UConn gets back to Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field on Saturday afternoon with Syracuse coming to town for a 12:02 p.m. kickoff on CBS Sports Network.
The matchup carries plenty of history. It will be the 15th meeting between the Huskies and Orange, a series that began in 2004 when both schools were in the BIG EAST Conference.
Saturday also marks the fourth time the teams have met since the 2022 season, and UConn has gone 4-2 against Syracuse at home in The Rent. Syracuse enters on a six-game winning streak in the series, while UConn’s last victory came in 2011 at home.
For the Huskies, this is the first of two games against ACC opponents this season, with North Carolina still on the schedule in early November. UConn has already strung together two straight wins over ACC teams and three wins in its last four against the league.
The Huskies are trying to bounce back after last weekend’s 24-21 loss at Miami (OH). UConn jumped out fast with a 14-0 first-quarter lead, but Miami answered with 21 straight points. The Huskies pulled even in the third quarter, only for a late fourth-quarter field goal by the RedHawks and a stalled two-minute drive to end it.
There were still some notable individual performances in the loss. Kalieb Osborne scored his team-best fifth touchdown of the season and threw a touchdown pass, giving the junior quarterback 10 total touchdowns on the year.
Cyncir Bowers ran for 48 yards on seven carries and added his third touchdown of the season. Javon Brown caught four passes and scored his second touchdown of the year.
On defense, Hayden Pegg led the team in tackles for the second straight game with a career-high eight stops, and K'Von Sherman picked up his second sack of the season.
The last time these teams met, Syracuse escaped with a 27-20 overtime win on Sept. 6, 2025, in the JMA Wireless Dome. UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano completed 24 of 43 passes for 259 yards, while Skyler Bell turned in a career day with 11 catches for 105 yards.
Eight of those receptions came in the second half. Mel Brown added a burst on the ground with 72 yards and a touchdown on just five carries, and Cam Edwards had 75 yards on 21 attempts.
Defensively, D'Mon Brinson posted seven tackles and an interception, and Oumar Diomande finished with a team-high nine tackles, including a sack.
UConn built a 17-6 lead early in the second half before Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli led back-to-back long scoring drives of 90 and 80 yards late in the fourth quarter to put the Orange ahead 20-17. The Huskies answered with a drive in the final 1:18, and Chris Freeman tied it with a 41-yard field goal to force overtime.
Syracuse then struck first in the extra period, with Angeli hitting Will Nixon for 10 yards and Johntay Cook II for seven before connecting with Ross-Simmons on a 6-yard touchdown pass on third down. After Woody’s extra point, UConn’s final possession ended on incomplete passes from Fagnano and a key breakup by Antoine Deslauriers on fourth down.
Angeli finished 33 of 53 for 417 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception.
Syracuse comes in at 1-2 after a bye week and an 0-2 start in ACC play. The Orange were last on the field on Sept. 17, when they lost 27-13 at Pittsburgh.
Angeli has thrown for 731 yards and four touchdowns, but he has also been intercepted five times in three games. In the backfield, Tylik Hill and Shavane Anderson Jr. have given Syracuse a productive one-two punch.
Hill has 147 rushing yards and a score while averaging 8.20 yards per carry, and Anderson Jr. has 146 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, Syracuse has been especially tough against the pass, ranking sixth nationally by allowing just 134.7 yards per game, and the Orange have produced 8.0 sacks through three games.
UConn’s history against the ACC is a mixed bag, but the Huskies have had some recent success. They are 10-29 all-time against the league and went 2-1 against ACC opponents last season, including that overtime loss at Syracuse, a 38-23 road win at Boston College, and a 37-34 home win over Duke. UConn also snapped a six-game skid against the conference with its win over North Carolina in the 2025 Wasabi Fenway Bowl.
Against specific ACC programs, the Huskies are 3-2 versus Duke, 2-2 against Virginia and 1-3 against Wake Forrest. They are 2-4 against Boston College since the Eagles joined the league in 2005 and 0-5 against Syracuse since the Orange entered the ACC in 2013.
UConn has also faced Clemson once, Georgia Tech three times, North Carolina four times and NC State four times. The Huskies were 1-3 against Maryland before the Terrapins left the conference through 2014, and they have also played Louisville, Miami, Pitt, SMU and Virginia Tech before those programs joined the ACC.
UConn has never faced Cal, Florida State or Stanford.
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