SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse Football came into Saturday’s matinee contest seeking its first home ACC win in exactly 700 days.
The Orange found a way, pulling out a 68-yard game-winning drive to steal a thriller against No. 19 SMU, 30-27. The Orange faithful stormed the field, just as they did Nov. 30, 2024, when they beat Cam Ward and the Miami Hurricanes.
“I thought our players fought hard,” Syracuse head coach Fran Brown said. “And what more could you ask for in that football game?”
Last season, quarterback Steve Angeli’s season was cut short due to an Achilles injury. Now, after a tumultuous start that included an injury, Angeli looked like himself again, opening the scoring with a 26-yard touchdown run.
“I don’t think he lost the job,” Brown said. “We just wanted him to get back as healthy as possible.”
The Mustangs entered the contest with the 12th-ranked offense in yards per game. In the opening quarter, SMU was held to a field goal before quarterback Kevin Jennings found Jalen Hale for a 9-yard touchdown strike to take a 10-7 lead.
The Orange responded by blanking the Mustangs in the second quarter, highlighted by a Demetres Samuel Jr. forced fumble. Syracuse defensive back Davien Kerr scooped up the ball and had a clear path to the end zone before he was tripped by the turf monster.
Samuel finished the afternoon with a pass breakup, a forced fumble and 10 tackles. The last time the fans stormed the field against Miami, the defensive back was on his official visit to Syracuse, his second time witnessing a field storming inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
“Once I punched out the ball, I just held him down,” Samuel said. “So somebody else could come pick up the ball, because I knew my brothers was coming to go to the ball.”
Kicker Tripp Woody has been much maligned this season, but he hit a pair of kicks in the second quarter, giving the Orange a 13-10 lead.
Before halftime, running back Ahmad Miller, coming off back-to-back 120-yard performances, punched in a touchdown on fourth-and-goal to give the Orange a 20-10 lead.
The Jackson State transfer is the first Orange player with consecutive 120-yard performances since LeQuint Allen in 2023. He was unable to extend the streak but finished the game with 18 carries for 57 yards and a score.
“[Ahmad] ran for 1,000 yards last year,” Brown said. “Now he’s here with us, and we’re hoping that more yards are coming to him.”
The Mustangs came out of the locker room with the intensity up a notch as they marched down the field, cashing in on a Yamir Knight touchdown reception.
Kevin Jennings was elusive and efficient, completing 29 of 36 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns. The senior signal-caller also added 52 yards on the ground.
“I think that [Jennings] is legit,” Brown said. “He’s one of the more dynamic players I got to play against as a coach since I’ve been in college.”
Four straight punts in the second half led to a field-position battle. After SMU pinned the Orange deep in its own territory, freshman Calvin Russell had a 60-plus-yard catch-and-run wiped out by an Umari Hatcher holding penalty.
Both the fans and Hatcher disagreed with the call.
“Personally, I don’t think it was a hold, but I just got to stay in it,” Hatcher said. “I just can’t let that one play affect the whole game.”
The penalty pushed the Orange back, leading to a Steve Angeli intentional grounding penalty in the end zone. This awarded a safety to SMU and sliced the Orange lead to 20-19.
The Mustangs rode the momentum to a quick touchdown from Kendrick Raphael, who punched in a 14-yard score, putting the Mustangs up 27-20 after a successful two-point conversion.
A Tripp Woody field goal on the ensuing possession, his fourth of the game, cut the lead to four.
Still needing another stop, the defense took charge. A Tunmise Adeleye sack on second down helped set up a three-and-out for the Mustangs and a chance for the Orange to pull off the upset. Syracuse recorded four sacks on the afternoon, including two from Keyshawn Johnson.
With 3:35 remaining, Steve Angeli and the offense picked up the needed 68 yards on 11 plays. Angeli was the hero, finding tight end Noah Meyers off play-action for the game-winning touchdown.
The quarterback finished the game completing 21 of his 34 attempts for 200 yards and two total touchdowns.
“We practice these scenarios honestly every day in practice,” Angeli said. “There’s different things that Coach Fran sees around the country, whether it be in college football or the NFL.”
Students and fans promptly stormed the field after the final whistle, giving Syracuse its second consecutive ACC victory.
Umari Hatcher made sure to stick around and take pictures with any fan who wanted one, recalling how he felt as a kid if a player rejected him.
“You don’t even gotta act for a picture,” Hatcher said. “Let’s just get it in and just get the picture.”
The Orange host the Clemson Tigers next Saturday at noon, when they look to extend its ACC winning streak to three games.