3 takeaways from Syracuse football’s 66-24 victory over Colgate

In its last chance to address any growing pains ahead of conference play, Syracuse stormed past Colgate 66-24 Friday night.

Here are three key takeaways from the victory.

Syracuse finally starts strong

The first half hadn’t been Syracuse’s friend before its matchup with Colgate.

Plagued by back-to-back slow starts, the Orange were outscored 45-20 across their first two games of the year against then-No. 24 Tennessee and UConn. To make matters worse, SU had also yet to score first or lead in the first half at any point heading into Friday. But faced with a much lower caliber opponent in the Raiders, the Orange were given a prime opportunity to buck that trend. They did so emphatically.

A quick three-and-out for Colgate ushered in Steve Angeli and Co. with a chance to set the tone in the first. Seven plays later, they did just that via a 26-yard strike to Justus Ross-Simmons to thrust SU in front early. But that was only the beginning of what became an overall dominant first 30 minutes for the Orange.

Right off the hop, Angeli showed no hesitancy to spread the ball around, as four different SU players found pay dirt in the first half alone — headlined by Darrell Gill Jr.’s two scores. When SU’s offensive unit rarely found itself on the sidelines, it was never for long thanks to the efforts of its defense.

The group held the Raiders to a two-for-nine mark on third down and a lone field goal, not allowing them to even sniff the red zone once before the half. After throwing no interceptions through his first two outings, Colgate quarterback Zach Osborne tossed two during the stretch.

The result? A 38-3 SU lead at the break.

“We have a great offensive line, and a great group of backs that can run the football (and) catch the football," Angeli said. “So, the key to a great offense is to have a balanced attack (and) we’ll continue to work on that.”

Syracuse’s running back depth tested

In the wake of starting running back Yasin Willis and backup Malachi James being ruled out due to injury ahead of Syracuse’s matchup with Colgate, it was unclear whether the ground game would hinder or help the Orange Friday. Still, despite losing some of its top-end talent, the latter scenario played out.

A veteran presence in the backfield, Will Nixon was slotted in as SU’s starting back to open the contest against the Raiders. Nixon finished the evening 66 yards on 12 carries, highlighted by his two-yard rushing touchdown early in the second quarter.

As the game drew closer to a blowout, the Orange dug deep into their mixed bag of running backs. Syracuse used five in total by the end of the night, feeding off each other as they racked up 126 rushing yards combined.

“(Hill) broke two real good runs, then he just runs off the field. I’m like, “What the freak are you doing?” He said, “I gotta let my boy eat, too!” And I said, “What?” That’s the love that they have for each other. Most people would want to just stay in and go,” Fran Brown said of his running back corps.

Steve Angeli makes history

Following Syracuse’s win over UConn, Brown was asked whether he considered replacing Angeli with Rickie Collins amid SU’s offensive struggles during the contest. Brown said he found the question “messed up” and reaffirmed his loyalty to his starting quarterback. Against Colgate, Angeli showed why.

After struggling to consistently find his receivers in his first two games under center, Angeli enjoyed a historic performance. With ample time in the pocket, Angeli tossed five touchdowns — tied for the most of any Syracuse quarterback in a single game.

“It’s not just me," Angeli said. "There are guys who are all over that are allowing that to happen, it’s a collective thing. To me, it’s not really individual because some guys have got to catch the football for me.”

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