SYRACUSE, N.Y. – There were very few quiet moments inside the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday.
Syracuse spent most of the season opener making sure of that, rolling past New Hampshire 66-3.
Halfway through the second quarter though, the dome had the air sucked out of it.
Steve Angeli had just completed a pass when he was rolled up on and went down, grabbing at his right leg.
The sight brought back an uncomfortable memory.
Angeli missed the final eight games of last season after suffering an Achilles injury to his left leg.
The Orange went on to lose all eight contests without him.
For a few moments, SU’s dominant performance took a back seat to the health of its quarterback.
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown didn’t wait to find out.
“I started talking to God before I went to him,” Brown said.
Brown went over to his quarterback, asked him to move his leg and told him to get up. Angeli did.
Then Brown added one more thing.
“Race me.”
Angeli took off.
The dome erupted as its quarterback sprinted back toward the sideline.
After sitting out the required play, Angeli returned to the field and immediately helped Syracuse extend its lead.
He handed the ball to true freshman Shavane Anderson Jr., who spun out of a tackle and bounced the run outside. Anderson had one defender left between him and the end zone, but Angeli sprinted downfield and became his lead blocker.
Angeli laid out the final defender, allowing Anderson to finish a 15-yard touchdown run and put Syracuse ahead 27-0.
“Steve is willing to do anything for the team, and he’s a dawg for coming down and hitting the corner like that,” Anderson said.
Anderson and fellow underclassman Tylik Hill combined for 192 rushing yards, with Anderson accounting for 102 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries.
Hill added 90 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
At 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, Joe Cruz is the smallest player on Syracuse’s offensive line. New Hampshire’s largest defensive lineman, Justin Fevrier, is listed at 6-foot-4, 307 pounds.
Syracuse’s line took advantage of the size disparity, paving the way for 238 rushing yards and an average of 5.5 yards per carry.
That same group gave Angeli plenty of time to throw. He completed 20-of-29 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns in his return as Syracuse piled up 513 total yards.
His most productive connection was with Umari Hatcher, who returned after missing most of 2025 and caught eight passes for a career-high 147 yards, along with two touchdowns.
Hatcher’s first score came on second-and-goal from the 19-yard line, when Angeli put a pass behind him on an inside post. The 6-foot-3 receiver adjusted in the air and made the catch.
Their biggest connection came early in the fourth quarter. Hatcher hauled in a 35-yard back-shoulder throw down the right sideline, then found the end zone again a few plays later on an 18-yard touchdown that made it 50-3.
New Hampshire kept two safeties deep for much of the afternoon, but Syracuse didn’t need to force the ball downfield. The running game kept the Wildcats from committing extra defenders, and when they did, Syracuse had the matchups it wanted outside.
The defense was just as overwhelming.
Syracuse held New Hampshire to 159 total yards, recorded five sacks and 10 tackles for loss and forced two fumbles.
UT Martin transfer Keyshawn Johnson accounted for 2.5 sacks, while Rashard Perry, who only played five games for SU last season, made a statement with an interception after getting a hand on a screen pass.
The Orange opened the second half with a blocked punt and a safety, then capped the defensive performance when Zyian Moultrie-Goddard scooped up a fumble and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown with 11:53 remaining, making it 57-3.
New Hampshire’s only points came on a 46-yard field goal.
Still, Syracuse wasn’t perfect.
The Orange committed 12 penalties for 125 yards. A holding call erased a 38-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half, while three punt returns were wiped out by holding penalties.
Brown wasn’t overly concerned with the punt return penalties.
“Those are flags that happen from aggressiveness,” Brown said. “They’re all trying to fight for him to go and score. So that was just being a good teammate trying to fight.”
Chris Peal was ejected for targeting late in the third quarter, though a rule change means he will not have to serve a first-half suspension in Syracuse’s next game.
That matchup next week against the California Golden Bears is the start of Syracuse’s ACC schedule. Brown said the standard has to continue rising, regardless of the opponent.
Despite Cal’s loss to in-state rival UCLA to begin its season, the week two contest will still provide Syracuse with a clearer indication of what this team can be.
Kickoff in the dome is at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12.