Syracuse opens its season Saturday at noon against New Hampshire at the JMA Wireless Dome, and the Orange are expected to come out swinging. Fanduel has Syracuse as a 34.5-point favorite in a first meeting between the programs.
The matchup pits Fran Brown’s team against a New Hampshire squad trying to rebound after a rough start. Syracuse enters at 0-0, while the Wildcats are already 0-1 after a 28-14 loss to UAlbany in week zero.
New Hampshire’s opener was a struggle on the ground. The Wildcats managed just 62 net rushing yards, and UAlbany piled up 431 yards of offense in the win. That result left Sean Goldrich with work to do in his first year leading the program.
Goldrich is no stranger to New Hampshire. He played quarterback there for five seasons, throwing for 7,536 yards and 47 touchdowns while helping the Wildcats reach the NCAA FCS tournament in each of his final four years. After college, he had training camp stops with the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears, then spent two years playing professionally in the Indoor Football League.
His coaching path started at Notre Dame High School in West Haven, Connecticut, before he moved into Division I roles at Yale and later Delaware. At Yale, he began as an offensive quality control coach and eventually became wide receivers coach.
At Delaware, he worked with quarterbacks and later served as passing game coordinator and recruiting coordinator. New Hampshire hired him in December of 2025.
The Wildcats were coming off an 8-5 season in 2025, when they finished No. 23 in the FCS and earned one of three NCAA tournament bids from the CAA. Their postseason run ended with a first-round loss to South Dakota State. After that season, head coach Ricky Santos departed for Penn.
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Among the issues being examined are allegations tied to Steve Belichick, North Carolinas defensive coordinator and Bill Belichicks son, along with possible improper relationships between coaches and recruiting staff. For Syracuse, it turns a road game into a far murkier setup than expected, with the bigger issue now not just who lines up on Saturday but what the program around them looks like by then. [Read more 🡒]
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Syracuse Opens With A New Hampshire Team That Could Test Early Concerns
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Brown also pointed to a new era under Sean Goldrich, whose arrival has changed the way New Hampshire is building its roster and has given the program a different feel heading into this matchup. For Syracuse fans looking for the names most likely to matter, linebacker Trevor Berry and receiver JaCarree Kelly stand out as two Wildcats worth tracking when the Orange kick things off. [Read more 🡒]