange managed just four yards on the next possession and went three-and-out, giving SMU the ball back at its own 12-yard line after freshman tight end Zack Turner was flagged for an illegal blindside block on the return.
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Syracuse Just Gave Fran Browns Season New Life
For a Syracuse team that had been trying to find some traction in the middle of the season, Saturdays 30-27 win over No. 19 SMU at the JMA Wireless Dome felt like more than just a good night. Steve Angelis late touchdown pass to Noah Meyers finished off a victory that had been hard to come by against ranked competition, and it gave the Orange a result they can point to as the kind of turning point a season sometimes needs.
It was Syracuses first win over a ranked opponent since November 2024, and it came at a time when the margin for error in the ACC had already started to shrink. At 4-4 overall and 2-4 in conference play, the Orange still have work to do, but this was the kind of performance that can change the tone around a team and keep the rest of the schedule from feeling like a long climb. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Just Delivered Another Ranked Win Fans Wont Forget
Syracuse keeps finding ways to make November feel bigger than the calendar says it should. Under Fran Brown, the Orange knocked off 19th-ranked SMU 30-27 at home, leaning on a defense that never let Kevin Jennings get comfortable even as the Mustangs quarterback still managed 351 yards and two touchdowns. The pressure came from all over, with Keyshawn Johnson and others getting to Jennings and Demetres Samuel Jr. helping swing the game with a forced fumble.
Noah Meyers then delivered the kind of finish that turns a good win into a memorable one, scoring the game-winning touchdown and sending the home crowd into the kind of celebration Syracuse has been chasing in ranked matchups. For a program trying to build real staying power under Brown, this was the sort of result that matters beyond one Saturday, because it showed the Orange can win a tight game against a ranked opponent by making the decisive plays late. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Finally Got The Ranked Win Fans Needed But Not Easily
Syracuse finally got the kind of ranked win its fans have been waiting for, but it took every bit of 60 minutes to get there. The Orange knocked off No. 19 SMU 30-27 on a late touchdown pass from Steve Angeli to Noah Meyers, a result that not only snapped their drought against ranked opponents but also pulled them back to .500 at 4-4. It was the sort of game Syracuse had to have, and for a while it looked like the Orange might control it with a strong first half.
Instead, the second half turned into a grind, with SMU pushing back and forcing Syracuse to answer possession after possession. The Orange still found enough from its defense and rushing attack to stay in the fight, and when the moment arrived, Angeli delivered the throw that made the difference. For a team trying to steady its season, it was a much-needed win, even if it came with plenty of stress attached. [Read more 🡒]