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As Steve Angeli took hit after hit Saturday, he thought back to his quarterbacks coach. Throughout the week’s prep before the matchup with UConn, Nunzio Campanile laid out specific goals and keys to victory for the unit.

One stood above the rest: be the toughest guy on the field, mentally and physically.

So, as Angeli took a devastating hit from Tyrece Mills early in the second quarter to force a fumble, the quarterback had no choice. He rolled on the ground for a few seconds, agonizing in pain and defeat. But he jumped to his feet, moving on to the next play.

“I’ve been getting hit since I was a kid,” Angeli said. “It’s part of the game. You just got to get back up and keep playing.”

With an unquestionable fortitude, Angeli showed a mixed bag of success in Syracuse’s (1-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) 27-20 overtime win over UConn (1-1, Independent). He completed 33-of-53 passing attempts for 417 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Though an 8-for-19 stretch across the end of the second quarter and the third put the Orange on their heels.

He’s under a microscope. That’s what comes with being a Power Four quarterback. But he came out on top by ending the game with completions on 10 of his last 11 attempts, including two clutch touchdown scores and a two-point conversion.

“To be able to do that in the fourth quarter, for a quarterback, that’s what you want,” SU head coach Fran Brown said of Angeli’s late-game heroics. “You want him to be at their best toward the end of the game.”

The shoes Angeli is forced to fill are elephant-sized. While coming to the Orange due to similar New Jersey ties, Angeli is tasked with replacing Kyle McCord’s program-record production. Brown poured his trust into McCord to ignite Syracuse’s 10-win season. He’s trying to find the same flame in Angeli.

Brown joked with Angeli as he hit a lull on Saturday. Brown told his quarterback to stop playing like he did at Camden High School, a subject Brown continuously jokes about after a move to cornerback in college. He emphasized having fun, loosening up by pointing, winking and “messing” with Angeli. The bigger picture proves an admiration for Angeli making the jump to SU through the spring transfer portal.

“It means so much that he is our leader,” Brown said.

Angeli started sharply against the Huskies’ defense. He completed 10 of his first 13 attempts with repeated strikes to Darrell Gill Jr., Jaylan Hornsby and Dan Villari, among others. Angeli even used his legs to break through a few creases and gain positive yardage.

The poise was a stepping stone off of Angeli’s performance in his Syracuse debut against Tennessee, where he kept the Orange within striking distance and persevered despite five sacks. Though the massive hit by Mills knocked Angeli off kilter and ushered in an absurd stretch of mediocrity.

Angeli said postgame the sack was caused by a simple misidentification of the defensive front. He followed the hit by helping the Orange put points on the board before half with a strike down the seam to Villari and a sideline pass to Gill Jr. splintered to perfection. To begin the second half, Angeli and Syracuse’s offensive line — which was without Week 1 starting left tackle Trevion Mack due to a right foot injury — faltered as UConn’s defense dialed it up.

Miscommunications with targets downfield and consecutive three-and-outs caused clear frustration on the sidelines as Angeli recapped the film on a tablet with his backup, Rickie Collins, and offensive Graduate Assistant Manny Harris. As the fourth quarter began, Angeli seemed to find a breakthrough on a 40-yard dime to Gill Jr. But a minute later, he took another big sack on third down, which backed the Orange up and caused a missed 48-yard field goal.

SU’s defense forced a stop, but Angeli quickly gave the ball back. He rolled deep to his right and forced an off-balance throw into the waiting hands of UConn’s D’Mon Brinson. As Brinson nearly became Syracuse’s executioner, Angeli’s hands went to his helmet before sliding down to his face mask in disbelief at his foolish decision.

Postgame, Angeli said the Huskies’ defense “changed the picture a lot.” The pre-snap and post-snap show disguised pressures coming from different areas. The differentiation nearly resulted in an epic blunder for Angeli and the Orange.

But just as Syracuse was on the doorstep of defeat, Angeli found a groove. Trailing by 11 with under seven minutes to go, the Orange played with tempo and Angeli recalibrated. A roll to his right resulted in a 20-yard gain to Hornsby. On a fourth-and-4 a few plays later, Angeli connected with Justus Ross-Simmons for a 53-yard touchdown.

A quick defensive stop put SU’s offense back on the field, and Angeli used 10 plays to give the Orange their first lead of the game. A two-point conversion helped Syracuse get to overtime and in the waning moments, he connected with Ross-Simmons again for the eventual game winner. A complete change of fortunes.

“The whole game, I just continued to battle,” Angeli said. “And it’s not just about me, it’s about this offense, about this team. We just came to fight all the way through the end.”

The usually stoic Angeli expressed limited emotions postgame. Though when speaking on his offensive line, Angeli said they “battled their asses off” before quickly kicking out of press conference mode and showing a slight sense of his personality.

“I don’t know if I can say that. I’m sorry,” Angeli said with a smile. “I’m from Jersey. I think that’s kind of just how it goes.”

Angeli’s former teammate at Notre Dame, Riley Leonard, even told The Daily Orange that Angeli is extremely humble and quiet with the media and on camera but is “one of the funniest people” he’s ever met. After the press conference, Angeli walked to the back of the room where he greeted his family with warm embraces.

Angeli won the starting position in a fall camp battle with Collins, an LSU transfer. He joined the program five months after Collins but won over the team and Brown. SU’s head coach expressed his loyalty to Angeli postgame despite fans already calling throughout the game Saturday for Collins to take over both in the JMA Wireless Dome and across social media.

“This is Steve’s moment. This is Steve’s team,” Brown said.

Angeli’s the guy for now. He’s likely the guy for the foreseeable future. And he got the job done when it mattered most on Saturday.

Published on September 7, 2025 at 9:22 am
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky