UConn will spend the week getting ready for a Syracuse quarterback who looks a lot like the one it expected all along - but not quite. The Huskies host the Orange on Saturday at noon ET in East Hartford, and after a bye week, Syracuse appears set to turn back to veteran starter Steve Angeli, with backup Amari Odom also expected to see the field.
That matters for Jason Candle’s team because the Orange have had extra time to sort out the position. Syracuse last played on Sept. 17, when it fell 27-13 to Pitt, and it enters this matchup at 1-2. UConn, meanwhile, comes in at 2-2 after a hard-fought 24-21 loss to Miami (Ohio) last Saturday.
Angeli is the name UConn can plan around first. He has played parts of five seasons between Notre Dame and Syracuse, and he went 3-1 as a starter in 2025 before tearing his Achilles and missing the final eight games.
Last season, he threw 10 touchdown passes against two interceptions, but this year has brought more mistakes: five picks in three games, all of them coming in the second half. One of those against Cal was taken back for a touchdown.
When Angeli faced UConn last year, he delivered one of his biggest passing performances of the season. Syracuse beat the Huskies 27-20 at the JMA Wireless Dome, and Angeli finished 34-of-54 for 416 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He added one rushing yard on one carry, and he is not viewed as much of a run threat, especially after the Achilles injury.
That gives UConn a clear path if it can get pressure and force Angeli to operate from the pocket. If the Huskies can crowd him and disrupt his timing, they may be able to draw out the kind of turnovers he’s already been giving away this season.
There’s also a built-in edge on the Huskies’ sideline. UConn offensive coordinator Nunzio Campanile was on Syracuse’s staff last year, so the Huskies should have some inside familiarity with Angeli and how Syracuse likes to use him. That won’t decide anything on its own, but it does mean UConn won’t be walking in blind.
Still, Syracuse has another option waiting in the wings. Odom, a transfer from Kennesaw State, helped lead his team to a 10-win season and a Conference USA championship last year.
He brings more of a running element than Angeli, though he can throw it too. Against Pitt, he was perfect in relief, completing all seven of his passes, but that came in mostly fourth-quarter garbage time.
Brown has already said Odom will play, so UConn has to prepare for both looks. The only real question now is how much the Orange choose to lean on him.
In Other News...
Alex Karaban Sees Something UConn Fans Will Love In This Team
Alex Karaban is still close enough to UConn to notice the little things, even after taking his first steps into the NBA with the Sacramento Kings. On a recent podcast, the former Huskies standout talked about his transition from Storrs to the pro game and weighed in on the team he left behind, offering an encouraging read on a roster that looks very much like a Dan Hurley team in the making.
What stood out to Karaban was the energy around this group, along with the way a younger roster can sometimes pull closer together when the season starts to get difficult. He also pointed to the kind of nonconference path Hurley has lined up, the sort of early test that can harden a team before league play begins. Karaban said his own preseason schedule will probably keep him from getting back to UConn games this season, but his eye on the Huskies remains sharp. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Let A Winnable Road Game Slip Away Again
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The defense had to navigate a heavy workload against a secondary made up mostly of inexperienced players, and the opponent kept finding ways to stress that group even after its starting quarterback went down. On offense, Bowers continued to be the steady presence in the run game through the first four games, but UConn's late drives kept stalling, and the missed chances in the final stretch left the Huskies with another road loss they will have to sort through. [Read more 🡒]
Stephon Castle Had A Blunt MSG Take UConn Fans Will Notice
Stephon Castle knows Madison Square Garden from both sides now. He spent one season at UConn before going No. 4 overall to the Spurs in the 2024 NBA Draft, and the Garden was already a familiar stop from his college days. When San Antonio brought the NBA Finals back to New York in 2026, it gave Castle another chance to see how the building feels on the sports biggest stage.
The reaction he offered to that Finals atmosphere was the kind of blunt note UConn fans will recognize from a player who does not dress up his opinions. It also came in the middle of a wild series stretch, with the Spurs taking Game 3 and then surviving a historic Game 4 comeback, leaving Castle with plenty of reasons to have a strong memory of his return to the Garden. [Read more 🡒]