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Syracuse opened its second campaign under head coach Fran Brown with a reality check. The Orange, which sported a new look at nearly every starting position on offense and started two true freshmen on defense, trailed by as much as 24 in an eventual 19-point loss to then-No. 24 Tennessee.

The season-opening defeat means SU needs a bounce-back victory in its home opener versus UConn. The Huskies earned a decade-best 9-4 record in 2024 under third-year head coach Jim Mora and began their 2025 campaign with a 59-13 thumping of Central Connecticut.

The Orange defeated UConn 31-24 in their penultimate regular-season game last season and have won 10 of their last 12 home openers.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (0-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) will fare against UConn (1-0, Independent):

Aiden Stepansky (1-0)
Home cooking
Syracuse 35, UConn 27

This one won’t be as easy as some Syracuse fans might think. While the Huskies are no Southeastern Conference foe, they’re coming off their best offensive performance ever. No, really. Joe Fagnano and Co. totaled 638 yards against Central Connecticut last week in an offensive dismantling.

The mark, which has UConn ranked first of 136 FBS teams in offense at 92.8 per Pro Football Focus, doesn’t bode well for the Orange. Starting safety Devin Grant was banged up in the second half against the Volunteers and could be limited Saturday. Oh, and SU’s pass rush failed to show a pulse versus Tennessee, which could give Fagnano some comfort in the pocket.

Despite the discrepancies in Week 1, Syracuse will rebound with a victory. A close one, albeit. When looking back at 2024, the Orange didn’t play their best football versus Ohio to begin the season. Then, the squad ignited in Week 2 for a ranked win over Georgia Tech.

I could see Brown and his staff having a similar improvement this go around, since so much was unknown against Tennessee. Steve Angeli should have a better pocket to work with due to UConn only recording one sack in the season debut. O-line coach Dale Williams and Brown both hope to showcase the offensive line’s depth this week, which I believe will make the unit much stronger.

While SU’s away schedule is one of the hardest in the country, its home schedule is favorable. The Orange went 6-1 at home in Brown’s first year. Despite a blemish against Stanford, they notched two ranked wins over GT and then Miami. It’s plausible to believe Syracuse could continue the home cooking and possibly go undefeated in the JMA Wireless Dome this year. Saturday is the first step.

Cooper Andrews (1-0)
Washing the loss away
Syracuse 33, UConn 26

Brown went viral last November for revealing he doesn’t shower after losses. “Winners get washed” is the mantra he indirectly coined, meant to portray the second-year head coach’s deep-rooted hatred for losing and the satisfaction he craves when SU is victorious.

Dealing with defeat isn’t becoming any easier for Brown. When pondering Syracuse’s 45-26 loss during his weekly Monday press conference, he pounded his right fist against the podium four times, angry at the thought of replaying the Orange’s shortcoming in his head.

Brown won’t have to wait too long to regain satisfaction, though. Syracuse has a potential trap game this Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome against UConn. But I feel Brown’s squad will escape a narrow battle versus the Huskies with its first win of the year.

The momentum SU’s offense generated late against the Volunteers should be what it builds off of. When Angeli had sound protection, he looked comfortable in the pocket and showed great timing with Johntay Cook and Dan Villari, who combined for over 100 receiving yards. If Syracuse can be more consistent in the trenches — aka not give up five sacks — it’ll cruise to at least 30 points against UConn’s defense.

On the flip side, the Orange’s defense needs to get some stops early. It was on the field for 69 defensive plays against Tennessee, 39 of which came in the first half. SU hopes that won’t happen again, especially assuming SU’s young cornerbacks room will start to settle in on Saturday.

After Syracuse takes care of business at home, a bar of soap and a bottle of Old Spice will await Brown in his bathroom.

Zak Wolf (1-0)
Nail-biter
Syracuse 34, UConn 30

It’s hard to gauge UConn’s Week 1 success, since it came against Central Connecticut — a solid, but not dominant Football Championship Subdivision program. I do believe there’s some validity to the Huskies’ success. Just look at how hard they pushed SU last season. Despite Kyle McCord throwing for a career-high 470 yards, the Orange escaped with a seven-point win.

Syracuse lost most of its key defensive pieces from last season, and with UConn retaining its three main weapons on offense: Fagnano, running back Cam Edwards and receiver Skyler Bell, the Huskies will test Syracuse. Last weekend showed how porous SU’s defense can be, and despite not nearly being at Tennessee’s level, I think UConn can put plenty of points on the board.

Syracuse will still get the job done. I expect a heavy dosage of Yasin Willis, who despite having a career-high 23 carries in Week 1, Brown said Syracuse “needed to get him the ball more.” Willis is a workhorse back that can carry the ball 25-plus times per game. This is going to be one of those instances, and against a less-potent defensive line, Willis will feast.

Despite two turnovers last week, I also liked what Angeli brought to the table. It’s clear he has poise and can pick defenses apart when given time. Jeff Nixon will mix in a good run-pass balance, and the offense will make up for whatever shortcomings SU’s defense has.

This is the type of game that will have fans squirming in their seats. Casual fans might see this as a blowout. In reality, it’ll be anything but.

With that being said, give me the Orange. Barely.

Published on September 3, 2025 at 9:39 pm