Syracuse wastes 5 trips past Pitt’s 30-yard line in 2nd ACC defeat
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PITTSBURGH — They’re the saddest words of tongue and pen: What might have been?
That question swirled among Syracuse after its 21-18 loss to Cal Saturday, when it missed two field goals, Steve Angeli threw three interceptions and it committed 14 penalties for 110 yards.
It resurfaced Thursday.
In its 27-13 loss, Syracuse (1-2, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) got past Pitt’s (3-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) 30-yard line five times. It finished with one touchdown and two field goals. SU’s offense losing steam against the Panthers came after it had seven trips past the Golden Bears’ 30 yard-line that resulted in just two touchdowns and two field goals.
It was one of the many things Syracuse head coach Fran Brown was frustrated about postgame Thursday.
“We got to score in the red area,” Brown said. “We got to get touchdowns in the red area. We get to the red area, and we can’t score.”
In red zone scoring percentage in 2025, the Orange ranked 111th of 135 Football Subdivision teams with a 76.47% scoring percentage. Three games into 2026, they’re tied for 107th at 66.67%.
“Our red area offense hasn’t been well in the past two seasons,” Brown admitted postgame. “But forget last year. Red area offense hasn’t been good this past two weeks, so we gotta make sure that we get some points when we get in the red.”
Although Syracuse’s first possession Thursday reached the Pitt 37-yard line, it ended in a turnover on downs. Points left on the table.
By the time the Orange were back in Panther territory, they trailed 14-0 early in the second quarter. Still, Angeli dropped a pixel-perfect 34-yard pass to wide receiver Umari Hatcher, moving the ball to the 14-yard line.
A pass from Steve Angeli drifts over Justus Ross-Simmons in Syracuse’s loss to Pitt Thursday. The Orange struggled in opposing territory for the second straight game, scoring just one touchdown and two field goals against the Panthers. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
But then SU’s offense got bogged down. Two runs combined for four yards, and Angeli had to toss the ball away to avoid a third-down sack. Kicker Tripp Woody came out for a 29-yard field goal, having never missed from within 30 yards. His attempt to get Syracuse’s first points on the board was way left of the mark.
“We got to finish drives,” said Angeli, who was benched in the fourth quarter after two interceptions. “Whether it be throwing the ball, running the football, just got to finish and score touchdowns in the red zone.”
SU finally converted a touchdown on its next possession, as running back Ahmad Miller took a pitch on the left side. But Pitt afforded the Orange some generosity on that drive after a turnover on downs turned into a fresh set for SU on a Panther pass interference.
Syracuse looked to be hitting its stride to close the first half, as freshman kicker Shay Barker nailed a 42-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 17-10 with the Orange opening the third quarter with the ball.
“That’s important that we score touchdowns down there,” Brown said of SU’s red-zone offense. “And if we do kick a field goal, we need to make them. I think we may have to make that move (to replace Woody with Barker), because that move is pretty obvious when we’re looking at that. So we’ll probably have to make that move for now.”
Any positives from that shrewd late-half move proved to be quixotic.
The Orange got as deep as the 28-yard line on their second drive of the third quarter. But a sack pushed the chains back, and the drive ended with a punt.
When the fourth quarter rolled around, SU trailed 24-10. Pitt, for its part, was ruthless in the red zone. It scored every time it crossed Syracuse’s 40-yard line except for the last drive of the game, when the result was sealed, and the first.
Searching for a late spark, the Orange offense turned to Angeli, but he couldn’t save the day. Three rushes in four plays got them to midfield, but Angeli’s attempted pass to Cole Weaver was picked off.
Syracuse didn’t make it out of its own territory on its next possession when Angeli threw another interception.
On SU’s final possession, backup quarterback Amari Odom took over for Angeli and completed 7-for-7 passes. But even he could only do so much. He got the Orange to the 12-yard line. They stalled out one last time with a field goal. Barker’s conversion solely served as window-dressing. There was no win in sight.
“Honestly, we just got to convert when it needs to be converted,” Hatcher said. “That’s really it. Just got to make the plays that’s being given and just score.”
Could it be put any simpler? Take advantage of missed opportunities. Turn possible points into tangible ones. Against the Panthers, the Orange had plenty of chances to write or declare a different ending. They just never finished the sentence.
