Amari Odom Delivers Five TDs, Syracuse Edges UConn 42-41 in OT Thriller

Amari Odom threw for five touchdowns in his first game as Syracuse's starting quarterback, and the Orange (2-2, 0-2) held off a furious late rally from UConn (2-3) to win 42-41 in overtime at Connecticut on Saturday. It was Syracuse's first win against an FBS opponent since a 34-21 victory against Clemson on September 20, 2025.

Odom provided an immediate spark in place of Steve Angeli, marching Syracuse down the field before finding Umari Hatcher for a 30-yard touchdown on their first drive of the game. Tripp Woody's extra point attempt was blocked, giving the Orange a 6-0 lead.

UConn responded with a touchdown drive of their own, quarterback Kalieb Osborne hitting wide receiver Cam Abshire on an eight-yard pass to put the Huskies ahead 7-6. After a quick Syracuse three-and-out, UConn had a chance to extend their lead, but kicker Jack O'Connor missed a 40-yard field goal attempt off the right upright.

Syracuse continued to ride the deep ball on its next drive as Odom threw it to tight end David Clement for a big catch-and-run to push the Orange inside UConn territory. Odom went long again to find wide receiver Cole Weaver for a 28-yard gain along the sideline before flipping it to a wide-open Noah Meyers in the end zone to help the Orange take a 13-7 lead.

After UConn stalled out on its next drive, Syracuse extended its lead to 20-7 after Odom deked out a defender to find the end zone on a 6-yard run. The Orange continued their momentum late in the first half, forcing back-to-back fumbles before Odom hit Hatcher again on a deep ball in the end zone to extend their lead to 27-7.

With time winding down in the first half, Antoine Deslauriers forced yet another fumble for Syracuse to set up a 46-yard field-goal attempt for freshman Shay Barker, who came up short. The missed field goal set up UConn in Syracuse territory and Osborne took advantage, setting up a Huskies touchdown drive to make it 27-14.

Syracuse started with the ball in the second half and had a promising drive stall out, setting up a 4th-and-23 in UConn territory. On a gutsy call, head coach Fran Brown opted to go for it and dial up another a deep shot from Odom, who again had success over the middle of the field and hit a wide-open Daunte Bacheyie for his fourth touchdown pass of the day.

UConn rallies and takes the lead

Down 34-14, UConn mounted a furious rally. Osborne led another touchdown drive to cut into the lead, but O'Connor missed the extra point as the Huskies trailed by 14. After a brief pause for a scary injury to Javon Brown as both teams knelt in silence while he was stretchered off, UConn forced an interception on Odom as Syracuse clung to its two-score lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Huskies kicked off the final frame with back-to-back touchdown drives, with Osborne finding Xavier Watson before running back Cyncir Bowers ripped off a 71-yard touchdown run to tie it up at 34. After the two teams both turned the ball over, Syracuse got the ball back with a 1:36 to play.

Relying on Tylik Hill and the run, Syracuse drove down the field to set up a 44-yard field goal attempt for Barker to win the game, but he missed wide right to force overtime.

In the extra period, UConn struck first after Syracuse opted to defend first as Osborne's deep ball found Trey Cornist in the back of the end zone to take a 41-34 lead. On Syracuse's drive, the Huskies forced a sack and an incompletion on Odom as the Orange faced a fourth-and-17.

Once again, it was Umari Hatcher who came to Syracuse's rescue, coming down with the desperation heave from Odom to cut the lead to one. Instead of opting for the tie, Brown went with another gutsy call to go for two. Going right up the middle, Odom rushed into the end zone for the two points to win it for Syracuse.

Analysis

Syracuse's offense lit up UConn in the first half with 27 points as Odom led the Orange to an efficient first-half performance, but the Huskies held the junior transfer in check after the break. They forced two interceptions and limited the Orange to just two scores over the final three frames.

Hero: Amari Odom

Odom had a game to remember in his first start for the Orange, tossing five touchdowns against two interceptions. He also completed 27 of 37 passes for 335 yards, dicing up the UConn secondary over the middle of the field. The Kennesaw State transfer also added another score on the ground, as he was directly involved in all six of Syracuse's touchdowns.

Zero: Tunmise Adeleye

Tunmise Adeleye's mistakes in this one were costly for the Orange, as he committed three of Syracuse's eight penalties. After a roughing-the-passer call on Adeleye in the second quarter, he made up for it with a strip sack on Osborne and recovered a fumble on the next drive. From there, Adeleye continued to struggle. Another roughing-the-passer call on the defensive lineman, before an illegal use of hands to the face, set up the UConn touchdown at the end of the first half.

What’s next

Syracuse will take on Virginia in an ACC matchup on Saturday in Virginia.

SUPPORT THE JUICE ONLINE

Follow us on Twitter @TheJuiceOnline, like us on Facebook, follow us on IG @SUJuiceOnline and listen to our podcast.

Add us as a preferred source on Google