In 1st Syracuse start, Amari Odom totals 6 touchdowns against UConn
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EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Something needed to change, so Fran Brown made one of the most consequential changes a football coach can make.
For two weeks, Syracuse had plenty of questions about its quarterback situation. Starter Steve Angeli was benched against Pitt on Sept. 17 after throwing five interceptions across SU’s first two Atlantic Coast Conference games. Backup Amari Odom went 8-for-8 passing in his lone drive, leaving Brown with a decision to make on the opposite side of a Week 4 bye.
Yet, Brown said Monday he would “stick with what we’ve been doing at quarterback” and that it would be difficult “to just turn away from someone who’s done such a good job.”
But Syracuse needed life after falling to 1-2. Odom said SU’s head coach notified him Thursday. Brown publicly announced Odom as the starter Saturday morning. By the evening, he had no reason to second-guess that decision.
Odom threw for 335 yards and totaled six touchdowns — five passing, one rushing — to lift Syracuse (2-2, 0-2 ACC) over UConn (2-3, Independent) on the road. Odom lit up the stat sheet in the first half, and — despite throwing two second-half interceptions — rebounded to complete a game-winning touchdown pass and two-point conversion in overtime.
“I’m very thankful for what he’s done,” Brown said of Odom. “Amari’s our quarterback.”
As Brown said Monday, it wasn’t easy to turn away from Angeli. But Brown’s never been afraid to switch things up when needed.
Last year, those decisions didn’t pay off much. Angeli won the job in the fall and started SU’s first four games before his Achilles tear. Rickie Collins was the instant replacement, but Brown didn’t hesitate to give freshmen Joe Filardi and Luke Carney plenty of game time when Collins struggled.
Angeli was Syracuse’s beacon of stability throughout the offseason. The Orange couldn’t guarantee he’d be the same player that ranked second nationally in passing yards through four weeks last season, but his return was the anchor of most of SU’s optimism. He was — if nothing else — going to give the Orange a sure thing at quarterback.
But Angeli looked like a shell of that 2025 passer through three games. And knowing how last season spiraled so quickly, there wasn’t much time for Brown and SU to wait things out if Angeli was really that rusty.
CAPTION GOES HERE. Avery Magee | Photo Editor
So Brown didn’t. On the Syracuse Learfield radio pregame show Saturday, Brown said SU would go with Odom, mentioning that “(Angeli) took a lot of hits” and “he’ll be able to take a step back, heal a little bit more.”
Postgame, Brown echoed a similar sentiment, saying the decision was mainly rooted in Odom’s mobility compared to Angeli’s.
“Watching (the quarterbacks) all week, (Odom’s) legs, and what he could do, that was a little bit better,” Brown said. “Steve’s healthy; he was clear enough to play, but (Odom) could run a little bit more.”
That was evident at several points, notably Odom’s six-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and the game-winning two-point conversion, where he kept the ball on a run-pass option and powered across the goal line.
It was also evident on the preceding play, the fourth-and-17 try when Odom escaped the pocket. He said postgame he knew the ball had to go to the end zone but didn’t like his first read. He kept his eyes downfield and somehow found Hatcher in the end zone while taking a big hit.
“The best play in our playbook is the scramble drill,” Odom said postgame. “It’s very important, and we work that a ton. I’m glad it was able to show this week.”
Brown added “what (Odom) could do with his arm” helped the decision. That was on display plenty, as well. He connected with Hatcher twice for 40-plus-yard touchdowns, the first of which came on SU’s first drive, when Odom fumbled a snap from the shotgun. He picked the ball off the grass, looked up and hit Hatcher in stride at the goal line for SU’s first passing touchdown since Week 2.
Odom’s second deep ball to Hatcher came late in the second quarter, when Hatcher broke free on a post-corner route to put SU up 27-7. He added another 30-plus-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-23 at UConn’s 34-yard line in the third quarter. Odom found a wide-open Daunte Bachieye over the middle for his fourth touchdown pass Saturday.
The quarterback made some mistakes as the game got closer, missing Calvin Russell III on a check down for his first interception and tossing a goal line pick a few drives later. But at this point, SU will take the good with the bad. Odom responded to lead the Orange into field goal range as time expired, although Shay Barker’s attempt missed wide right. Odom still found a way to get Syracuse across the finish line late with some overtime magic.
And right now, that’s all Syracuse needs at quarterback. Someone who’s just going to get the job done. It wasn’t always pretty for Odom, but it’s certainly good enough.
Sitting in a tucked away room in the tunnel for his postgame press conference, Brown was asked a question he surely saw coming. Any team with any sort of quarterback battle will get it every week.
Will Amari Odom start next week?
Brown didn’t need long to think about it. The competition will still rage on. An away test at Virginia brings just about every question and concern a coach could have. But for now, he has an answer.
“He’s our guy right now.”
