Syracuse rallies to defeat UConn 27-20 in overtime

Everything seemed to be going wrong for Syracuse football as the Orange entered the fourth quarter of Saturday’s home opener against former Big East rival UConn. Trailing 17-6 with just 15 minutes remaining, fans voiced their frustration from the stands and students began leaving their designated section. 

With little hope remaining, redshirt junior quarterback Steve Angeli sparked a thrilling comeback, leading a late drive that brought the Orange back into the game. With 2:06 left, Angeli connected with freshman running back Yasin Willis, who capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown. After completing the two-point conversion, Syracuse took a 20-17 lead with 48 seconds left in the game. 

A miracle fourth-down completion for the UConn Huskies kept their chances alive with 23 seconds left. Quarterback Joe Fagnano failed to get the ball in the end zone, and kicker Chris Freeman tied the game at 20 with a 41-yard field goal. 

In a thrilling fashion, Syracuse overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to rally past UConn in overtime, showcasing a late-game surge that highlighted leadership from Angeli.

Syracuse’s offense struggled through much of the first half. Miscommunication and sloppy execution kept the Orange out of the end zone, while incomplete passes, sacks and an interception frustrated the Dome crowd, prompting boos from fans. 

“It’s really about just focusing on what’s going on on the field,” Angeli said about playing through moments when the crowd is upset. “Syracuse fans deserve a winning football team. They deserve to watch something that they can be proud of on the field. It’s our job to go out there and execute the right way.” 

Despite the rough start, Angeli finished with 417 yards and 33 completions on 53 attempts in his Dome debut, leading Syracuse to the comeback win. Head Coach Fran Brown said he never lost his confidence in Angeli, even as the Orange offense had difficulty moving the ball. 

“It was a big game and he came up and played big, especially at the end of the fourth quarter,” Brown said about Angeli’s performance. “For him to be able to do that in the fourth quarter for a quarterback, that’s what you want. You want them to be at their best toward the end of the game. It means so much that he is our leader.” 

Redshirt senior tight end Dan Villari and senior wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons anchored the offensive effort behind Angeli. Villari led the receivers with 104 yards on seven catches, while Ross-Simmons added 83 yards and two touchdowns for Syracuse. 

Angeli and the offense took the field first in overtime and Ross-Simmons caught his second touchdown of the day on the front-right pylon to give the Orange their first lead of the day.

“I’ve made the play before,” Ross-Simmons said. “Even though it’s new to everyone in the world, it was a routine play for us out there. I just made sure I held on to the ball and got it across the pylon.” 

The Syracuse defense needed a stop to secure a point in the win column. UConn quarterback Fagnano was unable to convert on fourth-and-3, as his pass fell incomplete in the back of the end zone, giving Syracuse a 27-20 victory. 

The Orange’s fourth-quarter and overtime surge was supported by a defense that set the tone for the comeback, limiting UConn to just six second-half points on two field goals. Following last week’s 45-26 loss to Tennessee, Brown and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson spent the week focusing on defensive improvements. 

Brown told his team entering the fourth quarter that to have a chance to win, the defense needed four stops and the offense had to score three times. 

And that’s what they did. 

“We all believe in each other,” Brown said. “I want our team to love each other even more. I have 58 new guys, so I think the more we fall in love with each other and understand each other, the better you’ll see us playing.” 

The Orange’s resilience was evident today in the comeback win.

“You can see how tough we are and how we never stop fighting,” Vilarri said. “You just see the culture starting to build. In years past, I don’t know if we would’ve fought back like that. We’re really together this year.” 

Even though the Orange came out of the game with a win, the team lined up and started running sprints after the game. 

“Coach said if we didn’t perform how we were supposed to perform, he was going to run us,” Vilarri said. “I agree with him — we didn’t play up to standard.” 

With the win, Syracuse improves to 1-1 for the season and 1-0 at home. The Orange football team plays in the Dome on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. against Colgate.

As the team prepares to battle the Raiders during the upcoming week, it will be focused on building the cohesion and camaraderie that Brown mentioned. 

“The offense is built to do this; we trust the defense,” Angeli said. “We are going to go out there and play complementary football and do our job.”