There was a time when Syracuse felt like a good bet for UConn football. The Huskies took six of the first eight meetings and ripped off five straight from 2007 through 2011. Since then, though, the regional series has turned against them, and UConn will try to stop a six-game skid when the Orange come to Rentschler Field on Saturday.
Last year’s meeting in Syracuse nearly snapped that run. UConn opened up a 17-6 lead early in the second half, only for quarterback Steve Angeli - then working under current UConn offensive coordinator Nunzio Campanile - to guide a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives that forced overtime.
The Huskies never scored in the extra period. Before fans had fully cleared out, Syracuse coach Fran Brown had his team back on the field running sprints as punishment for the close call, and the Orange have gone 3-10 since.
“We had gone to the locker room and then got onto the bus afterward and saw it online,” said offensive lineman Ty Chan, one of the few players still on the roster. “That’s something for last year’s team to dwell on, but this year, this is a whole new program, a whole new team.”
UConn’s own season has been a mix of promising flashes and rough patches, with 87 new players trying to settle in and many of them having arrived without much regular game experience at their previous stops. The Huskies started by rolling past Lafayette behind Kalieb Osborne’s dual-threat play, then got hit hard in their first power conference test against Maryland. They answered with a strong road win at Southern Miss, but couldn’t keep that momentum alive last week at Miami, Ohio, where they started fast and still came up short.
Syracuse has had its own uneven stretch. After opening with a 66-3 win over New Hampshire, the Orange have dropped back-to-back games to Cal, 21-18, and Pittsburgh, 27-13, coming out of a bye week with Angeli at quarterback.
UConn coach Jason Candle said the focus has to stay inward.
“We have to address us before we can worry about anybody else. We’re not going to deviate from that,” Candle said.
“If you just get caught up in moments, if you just get caught up in Saturday’s and outcomes and wins versus losses, then are you really building a team? Are you really getting better?
Are you really doing what you said you were going to do in January? I don’t think so.
I don’t think that’s the case.
“I’m looking for consistent improvement, I’m looking for guys that come in here with a great attitude and are willing to get better. Guys that really have some humility about them, guys that have the ability to keep the main thing the main thing.
… We’ve got to handle us. We’ve got to force and we’ve got to demand consistent improvement to have the competitive excellence that we’re striving to have.”
Saturday also brings a familiar coaching matchup. Syracuse defensive coordinator Vince Kehres and Candle go way back, with a connection that started when both were at Mount Union and continued when they coached under Kehres’ father, Larry, before reuniting with Toledo.
“These things are fun but they’re not fun,” Candle said. “We have a great relationship, a ton of respect, talk weekly.
I love him and I hope for his success, I hope they shut out every opponent they play, except Saturday. So we’re gonna put together a really good plan, give us our best crack to try to go win the game and play really well, and I know he’ll have his guys ready to do the same.”
Kehres has made an immediate impact in his first year at Syracuse, especially against the pass. The Orange are allowing just 130.3 passing yards per game, which ranks sixth nationally. They’ve been less dominant against the run, but still sit at 124 rushing yards allowed per game, good for 62nd.
Campanile, meanwhile, spent the last three seasons at Syracuse and worked with quarterbacks including Kyle McCord, who beat UConn in 2024, and Angeli. His background could help UConn defensive coordinator Ryan Manalac, though the Orange may not stick with one quarterback for long on Saturday.
Angeli has struggled since coming back from the torn Achilles that ended his season two weeks after beating the Huskies last year. He has completed 54.8% of his passes for 731 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions, and he was benched in the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh. Backup Amari Odom then came in and completed all eight of his passes for 51 yards.
Syracuse has also been steady, if unspectacular, on the ground, averaging 164 rushing yards per game, which ranks 64th nationally. Sophomore Tylik Hill and freshman Shavane Anderson Jr. have led that effort.
“(They’re) massive up front, biggest offensive line we’ll see. Two quarterbacks that are capable of going into the game and playing well.
Really good backs, run behind the pads, good after contact, solid vision in the hole to set up what the second level of the defense looks like when they break through. Receivers on the perimeter who can run and can make the quarterbacks better,” Candle said.
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