What Joe Filardi said ahead of his Syracuse start against Notre Dame

A few months ago, some fans may have circled Syracuse’s game against Notre Dame on Nov. 22 with high anticipation.

The game marked the potential return to South Bend for former ND quarterback Steve Angeli and in year two under Fran Brown, a bowl game could have been up for grabs.

But a lot has changed. In SU’s fourth game of the season, Angeli suffered a season-ending injury, and the Orange have lost six straight games, falling out of bowl game contention.

New players have been called on as the Orange search for answers. One new face has been freshman walk-on quarterback Joe Filardi, who is set to start against Notre Dame.

After practice Tuesday, Filardi, running back Yasin Willis, and safety Berry Buxton spoke with the media.

Here are three takeaways from the media session.

Steve Angeli’s impact on team despite injury

Though Angeli is unable to play against his former team, he is finding a way to play a role in helping the Orange. Filardi is set to make just his second collegiate start and said Angeli gives him pointers.

“Steve’s always given me advice no matter who the opponent is,” Filardi said. “It’s great to have him by my side.”

Willis, SU’s leading rusher through 10 games this season, said Angeli is around SU’s facility every day.

Angeli is one of the older players on the roster, with four years of collegiate experience. Brown has noted how so many freshmen and sophomores have played in the past few weeks and the strategy is reflected in SU’s quarterback room without a healthy Angeli.

Filardi and Luke Carney have gotten playing time amid Rickie Collins' struggles after taking over for Angeli.

Willis announced that he will be returning to Syracuse next season. With Angeli nearby since his injury, the two have talked about what 2026 could look like, Willis said.

Making most of final two weeks

Buxton, now a redshirt senior, is in his third season at Syracuse after playing two seasons at Santa Barbara City College. After these final two regular season games, his eligibility could run out.

“Something our coach says is ‘you are what you put on tape,’” Buxton said. “At the end of the day, if I go out there on Saturday and I give up and I'm just being really soft or not going hard, you could tell, and either way, whether it's a win or loss that reflects who I am as a person.”

Buxton doesn’t want to put a bad version of himself on film. He said the offense and special teams are carrying a similar mindset. He’s viewing this game as a separate game than past ones.

Willis is following a similar level of urgency ahead of facing the Irish.

“Every day in practice, you’re telling yourself ‘[we’re] still working for something even though we're not going to a bowl game, we still got to work to get those last two wins,” Willis said. "So, there's a goal in there somewhere that we still got to reach.”

Filardi talks starting role, recent games

Filardi has played in two games, and he showed improvement last time out against Miami. After completing 4 of 18 passes in his first start against UNC, he led a touchdown drive when coming off the bench against the Hurricanes.

“I kind of knew what [Miami] was doing, and I went in and executed the way I know how to execute, and it worked out,” Filardi said. “It felt great to get a touchdown there.”

Since being called on to start on Oct. 31, it’s been a whirlwind the last few weeks for the lacrosse-football athlete.

“It’d definitely crazy, a lot happens quick,” Filardi said. “You have to stay prepared because you really never know what’s going to happen.”

Ahead of playing South Bend, Filardi said he is used to playing in the potential cold weather he could experience.

“I'm from New York, Long Island, so I've played in cold games before,” Filardi said. “We're practicing outside right now, so I’d say it's similar weather.”

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