Syracuse students explain why the student section was empty at Saturday’s football finale
Students explain why they skipped SU Football’s finale
Travel plans and the team’s track record played into student decisions to attend the last home game.
It’s no secret that 2025 has not gone according to play for the Syracuse football team. Some would even say that is an understatement, and a visibly empty student section for Saturday’s home finale against Boston College reflected that reality.
It was a stark contrast to last year’s clash with the University of Miami, played on the same date of the Saturday following Thanksgiving, in which a lively student section stormed the pitch following an upset win. An Orange Pulse survey found that Thanksgiving break plans – as well as general student apathy – played into this year’s quiet JMA Wireless Dome.
“It was pathetic and weak-looking,” Otto’s Army vice president Hannah Beam said. “It was not a good representation of the Syracuse student fan base.”
Officially, the university announced an attendance of 32,457; however, that number only reflects the number of tickets sold (thus including all season tickets, even unused ones). Syracuse.com reported on Saturday that the actual number that passed through the turnstiles was roughly 16,500, the lowest attendance all season.
“I think it was so empty because it was right after Thanksgiving break, and not a lot of students were back yet,” Beam said. “But I also think because of the previous performance of the football team, and they haven’t been super great this season, I think it was less of a motivating factor for students to get back to school early.”
The numbers back that up. Of the students surveyed, Orange Pulse found that 69% had not planned to attend the game, and of that group, the bulk did not plan on even returning in time for kickoff.
Many of those who did not attend the game – whether they were back or not – cited the team’s abysmal 2025 performances as a reason.
“Syracuse is trash, Boston College is trash,” one respondent said, putting rather bluntly how many students seem to feel about two teams that entered the night 3-8 and 1-10 respectively. “My flight back doesn’t land until after the game and I wasn’t going to fly back earlier just for this.”
Other responses included references to Syracuse’s quarterback situation, which has been rather dire since presumed starter Steve Angeli went down with a major injury early in the year. That absence has been cited as a catalyst for the entire team’s collapse after a promising start that saw the Orange upset Clemson on the road.
Asked to assess the season on a scale of one to five, roughly 40% respondents scaled it as a one. A further 46% said it was a two-out-of-five. That means just 14% felt it was an average of above average season – and it was one which culminated in a 70-7 road loss to Notre Dame (the team’s biggest defeat since Grover Cleveland’s presidency) and a home defeat to a BC team that had just one win coming into the game.
“It has been terrible,” Beam said, noting that she felt it was a one-out-of-five year. “They have a few good plays throughout the whole season. I could count maybe ten good plays this entire season. It was literally painful to watch.”
“When I was at the game, I was annoyed that I wasn’t at home or anywhere else watching real good football being played because it was rivalry weekend and there were so many good games on,” said Beam. “I was jealous that I wasn’t being able to watch all those other games.”
In the end, the empty seats inside the Dome told a story just as clearly as what happened on the field. A season marked by injuries, blowout losses and dwindling optimism left students unsure of what comes next for the program. Students across campus are just looking forward to what will come next.
is a Digital Producer for The NewsHouse.
is a digital producer for The NewsHouse.