Orange look to handle Colgate as Death Valley matchup looms
After a close win over UConn, Syracuse will look to rebound in a big way against a subpar Colgate team. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
As big, bad Clemson looms on its schedule on Sept. 20 in Death Valley, a perfectly-timed tune-up game awaits Syracuse football this Friday.
The Orange will host in-state foe Colgate, a Football Championship Subdivision program, in the JMA Wireless Dome for their third game of the season. After suffering a 45-26 Week 1 loss to then-No. 24 Tennessee in Atlanta, they delivered an electrifying 11-point comeback victory over UConn last Saturday.
SU’s first two games of 2025 were a mixed bag. Syracuse was plagued by offensive line struggles in both contests but propelled by running back Yasin Willis’ four touchdowns and quarterback Steve Angeli’s 345.5 passing yards per game — promising results for two of its top offensive initiators.
Improvements are in order if the Orange want to shock the Tigers next week. But SU has the chance to iron out the kinks Friday against Colgate, which hasn’t beaten Syracuse since 1950.
Here’s what to know before Syracuse (1-1, 0-0 ACC) battles Colgate (0-2, 0-0 Patriot League):
All-time series
Syracuse leads 32-31-5.
Last time they played …
To open what would become former head coach Dino Babers’ final season at SU, the Orange pummeled the Raiders 65-0 in the Dome on Sept. 2, 2023. Syracuse held a 23-0 lead after the first quarter and a 37-0 halftime advantage.
Quarterback Garrett Shrader tossed four touchdowns and backup signal-caller Carlos Del Rio-Wilson added three passing touchdowns. SU totaled 677 yards of offense, while Colgate finished with 106.
Syracuse started that season 4-0 before losing five straight and firing Babers in mid-November.
The Raiders report
Colgate is in a new era under first-year head coach Curt Fitzpatrick. It’s coming off a brutal 2-10 finish in 2024, and it’s clear Fitzpatrick has some heavy lifting to do for the Raiders to catch back up to the FCS.
They began this season by dropping back-to-back games to Monmouth and Villanova, both ranked programs in the FCS. With margins of three and seven points, respectively, separating Colgate from its first two opponents, it came down to the Raiders playing extraordinarily bad defense against Monmouth and inconsistent offense versus Villanova.
Colgate is headlined by senior wide receiver Treyvhon Saunders. He tallied 23 receptions for 360 yards and three touchdowns over its first two games, all team-highs by a country mile. No other Raiders receiver even has 100 yards thus far.
Besides Saunders, there’s not much else. Colgate’s secondary is allowing nearly 400 passing yards per game through two weeks. Quarterback Zach Osborne provides a solid threat with his legs, rushing for 80 yards in two games, yet somehow, he’s the Raiders’ leading rusher.
How Syracuse beats Colgate
Frankly, SU just needs to show up on time at the stadium. It’s not within the realm of possibility for the Orange to lose to the Raiders, who simply do not possess comparable roster talent. It’s not about how Syracuse beats the Raiders; it’s about who beats them.
This is a game where offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon can let Angeli sling the rock in what should be the cleanest pocket he sees all year. Friday is prime real estate for his connection with Texas transfer receiver Johntay Cook to take shape, as he was held to 27 yards last week. If those two get hot early, they likely won’t be stopped.
The Orange haven’t lost to the Raiders since a time in college football when players still wore leather helmets. In the scenario they’re slow out of the gate, there’s no telling how much Fran Brown will make his players run sprints on the field postgame.
Stat to know: 24
While SU can dominate early on Friday through the air, its rushing attack is also in need of a confidence boost. Last week against UConn, Syracuse entered the fourth quarter with a measly total of 24 team rushing yards.
Willis made up for it by the end, punching in a fourth-quarter touchdown to give SU the lead before UConn salvaged overtime. But the early ground game issues were a concern. Syracuse’s offensive line has a picturesque chance against Colgate to create big holes for Willis to run through before the game gets too out of hand.
Player to watch: Treyvhon Saunders, wide receiver, No. 9
Saunders is quickly establishing himself as one of the premier weapons in the FCS. After putting up 1,690 receiving yards with the Raiders from 2023-24, Saunders began this year by exploding for 223 yards on 13 catches. Syracuse would be negligent not to pay loads of attention to Saunders, who will likely draw an assignment from SU cornerback Chris Peal, a Georgia transfer.
