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Fran Brown discusses faith in Collins, bye week activities in press conference

Fran Brown discusses faith in Collins, bye week activities in press conference

In his weekly press conference Monday, Fran Brown reassured his faith in starting quarterback Rickie Collins ahead of SU's matchup with Pitt. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

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Fran Brown stood at the podium, puzzled. After his starting quarterback Rickie Collins tossed three interceptions and posted a sub-50% completion percentage in Syracuse’s last game versus SMU, he was asked whether Collins was still his starting signal caller.

Brown did a double take and spread his arms out wide. He made himself clear.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t he? He’s okay, right?” Brown responded.

Despite Brown’s faith, Collins has struggled since taking over the starting duties after Steve Angeli’s season-ending torn Achilles. He’s totaled a 5.2% interception rate in limited time, leading to convincing losses to Duke and SMU.

But Brown still has confidence Collins can turn it around. After SU’s first bye week of the season last week, his next opportunity to do so will be on Saturday against Pittsburgh.

Here are some takeaways from Brown’s press conference before Syracuse’s home matchup with the Panthers this weekend:

Bye week activities

Syracuse entered its first bye week of the season in a precarious position. Over its last two games without Angeli, SU’s offense had no identity. It scored 21 combined points in its losses to Duke and SMU, a far cry from its Week 4 win over Clemson.

Brown said he wants to come out of the bye week focused, unlike last year, when SU looked sluggish in defeats to Stanford and Pitt.

This time, Brown said he let his team relax. It watched a lot of college football and even attended other Syracuse sporting events like SU volleyball’s win over Cal, which the head coach mentioned will help his players build trust with each other. Brown said he also went on a recruiting visit Friday but enjoyed Syracuse’s “atmosphere” during his time off.

On the field, he hammered home one message. Brown constantly preaches having faith, even though players can’t see their end goal. He likened it to NFL players who are selected in late rounds or undrafted that become Hall of Famers. As long as his team is committed, he thinks it can escape its current rut.

“We’re just gonna work one day at a time and stay focused on the mission,” Brown said. “All their dreams and goals, aspirations for the season are still ahead of them. They just got to be able to grab them.”

Brown provided updates on injured players. Wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons, who leads SU with five touchdowns, was seen on crutches after injuring his leg against SMU. Brown said Monday it was just a sprained ankle and that Ross-Simmons should be fine.

He also shared updates on defensive lineman Dion “Tank” Wilson and defensive back Devin Grant. Wilson has been practicing after playing through an injury the last two weeks and should be good to go versus Pitt. Brown didn’t provide a timetable on Grant but added his ankle “seems to be getting better” after he was a game-time decision against the Mustangs. Brown thinks their additions will be pivotal to the Orange’s success.

“You want them to have the best six games they can have, so we can make this six turn into seven and eight and then try to figure out how it can go from there,” Brown said.

Faith in Collins

On Monday, Brown left no doubt about who his starting quarterback is. It’s Collins.

He believes the LSU transfer, who entered the season with just seven passing attempts under his belt, is getting better each week.

“He’s picking up on offense even more. He’s (identifying) stuff better. So we’re excited about Rickie,” Brown said.

Brown also mentioned he’s patched things up with his other coaches, including offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon, after he felt Nixon didn’t use running back Yasin Willis enough versus SMU. Willis’ increased usage can help Collins going forward. Brown added his coordinators now understand his vision and they’ll continue calling plays.

When asked about potentially mixing backup quarterbacks like Luke Carney and Jakhari Williams into the fold, Brown dismissed the idea. He thinks Carney, a true freshman who scored a rushing touchdown in his only snaps of the season against Colgate, is ready. But Collins is his guy for now.

“Rickie’s our quarterback. We’re sticking with Rickie. I want to make sure you understand that,” Brown said. “And everyone else is going to back Rickie up until that time comes for them.”

Pitt preview

Much of Brown’s opening statement Monday centered around Pitt. The Panthers have had an up-and-down season, but since benching starting quarterback Eli Holstein for freshman Mason Heintschel two weeks ago, they’ve gotten back on track, including a win over then-No. 25 Florida State last week.

Brown said that stems from Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi. He said he’s been following him since his time as Michigan State’s defensive coordinator from 2007-14. Brown added Narduzzi is the type of coach you love to play with but hate to play against.

“He loves football. He wakes up football. He goes to sleep thinking football. That’s who he is,” Brown said about Narduzzi. “When you’re going against guys like that, you know you better come ready to compete because he’s gonna play no matter who he got on the team.”

Pitt is also loaded with talent, Brown said. He pointed toward its running back trio of Desmond Reid, Ja’Kyrian Turner and Juelz Goff, all of whom have at least 175 rushing yards and three total touchdowns this season. He singled out Reid, a 2024 Second-Team All-American, as a “freak show,” lauding his ability to make plays out of the backfield and on special teams.

Defensively, Brown remembers Pitt’s performance against SU last year all too well. The Panthers picked off Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord five times, taking three to the end zone for pick sixes.

Similar to that game, Brown believes Pitt’s unit is run by linebacker Kyle Louis, who earned First-Team All-American honors last year. Louis scored one of the touchdowns in last season’s matchup and already has two sacks, a forced fumble and an interception in 2025.

Still, Brown thinks next week’s matchup will be a battle.

“I’m hoping this game is a four-quarter throw down,” Brown said. “Hopefully we play five, whatever it takes, but it’s going to be a good football game.”

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