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ATLANTA — Over the past week, Yasin Willis developed a disdain for the song “Rocky Top.” Every practice for two hours straight, it was all he heard, as Fran Brown blasted it through the loudspeakers.

The second-year head coach didn’t want to sell Syracuse short while preparing for a matchup with Tennessee at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Brown said Monday that the Volunteers were “too good for Syracuse to worry about playing them all week long,” but what he revealed to the public was far from his actions behind closed doors.

The Tennessee anthem rang SU players’ eardrums. The noise was constant. It was also necessary. Syracuse was entering a hostile environment, where the Volunteers’ fans were expected to significantly outnumber SU’s.

Despite Brown’s best efforts, nothing can simulate the real deal. His team found that out Saturday, trailing 17-0 in the first quarter. Syracuse (0-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) never recovered, falling 45-26 to No. 24 Tennessee (1-0, 0-0 Southeastern) in the Aflac Kickoff game. UT’s offense ran through SU like a hot knife through butter. Quarterback Joey Aguilar totaled 247 yards and three touchdowns, while the Volunteers outgained the Orange 493-377, which fell below .500 for the first time under Brown.

There was always going to be a talent disparity when facing an SEC school. But Brown has often said he wants Syracuse to be built like an SEC program. Saturday showed that Brown is a long way from accomplishing his goals.

“They were the better team today,” Brown said postgame. “‘(Josh Heupel) was the better coach than I was, he had his team more prepared than I had my team. Therefore, they’re 1-0 this week and we’re 0-1. I’m just looking forward to going 1-0 next week.”

The issues were present from Tennessee’s opening drive, where its pace stifled SU. Aguilar was given ample time to throw, picking apart Syracuse’s secondary, with big chunk plays to Chris Brazzell II and Braylon Staley, while Star Thomas and DeSean Bishop kept things balanced on the ground. The Volunteers’ up-tempo and diverse offense kept the Orange on their heels.

SU survived its first drive when Aguilar misfired to Brazzell, which forced a field goal. It didn’t get so lucky on the second. UT went 85 yards in 12 plays across 3:35, making it 10-0 via a Peyton Lewis two-yard rushing touchdown.

Brown doesn’t feel like Tennessee’s pace was the issue. Same with Derek McDonald. The linebacker said the game felt slower than most of Syracuse’s practice, while he and Brown agreed Syracuse’s open-field tackling was problematic, which was a key defensive issue last season as well.

“We were able to get some stops on first and second down, and then we kept giving it up on third down, or we gave the stop on first down, they had a big play on second down,” McDonald said. “So being consistent, that’s the biggest thing we have to do.”

McDonald was right. The Orange couldn’t generate stops Saturday. Tennessee punted four times, three of which came on consecutive drives in the second half when it played more conservatively. Aguilar fumbled in the first quarter, though even that came after the Vols had marched into Syracuse’s red zone.

With its defense hemorrhaging, Syracuse needed a lights out performance on offense. It didn’t get one. Steve Angeli was sacked five times in just his second career start and came under heavy pressure often. Following Aguilar’s fumble, SU trailed 10-0, with a chance to build some momentum.

Instead, Angeli looked to escape the pocket before being met with a punishing blow by Nathan Robinson that jarred the ball loose. Colton Hood scooped it up and scored to make it a three-possession game.

Angeli was put in a tough position. Syracuse’s offensive line struggled mightily against Tennessee’s uber-talented and deep defensive front. The Volunteers got through a number of times, but when given a clean pocket, Angeli ran the offense well, finishing 23-of-40 for 274 yards.

Steve Angeli calls out signals before a snap on Saturday. In just his second career start, the Notre Dame transfer had an up-and-down day, totaling two turnovers and throwing one touchdown. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor

“I fully support the way that (Angeli) played today,” Brown said of his starting quarterback. “A couple mistakes, but nothing major that we can’t fix. I feel as though he’ll be a good quarterback for us down the road.”

Angeli led two touchdown drives in the second quarter, one of which ended with a three-yard toss to Johntay Cook, the other being a two-yard run from Willis.

The problem for Syracuse was Tennessee responded both times. Aguilar hurled a 73-yard touchdown off play action to Staley two plays after Willis scored. After getting the ball with 1:55 on the clock in the first half, Tennessee once again waltzed down the field.

Bishop broke free for a 47-yard run and finished the drive with a one-yard score to make it 31-14 at halftime. After being a top-10 rushing offense in the country last season, the Volunteers picked up right where they left off, totaling 246 on the ground against SU.

Things went from bad to worse after Angeli’s pass was deflected and picked off by a diving Jeremiah Telander on SU’s second play of the third quarter. Coming back was already a tall task. It turned into a mountain once Aguilar found Star Thomas in the end zone to make it 38-14.

The Orange didn’t lay down from there. They fed Willis, who finished with 23 carries for 91 yards, scoring back-to-back touchdowns in the second half. His third score made it a 12-point game with less than 12 minutes remaining.

That’s when Tennessee iced the game by keeping the ball on the ground. Thomas — who accumulated a game-high 92 yards — got a bulk of the carries, picking his way through Syracuse’s defensive line. He totaled 49 yards on the drive before Aguilar connected with Miles Kitselman to make it 45-26, an insurmountable deficit for Syracuse.

“I am very thankful that the players went out and they fought and they stayed together, I think that’s a part of us building the culture, building the program,” Brown said.

That doesn’t mean the second-year head coach is resting on his laurels. Syracuse won 10 games during Brown’s first year in charge. There’s an expectation now that he’ll provide a winning culture. Beating SEC-level teams is part of the plan to get there.

But Syracuse was dealt a reality check in Atlanta. There were moments where it looked competitive, though for most of the game, the Orange were overmatched. That’s something Brown takes to heart and doesn’t accept.

“To tell you, there’s some more victories and things of that nature, for me that would be a loser’s mentality,” Brown said.

“So I can’t say that.”

Published on August 30, 2025 at 4:12 pm
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