When UConn and Syracuse meet on Saturday at noon ET in East Hartford, Conn., this one comes with a whole lot of built-in familiarity. The Huskies are 2-2 after a road loss at Miami (Ohio), while the Orange are 1-2 and coming off a 27-13 defeat to Pitt after 15 days without a game.
The quarterback situation in Syracuse adds another layer. The Orange are set to start Steve Angeli, even though there were calls for Amari Odom to get the job. Syracuse will also have freshman wideout Calvin Russell making his college debut after tearing his Achilles in the spring.
But the most intriguing part of this matchup may be the number of crossovers between the staffs and rosters.
UConn head coach Jason Candle knows Syracuse defensive coordinator Vince Kehres well. Candle spent a decade at Toledo before taking the UConn job this offseason after Jim Mora Jr. left for Colorado State. Kehres, meanwhile, is now at Syracuse under Fran Brown after serving in the same role under Candle with the Rockets.
Kehres brings a long resume of his own. He spent 20 years on the Mount Union coaching staff and was part of 12 national titles as a player, student assistant, assistant coach and head coach. He was Mount Union’s head coach from 2013-19 before joining Candle.
There’s plenty of familiarity on Syracuse’s side too, especially through linebacker Chris D’Appolonia. He’s one of the key pieces in the Orange front seven, and he played for Candle at Toledo before becoming one of the MAC’s top defenders and moving on to Syracuse. Candle knows exactly what D’Appolonia can do, and he knows what drives him in the middle of the field.
That connection runs even deeper because a large chunk of the UConn roster transferred in from Toledo. They know D’Appolonia as well, and running back Kenji Christian will likely see him in the middle at least once.
D’Appolonia will also be looking for a shot at quarterback Kalieb Osborne. Kehres, naturally, knows those games too.
Then there’s UConn offensive coordinator Nunzio Campanile, who is in his first season with the Huskies after working on Syracuse’s offensive staff. While he was there, he helped develop quarterback Kyle McCord, who finished in the Top-10 in Heisman Trophy voting in 2024.
UConn wide receiver Emanuel Ross also has Syracuse ties, though he has not recorded any stats this season.
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UConn Faces A Much Tougher Syracuse Test Than The Record Shows
UConn gets Syracuse at noon Saturday in a matchup that looks a lot different once you dig past the record. The Orange are bringing in Steve Angeli as the starting quarterback, and they will have another layer of skill talent available as well, with receivers Umari Hatcher and Justus Ross-Simmons already giving that offense options to work with.
Calvin Russell III is also expected to be part of the mix for the first time after a remarkably quick recovery from an Achilles injury. For a UConn defense that has to prepare on a short week, that adds another name to track and another way Syracuse can stress a secondary that may have spent most of the week game-planning for one version of the Orange and now has to account for a more varied attack. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Fans Got One Tough Update In A Busy Huskies News Day
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UConn Fans Have A New Spurs Connection Worth Watching
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Castle has already established himself as a starting point guard in San Antonio, while Reed is trying to carve out a role in the frontcourt. Their overlap gives UConn followers a familiar connection to watch, especially with Castle sounding encouraged by what he has seen from Reed in practice. For a pair of players who came through Storrs in back-to-back classes, the next stretch in San Antonio could say plenty about how quickly Reed can turn his preseason opportunity into something more. [Read more 🡒]