Fran Brown and Syracuse found the answer they’d been hunting for all month.
After a stretch that had started to feel heavy, the Orange delivered their biggest punch yet Saturday afternoon, knocking off No. 19 SMU 30-27 at the JMA Wireless Dome. Syracuse trailed in the second half, watched a 10-point cushion disappear, then answered with an 11-play, 68-yard march that ended in Steve Angeli’s two-yard touchdown pass to Noah Meyers with 27 seconds left.
It was Syracuse’s first ranked win since Nov. 30, 2024, when the Orange beat No. 6 Miami at home.
The result pushed Syracuse to 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the ACC, and it gave the Orange a path back toward relevance with an end-of-season stretch that includes only one ranked opponent and three ACC teams with six combined conference wins.
The opening quarter gave a hint of what Syracuse could do if it played clean and aggressive. SMU’s first drive was slowed by a holding penalty, then Demetres Samuel Jr. flipped field position with a 27-yard punt return. A few short runs from Ahmad Miller and a fourth-down conversion set up Angeli’s 26-yard touchdown scramble, his first rushing touchdown since a one-yard run on Sept. 12, 2025, against Colgate and just the second of his career.
SMU answered with a drive to Syracuse’s 1-yard line, but the Orange defense held firm. Chris D’Appolonia dropped the Mustangs for a loss, Keyshawn Johnson added a sack, and SMU was pushed back to the 23 before settling for a field goal.
The Mustangs started to look like the No. 19 offense they were billed as after that. Following a Syracuse punt, SMU covered 88 yards in 12 plays, highlighted by a 32-yard throw from Kevin Jennings to Yannick Smith, and finished it with a nine-yard touchdown catch by Jalen Hale to take a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter.
Syracuse kept responding. The Orange put together a 13-play, 64-yard drive to tie the game at 10 after Tripp Woody’s 29-yard field goal hit the post and bounced through.
Then came one of the game’s biggest swings. Jennings found Hale at SMU’s 38-yard line, but Samuel punched the ball loose as Hale turned upfield. Davien Kerr recovered it near the sideline, though he couldn’t stay on his feet with a clear lane ahead.
Syracuse still cashed in. Angeli connected with David Clement for 19 yards and appeared to have found Calvin Russell III for a seven-yard touchdown, but the score was overturned on review. Woody then drilled a 25-yard field goal to put the Orange up 13-10 with six minutes left in the second quarter.
SMU had a chance to answer, but a 51-yard completion to Jalen Cooper was wiped out by an ineligible man downfield penalty. Syracuse then got to Jennings again and forced another punt.
That set up another scoring drive for the Orange. Angeli hit Daunte Bacheyie for 25 yards, and Miller finished the march to send Syracuse into halftime with a 20-10 lead.
The second half, though, looked a lot like other stretches of Syracuse’s season. The Orange stalled on their first drive after halftime and punted. SMU seized the opening with a 10-play, 85-yard series that ended in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jennings to Yamir Knight.
Syracuse’s next two possessions produced just 21 yards, part of a third quarter in which the Orange managed only 27 total yards of offense. SMU didn’t fully take control, but the pressure kept building.
Early in the fourth, Syracuse’s offense went backward on its first drive of the quarter, and Angeli was flagged for intentional grounding in his own end zone. That safety cut the lead to one.
SMU then grabbed its first lead since the second quarter. A 15-yard pass interference penalty helped move the Mustangs into the red zone, where Kendrick Raphael powered in from 13 yards out. Jennings followed with a two-point conversion to Derrick McFall, and SMU led 27-23.
Syracuse finally found some rhythm again on the next possession. The Orange strung together three quick first downs to get inside the SMU 30, and Umari Hatcher became a factor with three catches for 46 yards on the drive. Syracuse got inside the 10, but the run game couldn’t finish the job, and Woody had to settle for another field goal.
The defense gave the Orange one more opening by pressuring Jennings into a punt, and Angeli and the offense made it count. A fourth-down throw to Clement kept the drive alive, then Angeli hit Russell and Bacheyie on back-to-back plays for 15 yards apiece. That moved Syracuse to the SMU two-yard line with 27 seconds left.
On second down, Angeli faked the handoff to Miller and rolled left. Meyers was alone in the flat. He caught it, crossed the goal line, and kept going to the back corner of the end zone, barking toward the Orange crowd.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
Fran Brown Just Gave Syracuse The Jolt It Desperately Needed
Halloween at the JMA Wireless Dome brought Syracuse the kind of win that can reset a season. The Orange knocked off No. 19 SMU, 30-27, to move back to .500 at 4-4, and it felt like more than just another upset on the schedule. For Fran Brown, it was the kind of result that changes the conversation around a program that had been taking on some heat in recent weeks.
With four games left, Syracuse still has a path to bowl eligibility, and the math is simple enough: win at least two more and an invitation stays in play. The bigger question now is whether this victory can carry over beyond one night, because Brown and the Orange needed a jolt, and they finally got one when it mattered most. [Read more 🡒]