East Hartford, Conn. - Syracuse heads into Saturday’s matchup with Connecticut carrying plenty of pressure, and the Orange made a notable change before kickoff: Steve Angeli is out of the starting lineup for load management, with Amari Odom getting the nod.
Brown said Thursday that more starting spots may be on the line, and Saturday already felt like a key test for a Syracuse team sitting at 1-2 and trying to end a 10-game losing streak against FBS programs. The Orange have not beaten an FBS opponent in more than a year, which makes this non-conference game one of the most important of Fran Brown’s tenure.
Brown had been trying to frame the week around outside noise, telling the team Syracuse’s bandwagon fans have checked out after the 1-2 start. The Orange’s in-house content department also leaned into the idea of blocking out the criticism that has surrounded the quarterback situation and the team’s rough opening stretch.
Angeli, who Brown said Monday would remain the starter and who is among the FBS leaders with five interceptions, is now being held out. Brown explained the move on Syracuse’s pregame radio show airing on TK99, saying, “Steve took a lot of hits,” and “He’ll be able to take a step back, heal a little bit more.”
Odom, a Kennesaw State transfer, has completed 10 of his 11 passes this season for a touchdown. He was set to start after Angeli was fully dressed and participated in pregame warmups.
Syracuse also entered the game with a few other personnel situations worth watching. Kicker Tripp Woody has already been replaced by freshman Shay Barker, and Brown said this week that center Joe Cruz and right tackle Kam Pringle have played at a below-average level among ACC linemen.
There was better news for the Orange in other spots. Freshman wide receiver Calvin Russell III is set to make his Syracuse debut after avoiding setbacks, and he was fully dressed and a full participant in pregame warmups for the first time.
He was also getting work as a return specialist. Syracuse is also getting back its leading rusher, Tylik Hill, after he left the Sept. 12 loss to California after two plays and then missed the Pitt game while recovering from a lower-body injury.
Once the game began, Syracuse’s first drive under Odom had some early chaos before producing points. Tight end David Clement was late to substitute, which allowed Connecticut to kill the play clock and force the Orange to use a timeout. Odom then fumbled a snap, recovered it, and still managed to find Umari Hatcher for a 40-yard touchdown pass.
The extra point was blocked, but Syracuse still jumped out to a 6-0 lead with 11:45 left in the first quarter.
In Other News...
Syracuse Escaped UConn But Fran Brown Just Sparked A Bigger Debate
Syracuse needed every bit of its composure, and then some, to leave UConn with a 42-41 overtime win after watching a 20-point lead evaporate. The late quarterback switch to Amari Odom gave the Orange a different spark, and he ended up factoring heavily in the comeback, including on the game-winning two-point conversion. It was the kind of chaotic road result that can feel like a turning point, even if it came with a long list of reminders about how thin the margin was.
Fran Brown still has plenty to sort through, because the win did not cover up Syracuses discipline issues or the defensive lapses that turned a game the Orange should have controlled into a one-score fight for survival. There was enough fight to escape, but also enough sloppiness to leave open a bigger question about whether this team can clean itself up before the schedule gets less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]