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Less than a year ago, Fran Brown walked off the JMA Wireless Dome turf a king. He closed his first year as Syracuse’s head coach by helming the Orange to one of their biggest wins in program history — a 42-38 stunner over then-No. 6 Miami.

Brown was smiling a mile wide in front of ESPN cameras with his youngest son, Brayden, beaming by his side as SU fans poured onto the turf in celebration. It can’t get more picturesque than that. The scene stamped Brown as Syracuse football’s savior.

Fast forward to now, before his next matchup versus the Hurricanes, and you see an entirely different mood surrounding Brown’s squad. Syracuse is reeling badly; it’s on a five-game losing skid, its quarterback room has become a circus, its rush defense can’t stop a nosebleed and it just fired wide receivers coach Myles White — part of Brown’s late-season coaching staff shakeup.

Still, the Orange face similar stakes as they did in 2024: win, and SU essentially knocks the Hurricanes out of College Football Playoff contention.

Here’s what to know before Syracuse’s (3-6, 1-5 Atlantic Coast) road battle versus No. 16 Miami (6-2, 2-2 ACC) Saturday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium:

All-time series

Miami leads 15-8.

Last time they played

As described above, Syracuse delivered the signature moment of its 10-3 2024 campaign by shocking Miami in a duel between current NFL quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Cam Ward — the eventual No. 1 pick of last year’s NFL Draft.

McCord tossed for 380 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Orange on a fierce comeback after facing a 21-0 deficit. But the play of the game came with 1:47 left in the third quarter, when SU safety Devin Grant returned a fumble from Miami receiver Xavier Restrepo 56 yards to the end zone to put Syracuse up 35-28.

The victory served as SU’s first win over an AP top-10 team since 2017.

The Hurricanes report

The “U” was supposed to be “back” this season. For real, this time. Fourth-year head coach Mario Cristobal’s squad was favored to win the ACC and get to the CFP after falling just short in 2024. Obtaining Georgia transfer quarterback Carson Beck helped advance that narrative. So did the Hurricanes’ season-opening upset victory over then-No. 6 Notre Dame — 2024’s CFP runner-up.

Since then, Miami’s season has progressively slipped away.

The Hurricanes have lost two of their last three games, including a home defeat to No. 14 Louisville and an overtime loss at SMU last Saturday. Beck combined to throw six interceptions in those two losses. And he’s been quick to blame teammates for his struggles in postgame interviews.

However, when it comes to facing Syracuse this week, the Hurricanes should be confident about their running game. They’ve racked up 1,240 yards on the ground over eight games, led by Mark Fletcher Jr.’s 636 yards and Charmar Brown’s 280. The two backs provide a solid one-two punch, keeping each other fresh.

Miami’s defense has been much more consistent than its offense. Freshman cornerback Bryce Fitzgerald leads the team with three interceptions and senior defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor brings a valiant pass-rushing presence, totaling 3.5 sacks and 16 solo tackles thus far. The Hurricanes rank first in the ACC in scoring defense, surrendering just 15.6 points per game and allowing no more than 26 points in any contest.

The stats are the stats, but make no mistake, the Orange are matching up with a desperate and more talented Miami squad that needs a win.

How Syracuse beats Miami

Well, you won’t find much of an answer here.

The formula for the Orange to upset the Hurricanes isn’t close to as simple as it was last year. They no longer have a quarterback who can lead an offense to score at will. They no longer have a pass rusher to intimidate a star opposing signal-caller. And, because of their recent quarterback incompetence, they no longer have a functioning run game.

So, how can Syracuse possibly win? The only realistic way is if the Orange force Beck into playing one of the worst games of his life. SU’s top cornerback options in Chris Peal and Demetres Samuel Jr., as well as its interception leader in Davien Kerr, have shown shutdown ability at times this year.

They’ll need to lock up Miami’s receiving corps and make Beck throw balls into heavy traffic. That’s because it’s difficult to comprehend how Syracuse’s offense will score a touchdown. The Orange would at least have a fighter’s chance if they start Rickie Collins under center.

Stat to know: 22.2%

True freshman walk-on quarterback Joe Filardi made a surprise start for the Orange last week against North Carolina. He failed to lead Syracuse’s offense to a touchdown. There’s one number in particular, though, that elicits concern if Filardi is ready to face a Division I defense yet: his dreadful 22.2% completion percentage.

Filardi completed 4-of-18 passes versus UNC and went most of the first half without one. He was inaccurate on anything other than checkdowns, and his best throw of the day came on a flea-flicker where he hit freshman receiver Boobie Johnson for a 25-yard gain.

A 22.2% completion rate is uncompetitive. Time will tell if Filardi shows enough in practice this week to convince Brown that he won’t post another outing as dreadful as the last game.

Player to watch: Carson Beck, quarterback, No. 11

Once a Heisman frontrunner, Beck is watching his notoriety as an NFL prospect wane by the week.

Beck has thrown the third-most interceptions in the nation this year (nine) and the second-most among Power Four quarterbacks. He nearly tossed for 2,000 yards across Miami’s opening eight contests and boasts the 17th-best QBR in the country at 80.0, but coughing up the ball has been Beck’s weakness this fall.

If you’re bold enough to watch Saturday’s game, Beck is really the only player you need to watch. He has the power to win the game by himself or play badly enough to hand Syracuse an upset victory.

Published on November 5, 2025 at 11:57 pm
Contact Cooper: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews