Observations from Syracuse’s loss to Cal: RB roulette, Angeli’s wobbly day
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Syracuse got its warm-up game in Week 1, smashing an outmatched New Hampshire 66-3. Saturday, SU’s early-season measuring stick arrived with Cal visiting the JMA Wireless Dome.
The first Atlantic Coast Conference contest for both teams was a narrow affair, and the Orange fell 21-18.
Both offenses sputtered in the first half, and the two marquee quarterbacks — Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and SU’s Steve Angeli — weren’t dicing up the defense after they each reached 250 yards in their first games of 2026.
Syracuse’s 15 penalties for 135 yards were also costly.
In the second half, Angeli was picked off on the Orange’s first drive, which the Golden Bears capitalized on, scoring a touchdown to take a 14-12 lead. But SU responded and took a four-point advantage into the fourth quarter.
The game stayed on a knife’s edge. In the fourth quarter, Syracuse clanged a field goal off the upright, then Cal was forced to punt on the next drive. Angeli threw a second interception, and the Golden Bears returned it for a touchdown, giving them a three-point edge with under five minutes to play. SU couldn’t pull level after whiffing a field goal.
Here are some observations from SU’s (1-1, 0-1 ACC) loss to Cal (1-1, 1-0 ACC) Saturday:
Running back roulette
The Orange had immense success from their running backs versus New Hampshire. Syracuse raced for 239 yards, with Shavane Anderson Jr. clocking 102 yards and three touchdowns and Tylik Hill compiling 91 yards and one score. In SU’s second game, its running back corps grew even stronger with transfers Ju’Juan Johnson and Ahmad Miller debuting after missing the UNH matchup with injuries.
However, the Orange leaned on what worked last week to start Saturday — and it paid dividends again. Hill exploded for a 55-yard run on the second play of the game, taking the ball to Cal’s 8-yard line.
On that drive, Hill slowed down as he approached the end zone and walked gingerly off the field. He entered the injury tent and did some work on the mobility bike but didn’t return for the rest of the game.
From then on, the Orange split their backfield reps. After 56 yards on its first two rushes, Syracuse recorded only 39 on its next 14 runs in the first half. SU logged 26 yards on its second drive of the second half, as Johnson became its go-to back. He charged his way into the end zone to conclude that drive.
Cal gave up 277 rushing yards last week against UCLA. Syracuse only mustered 118 yards and 3.3 yards per run Saturday.
Steve Angeli’s search for some rhythm
It wasn’t a pretty start for Angeli Saturday. He began 2-for-9 with 29 yards as the second quarter started. However, he hit a stride to guide SU to its first touchdown of the game in the second.
After a sack on the drive’s first play, Angeli found Umari Hatcher for 20 yards and a first down. Then, he turned to tight end Daunte Bacheyie. Consecutive 38- and 23-yard receptions carried the Orange into the end zone for the first time Saturday.
But Angeli couldn’t build off that drive. The Orange were 1-for-7 on third downs in the first half, entering the locker room ahead 12-7.
The second half started with Angeli finding some momentum and completing four straight passes. But the drive ended with his first pick of the season, which Cal’s Kingston Lopa returned 53 yards to Syracuse’s 29-yard line.
Would Angeli be fazed when he returned with Syracuse trailing for the first time? No. He led a 75-yard, 13-play drive to restore the Orange’s lead. He found Darien Williams for a 19-yard completion that put Syracuse on the doorstep of the end zone.
Angeli nearly had a second interception early in the fourth, but a roughing-the-passer call negated it. But there was no life-preserver when he threw a pick-six that the Golden Bears returned 24 yards for the lead.
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Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli had an up-and-down day, throwing for 306 yards and one touchdown but also tossing three interceptions.
Still, Angeli had some magic up his sleeve. On a third-and-13, he released the ball falling out of bounds, and Justus Ross-Simmons splayed out to snag the ball and advance SU to Cal’s 24. Syracuse still had a chance when it got the ball back with just over a minute left. But Angeli’s day ended with a third pick, ending the drive and the Orange’s comeback hopes.
Sneaky special teams
What does the No. 1 punter in the 2026 recruiting class get you? With Saturday’s evidence, it’s some stealthy wit, passing accuracy and a whole lot of chutzpah. SU’s Jimmy Gregg lined up for what looked like a routine punt on the Orange’s 47-yard line in the first quarter. But Gregg instead raced toward the line of scrimmage after taking the snap.
Then, the svelte 200-pound Gregg took flight in the trench. He released a pass that found linebacker David Omopariola upfield, resulting in a 12-yard gain. The ballsy play call resulted in a field goal.
After that, special teams coordinator Alex Bayer tried to play another sly card, and it was less successful. A high-arcing kickoff ended up in Cal’s hands and gave it favorable field position.
Syracuse thought it had a near-miraculous 75-yard punt return that’d set it up in field goal range with one second left in the first half. However, on Davien Kerr’s remarkable return, the Orange were called for an illegal block, and SU’s progress was annulled. It was almost repeat history to end the third quarter, when Demetres Samuel Jr. took a punt to the house only for it to be chalked off for an illegal blocking penalty.
It got worse. Syracuse kicker Tripp Woody clattered a 31-yard field goal off the uprights, keeping the game within four points. Woody was way short on a 46-yard attempt that could’ve tied it in the final two minutes.
Gregg’s gutsy pass was the highlight from the special teams Saturday. Other than that, the unit cost the Orange the game.
Ross-Simmons returns
Ross-Simmons’ eligibility has fluctuated all offseason. He looked set to go to the NFL in the spring but didn’t get selected in the NFL Draft or picked up. So, he joined the horde of class of 2022 recruits seeking another year of college eligibility.
His name popped up in lawsuits. He had eligibility, then lost it when the NCAA appealed. His place on the Orange’s roster was a weekly conversation topic. He would be around the team all season, Fran Brown insisted, ready when he was given the green light.
On Friday night, he was — for now. It took him scrambling to enter his name in a lawsuit in Onondaga County after he was booted from one in Texas, but a judge granted the wide receiver eligibility for the next two games, with a hearing set for Sept. 30.
Ross-Simmons was on the field to start Saturday and caught an Angeli pass in the first quarter for 22 yards. The next time Ross-Simmons was targeted was a lofted pass into the end zone early in the third quarter. The pass was incomplete, though.
Ross-Simmons flashed his ability with a diving grab in the fourth quarter to move the chains and turn the Dome into an aural assault. On a free play in the final two minutes, he again came up big with a 23-yard reception.
Brown stressed Monday that Ross-Simmons had just returned. His role was ultimately limited Saturday to six receptions, but he led the Orange with 105 yards. It was a good first outing. He’ll hope to keep it up, as long as his eligibility is intact.
