CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Syracuse Football stared their 12th straight ACC loss in the face throughout its matchup with North Carolina. Despite being down 10 points in the fourth quarter, the team mustered enough courage and defeated the Tar Heels 31-30 in overtime.
Freshman kicker Shay Barker missed an extra point that would have won the game in regulation, but the team moved past it.
SU found itself stuffed on third-and-goal in a do-or-die overtime drive but wouldn’t be denied on fourth-and-goal.
Adversity struck the Orange repeatedly, and Syracuse responded repeatedly.
“Just continue to live our culture of being relentless and tough,” Syracuse head coach Fran Brown said. “Stay focused and hold each other accountable for what we were doing wrong.”
Syracuse’s first task was to stay in the game. The Tar Heels started hot with a seven-play, 83-yard touchdown drive. They added on with a field goal and were up 10-0 in the first quarter.
UNC quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. didn’t throw an incompletion until 2:09 left in the first quarter. He became the first Tar Heels quarterback to complete 10 passes in a quarter since Drake Maye in 2024.
Syracuse began the ensuing drive needing to move the football as the SU defense had been on the field for 20 of the last 26 plays.
A 16-play drive that lasted over seven minutes gave the defense a break. The drive was spearheaded by Ahmad Miller, who finished the game with 30 carries, 125 yards and a touchdown.
The ‘Cuse defense only allowed a field goal the rest of the half, heading into the locker room down 13-10.
The Tar Heels opened the third quarter with a touchdown. The 20-10 scoreline held going into the fourth, and their leading receiver was nowhere to be found.
Umari Hatcher had been held to three catches for 27 yards. All it took was one play and 76 yards later, Hatcher was in the end zone.
“Before that play, coach was saying we needed to make a big play,” Hatcher said. “That was something we needed to keep us in this game.”
Hatcher wasn’t the only SU weapon who emerged in the final quarter. Steve Angeli completed nine of 20 passes in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter he was 11 of 14 with two touchdowns.
He needed to be at his best when Syracuse had the ball down six points late in the fourth quarter. Angeli led his offense down the field by throwing to Calvin Russell III.
He found Russell on the right sideline for a gain of 28 at the Carolina 8-yard line. It set up a Miller touchdown to potentially take the lead with the extra point.
Fitting with the ups and downs of both the game and the season, the extra point curled left of the upright. The game was going to overtime.
“It wasn’t defeating,” Brown said. “We just had to go score.”
North Carolina scored quickly to start overtime. Syracuse had the ball down 30-23 and needed 25 yards to stay alive.
The Orange quickly fell behind schedule. A false start penalty and a dropped snap put them in third-and-11. Angeli was blitzed but came through with a first-down strike to Russell.
The play set up a goal-to-go opportunity, setting up fourth-and-goal. The game would come down to one play from the 4-yard line.
In a do-or-die moment, the Orange looked to Russell for the score.
“It was just a matter of demanding the ball,” Russell said. “Just making sure they knew I wanted the ball and I wanted to win the game.”
Having already missed an extra point, Brown held up two fingers and kept the offense on the field. It would all come down to a winner-take-all two-point conversion.
Angeli rolled to his right and once again found Russell, this time for the win. He was just able to keep his feet in bounds to clinch the game.
The win was Syracuse’s first in the ACC since Sept. 20, 2025, at Clemson. The Orange now have a 3-4 record and have matched its win total from last season.
“It was cool to go out there and win, especially for those players,” Brown said. “Just seeing them smile, seeing them happy like that. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to get a few more.”
The Orange return to the Loud House next week to face SMU on Oct 31.
