Syracuse Football drops sixth straight game heading into the bye week

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The No. 18 Miami Hurricanes defeated the Syracuse Orange 38-10 at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. This is the Orange’s sixth consecutive double-digit loss and the longest losing streak for the Orange since 2020.

Heading into this week, head coach Fran Brown changed the coaching staff, most notably making Michael Johnson the quarterback coach.   

“The plays haven’t changed, I mean, I’d say what plays have been called more consistently have changed,” quarterback Rickie Collins said.   

The first half was a defensive battle, as Miami and Syracuse punted on each of their first four possessions, unable to sustain much offense. 

Miami ran a trick play late in the first half as standout wide receiver Malachi Toney threw a pass to quarterback Carson Beck for a touchdown, putting the Canes up 7-0.     

On the next drive for the Orange, Collins threw an interception to Keionte Scott, who returned it for a touchdown, advancing Miami to a 14-0 lead.  

The Orange defended well in the first half, holding the Hurricanes to just 7 points offensively.

“The message in the locker room is just don’t go on the field and not play to your hardest, you want to leave everything you’ve got on the field,” defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. said.  

On Syracuse’s last possession before the half, it put together a ten-play, 61-yard drive led by sophomore running back Yasin Willis, who broke off multiple runs of ten or more yards, getting his team into the red zone. With the first scoring chance for Syracuse, Akheem Mesidor punched the ball out from Willis, leading Miami to recover the ball and take it into the half.   

The Orange’s first possession of the second half looked sharp — they moved the ball downfield in rhythm with an eight-play, 55-yard drive capped off by a 38-yard field goal from Tripp Woody, which got the Orange on the board.    

Following the score, quarterback Carson Beck connected over the middle to Keelan Marion for a 61-yard catch and run, giving the Canes a 21-3 lead. With that touchdown pass, Beck became the second active FBS quarterback to reach 10,000 career passing yards, alongside Fresno State quarterback E.J. Warner.   

“I think he’s a good player, I think that he has a bright future, and Carson will be playing in the National Football League,” Brown said.   

The Hurricanes continued their strong play offensively, taking a commanding 38-3 lead late in the fourth quarter.    

“I just think it was self-inflicted wounds, for us, like just mental errors,” linebacker Gary Bryant III said.   

During the SU’s final drive of the game, Brown elected to put in true freshman walk-on Joe Filardi at quarterback. He would go on to complete three of three passes for 39 yards, including his first career touchdown pass, a 17-yard strike to Elijah Washington-Baker. It also marked Washington-Baker’s first career touchdown reception.

“I was happy for him,” Brown said. “I thought he deserved to play.”

The Orange’s sixth-straight loss is the most the team has faced since the 2020 season, when the team finished 1-10. They have officially been eliminated from bowl-game contention and will not compete in one for the first time since 2021, marking the first under Brown. 

The Orange head into the bye week with a 3-7 record, looking to get back on track with a challenging task ahead, beating No. 10 Notre Dame on the road. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 22.