Podcast: Carney predicts Syracuse will make a bowl game following UConn win

Syracuse picked up its first win of the season in a dramatic 27-20 come-from-behind win over Connecticut on Saturday. The Orange trailed 17-6 with under six minutes to go, but outscored the Huskies 21-3 the rest of the way to capture the improbable win.

We welcomed on former Syarcuse All-Big East punter Brendan Carney to the latest episode of The Juice on the Cuse Podcast to discuss his thoughts on the game and chart the trajectory of the rest of the season. Carney was quick to point out there is no such thing as an 'ugly win.'

“In my book, a win is a win, right? I'll take them however we can get them, even if it's not pretty. I'll give them credit. They showed a lot resiliency, being down in the fourth quarter and staying focused and together as a team. It was nice to see them get to W at the end.”

Carney sees big potential in Angeli

It took a bounce back from starting quarterback Steve Angeli to secure the win. After the Syracuse offense mustered only six points through the first 3.5 quarters, Angeli roared to life. It started with a 56-yard strike on fourth down to Justus Ross-Simmons to pull the Orange to within 17-12.

That seemed to get the signal caller going, and he led the Orange to two more critical scoring drives after that. Carney, who owns the Syracuse record for punting yards in a career (11,534) and in a season (3,491), believes it is a sign of things to come.

“I think Angeli will settle in. I think he definitely has the tools. He just needs like more reps and to continue working with his receivers and his backs. You obviously want to see that clicking early, as early as possible. But I'm optimistic that this is a good offense.”

Carney believes Brown will lead SU to another bowl game

Carney also commented on the coaching style of Fran Brown. The head coach made his team run sprints after the game, a sign of displeasure at how his team performed on the afternoon. The video of the team running sprints made its way around social media after.

“I played for a hard coach in Paul Paqualoni in the early 2000s, but it seems like Fran Brown has taken up another level with these guys. I think he was just making a point that we got the win, but he's not happy with the way in which they got it. So I like it. I think it's old school. He's probably going to be out there running with them this week, too, kind of punishing himself. He takes a lot of accountability for some of these concerns that we have as fans."

As for the rest of the season, Carney is confident that Brown will lead the Orange to another bowl game.

“So I think they can get six wins. I think if we can just stay healthy and continue to get better every week, I have all the confidence that these guys can get it done."

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