Fran Brown doesn’t have much time to sit with the sting of Syracuse’s 21-18 loss to Cal. The Orange are back on the clock fast, heading to Pittsburgh on Thursday night for their first road game of the season at Acrisure Stadium, and Brown made it clear Monday that the focus has already shifted.
“We just lost, (now) we have a chance to go play faster (schedule), that's what I like about it,” Brown said. “We get an opportunity to compete, go have fun, and have a chance to be 1-0 (this week).”
That quick reset matters because Pitt has been a problem for Syracuse for a long time. Since 2013, the Orange have only two wins over the Panthers, coming in 2017 and 2023. That stretch stands out even more when you consider Syracuse barely lost to Pitt at all between 1984 and 2002, dropping just one game during the Dick MacPherson and Paul Pasqualoni years.
Brown, meanwhile, still hasn’t solved Pitt or Boston College coach Bill O’Brien in his first two seasons. He’s 0-4 combined against those two northeastern ACC rivals, a mark that clearly sits with him even if he doesn’t dwell on it publicly.
This week’s task gets even tougher because Pittsburgh is 2-0, coming off wins over Miami of Ohio and Central Florida. And on the road, Syracuse has not had much success in this series. In the last five meetings in Pittsburgh, the Orange have lost by an average of just over 12 points.
“It’s going to be a tough game (my message to the team), you better be ready to go play,” Brown said.
He didn’t sugarcoat what Pitt brings, either.
“Coach Narduzzi is a good football coach, I like how he has his defense sound, they like to hit,” Brown said. “On the offensive side of the ball, they create big plays.
This conference is qurterback happy, right? Pitt's quarterback Mason Heintschel (18th this week nationally in passing efficiency/zero interceptions) is one of the better quarterbacks in the country.”
Syracuse has plenty to clean up after the Cal game. Quarterback Steve Angeli will start at Pitt after throwing three interceptions last week, and the Orange have piled up 27 penalties for 257 yards, both the most among the 138 FBS teams. Special teams mistakes have also cost them points.
Brown knows the mood around the program has turned cautious after that uneven performance, and he also knows the margin for error is slim with only three days to get ready.
Still, he’s leaning into the challenge.
“Do we find out how tough we are, do we go out and compete (Thursday)?,” Brown asked.
“We're going to keep working, we're moving on to the next football game, and hoping you (the supporters) can do the same thing to push and follow, and have our backs, and move on. It happens in life.”
In Other News...
Syracuse Could Get A Needed Offensive Boost At Just The Right Time
Syracuses first loss of the season came in a tight 21-18 setback at Cal, and it also served as the first reminder that the Orange have work to do in ACC play after starting 0-1 in the league. With Pitt up next in Syracuses second conference game, the timing could hardly be better for a roster that could use another layer of explosiveness on offense.
Fran Brown said freshman wide receiver Calvin Russell III is close to returning from an Achilles injury, but the final step is making sure he can protect himself before he gets back on the field. If Russell is cleared, Syracuse would be getting a needed boost at just the right moment, with the schedule now shifting into a stretch where every ACC game starts to matter a little more. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Loss Still Left Recruits Talking About One Thing
Syracuses 2026 ACC opener against Cal ended in a loss at the JMA Wireless Dome, but the night still carried some recruiting value for the Orange. More than a dozen recruits were in the building, and for Maddox, Corry and Sullivan, the visit doubled as a look at the program and the campus that surrounds it. Each came away talking about the same broad themes: the way the coaches engaged with them, the atmosphere on game day and the impression Syracuse made as a place to play.
Even in a game that did not go Syracuses way, the visit gave those recruits a chance to see how the Orange present themselves in front of a crowd and how the community around the program feels on a live football weekend. For a staff trying to sell more than wins and losses, that kind of exposure matters, especially when visitors leave with positive memories of the experience itself. The final score may have been disappointing, but the buzz in the stands suggested Syracuse still made a strong case to the players it had in town. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Wasted Too Much In A Loss Orange Fans Will Hate
Week 2 was a solid showing for the ACC overall, with the league going 3-0 against Big Ten opponents and piling up several lopsided wins along the way. There were also a few tighter finishes that helped round out a weekend that made the conference look deeper than it often gets credit for, even before the schedule really settles into conference play.
For Syracuse fans, though, the memory that lingers is Cals win over the Orange in the ACC opener. It stood out in a weekend otherwise defined by league-wide momentum, and it left Syracuse in the less comfortable position of having squandered too much in a game that could have changed the tone around its early-season start. [Read more 🡒]