Syracuse Football crushes New Hampshire to open Season

Syracuse football took the field on Saturday for the first time in 2026, as Orange fans cheered on their team with the expectation of a comfortable victory.

Comfortable may be an understatement. After a shaky first drive, Syracuse took full command the rest of the matchup against New Hampshire to the tune of a 63-point win.

The defense allowed just 3 points, the lowest since 2024 against North Carolina State. Senior defensive end Keyshawn Johnson led the way with 4 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss. It’s the type of dominant performance the Orange want to start the season, Johnson said.

And the defense wasn’t the only star of the show, as all three facets of the game were locked in for seemingly the entire 60 minutes. The offense featured the return of quarterback Steve Angeli, who played just four games for the Orange last season before tearing his Achilles. Without their starting quarterback, Syracuse plummeted the rest of the year and finished dead last in the ACC.

Angeli illustrated why his presence equals success. He went 20-for-29 for 263 yards and three touchdowns. Fans held their breath when he briefly went down midway in the second quarter, as flashbacks of last year’s nightmare ran through their minds. Angeli quickly put the congregation at ease after sprinting off the field, with the sighs of relief transitioning into cheers of excitement.

“I got a little banged up, but I’m all good,” Angeli said. “There’s no injury. When you’re walking out of the tunnel, I took it all in for a second. As soon as the ball hits the foot, I’m ready to go.”

The offensive scheme mostly featured quick short passes, likely to smoothly integrate Angeli back into the role without overworking him. Veteran receiver Umari Hatcher, who missed last season with a leg injury, returned as the top weapon with eight receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Performances like this will help the Orange reciprocate their miserable 2025 passing attack, which was the third-worst in the conference last year.

Also a big crutch for Angeli was the rushing attack, which grounded 238 yards and four touchdowns behind sophomore Tylik Hill and freshman Shavane Anderson Jr. Running the ball efficiently alleviated pressure off Angeli and helped establish the pace. Hill’s carries controlled the tempo, while Anderson Jr. ripped off some big rushes with three scores to lead the charge.

But even with such a dominant performance, there were still areas to improve. Sophomore cornerback Demetres Samuel Jr. ended with five returns for 125 yards, but could have filled the stat sheet even more. The special teams had a few holding calls, offsetting a few splash returns that prevented some solid starting field position. These types of penalties will be crucial against tougher competitors down the stretch.

“Those are flags that happen from aggressiveness,” Syracuse coach Fran Brown said. “They were fighting for him because they wanted him to score, but you just have to understand what you need to do when he’s coming your way.”

Overall though, Brown is satisfied with what he saw from his team on opening day. It was the program’s first win in nearly a year, scoring more on Saturday than the last five games combined. Brown didn’t underscore the victory, even against an FCS opponent like New Hampshire. He wants to use this to measure the team’s needs the rest of the season.

“I don’t really look at the opponent, I look at us and the things we need to continue getting better at,” Brown said. “As you go on in the game, you can see different weaknesses that you want to continue to strengthen. We just have to keep working and keep getting better in certain areas.”

The Orange host California (0-1) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.