Syracuse walked out of its overtime win over UConn with a result that said one thing and a second half that said another. The Orange held on 42-41, but after letting a 20-point lead slip away, the mood around the program cooled fast. Still, there’s a case to be made that Fran Brown’s team has a real path to winning the rest of its ACC games.
That starts with the most important development from last weekend: the quarterback spot looks settled.
Amari Odom did enough against UConn to make the job his. He completed 73% of his passes, threw five touchdowns, ran for another score and delivered the game-winning 2-point conversion.
He wasn’t flawless, but he gave Syracuse something it needs badly - a quarterback who can cover for other problems. His size and athleticism add a dimension Steve Angeli doesn’t bring, and Odom’s 14-6 record as a starter gives the Orange a legitimate chance in every conference game still ahead.
The schedule helps, too, because the ACC around Syracuse has not exactly looked imposing. Outside of Miami, the league has settled into familiar mediocrity. That means there isn’t a team left on the Orange’s slate - Notre Dame might be the exception - that looks out of reach.
Virginia comes next, and the Cavaliers are not rolling. They opened well, but they’ve dropped two of their last three and were blown out by Florida State last week.
Louisville looked sharp early, then dropped back-to-back games while allowing at least 30 points against every FBS opponent it has faced. SMU, despite being ranked, has hardly played like a finished product, surviving narrow tests against Missouri State and Boston College at home and barely getting past Florida State on the road to start the year.
Clemson, once the game that would have drawn the biggest red circle on Syracuse’s schedule, no longer carries that kind of fear factor. The Tigers look like a second straight down-year is unfolding, and they don’t resemble the ACC force they once were.
Even the games that felt winnable before the season still do: North Carolina, N.C. State and Boston College all remain in that category.
Bill Belichick has moved the Tar Heels forward, but there’s still a long climb ahead. N.C.
State has been solid, but its habit of playing close games makes the trip to Raleigh a toss-up at best. Boston College, meanwhile, still looks like a team Syracuse should beat, even with the Eagles showing some competitiveness in conference play.
There’s also the home-field angle, and it matters. Syracuse’s toughest remaining conference games include Louisville, SMU and Clemson, all set for the JMA Wireless Dome over a four-week stretch. Those are the most talented ACC opponents left on the schedule, but playing them in Syracuse only boosts the Orange’s chances.
That said, the Dome won’t fill itself. Syracuse still has plenty to clean up after the first third of the season, and the defense that had looked steady through three games had its first rough outing against UConn.
Brown and his staff still have work to do if the Orange is going to live up to its DART philosophy. But with Odom at quarterback and a conference schedule that looks more navigable than it did a month ago, Syracuse has a real shot to run the table the rest of the way.
In Other News...
Syracuse Heads To Virginia With More Than One Problem To Solve
Syracuse heads into its Atlantic Coast Conference matchup at Virginia still carrying the boost of a recent overtime win against UConn, but the bigger picture has not changed much for a team trying to stop a nine-game conference losing streak. The Orange have been looking for a steadier answer in league play, and this trip offers another chance to show the UConn result was more than a brief lift.
Virginia enters with its own issues after recent losses and some defensive struggles, which gives Syracuse an opening if it can handle the details that have undone it in conference play. Both sides have enough uncertainty around them to make this a revealing game, especially for an Orange team that needs more than a single win to change the tone of its season. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Defense Suddenly Has A Big Concern Before Virginia
Syracuse is heading into its matchup with Virginia with a few important names hanging in the balance, and the concern starts on defense. Linebacker Antoine Deslauriers was listed as questionable on the ACC injury report, joining Ahmad Miller and Nazir Ward as uncertain for Saturdays game. For a defense trying to stay steady in conference play, that is not the kind of pregame update anyone wanted.
The Orange also had a special teams wrinkle to monitor, with kicker Tripp Woody marked doubtful and wide receiver Darien Williams ruled out. Virginia had its own injury note, with starting cornerback Omillio Agard listed as questionable, so both sides are waiting on final availability as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Must Build Around Amarri Monroe With His Status Still Unsettled
Amarri Monroes Syracuse future is on hold in the broader legal sense, but the Orange are preparing as if he is part of the rotation right now. The guard remains eligible to play because of a court injunction while he challenges the NCAAs 5-in-5 rule in a lawsuit, and Gerry McNamara has made clear the plan is to use him like any other key piece as the season unfolds.
The problem, of course, is that Monroes standing could shift again with the NCAA expected to appeal and no trial date on the calendar. That leaves Syracuse in a familiar sort of limbo, building around a player it wants on the floor while knowing his availability may still change at some point during the year. [Read more 🡒]