How QB Drama Overshadowed Syracuse’s Football’s Flaws
By Jacob Weingarten
Syracuse Football took down UCONN 42-41, in an overtime thriller that came down to the final play. The game marked quarterback Amari Odom’s first start this season, and he put up 335 yards and six total touchdowns. The quarterback controversy for the Orange has been an exhausting topic dating back to the summer before last season.
Coming off a 10-3 season and a bowl game victory, Syracuse watched beloved quarterback Kyle McCord head to the NFL and welcomed in former four-star recruit and LSU transfer, Rickie Collins. Through spring practices, Collins initially won the starting job before Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli came into the picture in the early summer.
Angeli went on to edge out Collins, being named the week one starter in mid August. However, just three weeks into the season, he tore his Achilles, missing the rest of the 2025 season.
Syracuse went winless with Collins filling in, struggling for most of the remaining games. Due to the Angeli injury, many people blamed the eight straight losses on the lack of QB play.
Syracuse started this season off strong as Angeli came back from his injury. The team dominated against New Hampshire 66-3. However, it didn’t take long before the cracks began to show.
Blowing a 12-0 lead against Cal to lose 21-18 led some to blame kicker Tripp Woody for missing two field goals and Angeli for costly late turnovers. The main issue was once again swept under the radar. In the Cal choke job, the Orange had 15 penalties for over 130 yards, despite playing at home and with the lead for the majority of the game.
The following week, Syracuse lost an away game to Pittsburgh. Angeli, who got benched late in the game, was once again covering up further issues after the loss. Syracuse had another 10 penalties for 94 yards, and the defense allowed Pitt to total 245 rushing yards with incredible efficiency.
After falling to 1-2 on the season, head coach Fran Brown responded by keeping Angeli on the bench and opting to start Amari Odom at quarterback against UCONN. Fortunately, Odom played a good game against UCONN and seemingly righted the ship at the QB position.
Despite the win, there were still issues on display. Syracuse tallied 8 more penalties and currently leads the nation, averaging over 10 penalties per game. The defense also allowed UCONN to score 41 points on just under 500 total yards.
Assuming Odom can continue to play well, Syracuse must now address the defense and penalty issues that hinder the team. Both points of weakness fall at the feet of head coach Fran Brown.
Brown is a defense-minded head coach, previously serving on the defensive staffs at programs such as Georgia and Rutgers before joining the Orange as head coach ahead of the 2024 season.
When it comes to penalties, legendary CFB coach Mike Leach famously stated, “You’re either coaching it or allowing it to happen.”
Sitting with a .500 record, if Syracuse wants to turn this season around, it will be up to Coach Brown to instill discipline in his players and get the defense together as the season continues.
