Syracuse Coach Fran Brown Compliments Cal Quarterback and Head Coach

All college football coaches are complimentary toward their upcoming opponent, and Syracuse coach head coach Fran Brown was no different in his Monday press conference.

With the Orange preparing to host Cal on Saturday afternoon in both teams’ ACC opener, Brown heaped praise of Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Bears head coach Tosh Lupoi.

Brown never mentioned Sagapolutele by name when assessing the Cal quarterback, who had a so-so performance in Saturday’s 45-24 loss to UCLA, but still carries a lofty reputation. Brown said Syracuse will be facing “a future pro.”

“He’s extremely talented,” Brown said of Sagapolutele. “Can run, throw. He can throw on the run, throw on the drop of a dime. He just lets the ball go, so he’s extremely talented. We’ve just got to focus on us.

“We’ll see what happens on Saturday. That kid is a gunslinger, though. At any moment he could rip off four or five touchdowns. I think he can really play. He does an amazing job of being poised in the pocket, throwing the ball and stuff like that. We’re playing against a future pro, so thankful we get the opportunity to compete against the guy this weekend.”

When asked whether facing a team with a first-year head coach is difficult to prepare for, Brown chose to compliment Cal’s new head coach, Tosh Lupoi.

“I think they have a really good head coach,” said Brown. “He’s a seasoned coach. Coached at every level, done a good job. Coached for the greatest coach of all time by my opinion.”

Brown presumably is referring to the five seasons (2014-2018) Lupoi spent as an assistant at Alabama under Nick Saban.

A questioner noted that Cal had trouble stopping the run against UCLA -- Cal yielded 277 yards on the ground and six rushing touchdowns -- while Syracuse had 239 yards on the ground and four rushing touchdowns in its 66-3 victory over FCS opponent New Hampshire.

Brown sidestepped that one.

“This opponent that’s coming into town is really, really tough and they like to compete,” Brown said. “Their coach is competitive. Their offensive coordinator [Jordan Somerville] is competitive. Their defensive coordinator [Michael Hutchings] is competitive . . . . I coached Daniel Harris and I know he’s competitive.”

Cal defensive back Harris previously played at Georgia when Brown was a defensive backs coach for the Bulldogs. Which defensive backs will get playing time against Syracuse is uncertain because the Bears played a lot of defensive backs against UCLA.

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