RALEIGH, N.C. - Syracuse spent most of Saturday night looking like a team headed for a long, frustrating finish. Then the Orange flipped the game in a matter of minutes and walked out of Raleigh with one of their most improbable wins of the season, a 34-31 comeback over NC State.
Down 31-20 with five minutes left, Syracuse had almost no margin for error. But the defense cracked the door open with a pick-six from defensive lineman Tunimese Adeleye, the offense finally found its rhythm, and Justus Ross-Simmons delivered the knockout blows with 48 seconds left - first on an 11-yard touchdown catch, then on the two-point conversion that put the Orange ahead for good.
Syracuse is now 5-5 overall and 3-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. With two games left on the 2026 schedule - Boston College and No. 3 Notre Dame - the Orange need one more win to become bowl eligible for the first time in two years.
The finish was stunning, but it was the kind of game Syracuse had to survive after spending so much of the night chasing NC State. The Wolfpack led 7-6 at halftime, then opened the third quarter with a burst that seemed to put the game out of reach.
Duke Scott ripped off a 62-yard run on NC State’s first snap of the half, setting up a touchdown pass from CJ Bailey to Chance Robinson. After Syracuse went three-and-out, Bailey connected with Davion Dozier for 69 yards, and two plays later Duke Scott scored again on a wildcat run.
Just like that, the Orange were down 21-6.
Syracuse finally answered with its best offensive stretch of the game. The Orange put together an 11-play, 75-yard drive, with Steve Angeli hitting Cole Weaver and Calvin Russell III before a 13-yard touchdown pass to Hill trimmed the margin to 21-13.
But NC State kept answering. Scott later broke free for a 32-yard touchdown run, and even after Angeli found Russell for a two-yard score early in the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack still looked in control.
Then Adeleye changed everything.
With NC State driving and a field goal looking like it might lock the game away, Adeleye jumped a CJ Bailey checkdown and took it back for a touchdown. Syracuse’s two-point try failed when Angeli took a sack, but the defense wasn’t done. Adeleye stuffed Duke Scott for a three-yard loss, Bailey threw incomplete, and Davien Kerr got to Bailey for a sack that forced a punt.
That set up the final 51-yard march.
Russell was the steady hand all night, and he was everywhere on the last drive. The freshman finished with 17 catches for 137 yards, tying the ACC single-game record for receptions.
Angeli found him for 13 yards to start the series, then went back to him for seven more after a fourth-and-3 play kept the drive alive when the ball bounced into Ross-Simmons’ hands. On the next third down, Angeli checked down to Russell again for another seven.
But the finishing touch belonged to Ross-Simmons. Angeli rolled right and threw a fade, and the fifth-year receiver went up and hauled in a contested 11-yard touchdown with 48 seconds left. On the two-point conversion, he did it again in the left corner of the end zone.
NC State still had a chance to answer, but Syracuse’s pass rush came through one more time. Bailey’s throw was tipped with 12 seconds left, and linebacker Chris D’Appolonia climbed over Davion Gause for the interception that sealed it.
The comeback also carried some historical weight. Syracuse’s rally from a 15-point deficit marked its first road win after trailing by that margin since 2012.
It was a wild ending to a game that had looked lost for long stretches. Syracuse had kept NC State close early, but a holding penalty erased a third-down stop in the first half, and the Orange also gave up a 26-yard completion on a fourth-and-9. That sequence helped NC State build its 7-6 halftime lead, while Syracuse’s offense settled for a field goal after moving into scoring position.
For much of the night, the Orange looked like a team whose third-quarter problems were about to haunt them again. They had not scored in the third quarter since Oct. 3 against UConn, and when NC State surged out of halftime, that trend seemed ready to continue. Instead, Syracuse found just enough offense and just enough defense to pull off the kind of finish few saw coming.
Now the Orange are one win away from bowl eligibility, and after Saturday’s escape, they’ve given themselves a real shot at getting there.
In Other News...
Syracuse Just Locked In New York Talent With One Big Piece Unsettled
Syracuse added another in-state name to its basketball pipeline this week, officially bringing in point guard Josephine Pinnock for the womens program and three-star wing Jack Donohue for the mens side. Pinnock arrives as one of the top senior prospects in New York, while Donohue gives the Orange another Albany-area prospect to develop on the wing.
Moussa Kamissoko is the bigger headline still hanging over the class. The five-star wing from the Bronx has already verbally committed to Syracuse, giving the mens program a major local recruiting win, but he has not yet officially signed. For a team trying to keep elite New York talent home, that makes the final paperwork worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Just Kept Its Season Alive With Everything Still Ahead
Syracuses season looked headed for another frustrating finish before it flipped the script against NC State, rallying from a 28-13 second-half deficit to pull out a 34-31 win and keep its bowl hopes alive. Steve Angeli steered the comeback with 272 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Calvin Russell III kept the offense moving with 17 catches in a game the Orange badly needed.
Now the margin for error is gone. With two games left, Syracuse needs to win one of its final two against Boston College or Notre Dame to become bowl eligible, and the pressure is obvious after a victory this dramatic only bought the Orange more time rather than any real security. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Kept Its Bowl Hopes Alive Despite A Brutal Mess Against NC State
Syracuse found a way to keep its season moving in the right direction, rallying past North Carolina State 34-31 in a game that had plenty of chaos before the Orange finally steadied themselves. Wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons came up with critical catches late, Calvin Russell tied a school record with 17 receptions, and defensive end Tunmise Adeleye delivered a defensive score with an interception return for a touchdown.
The comeback leaves Syracuse with bowl eligibility still within reach, and the math is simple from here: one more win in the final two games gets the Orange to the postseason. After the way this one unfolded, it was the kind of victory that can matter as much for belief as it does for the standings, especially for a team trying to turn a messy afternoon into momentum. [Read more 🡒]