What Syracuse head coach Fran Brown said following a 27-10 loss to UNC

Syracuse's losing streak grows to five after Filardi led offense was unable to find the endzone once.

Oct 31, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange head coach Fran Brown looks to the scoreboard in the fourth quarter game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Even with the new quarterback under center, the result remained the same. Syracuse lost their fifth game in a row, falling to UNC 27-10. Here are three takeaways from what Fran Brown and his players said in post game. 

The offense couldn't find the end zone

Brown elected to start freshman quarterback Joseph Filardi in a surprise move. Filardi is on lacrosse scholarship but has been working with the scout team all fall.

Unfortunately for the Syracuse offense, that couldn't fix their woes. Syracuse was unable to score a single touchdown on offense.

Filardi ended the night 4 of 18 for 39 yards.  The only slight improvement was in the run game, where the Orange totaled 108 yards. Another freshman quarterback,  Luke Carney, appeared in the third quarter but did not throw a pass. 

Brown stuck by his decision to start Filardi. 

“Everyone who gets in the game, it’s all about how you play and practice.” Brown said, “ So the reason he (Filardi) played is because he won practice.”

Defense’s tackling woes

 While the UNC offense was sluggish during the first half, North Carolina made key second half adjustments as Gio Lopez began to dissect the Syracuse defense by utilizing more runs and short passes. 

Syracuse tried their best to counter this approach, but one flaw in its game made it tough for the defense to respond. On many of the Tar Heels' big gains, the defense missed tackles numerous times. This was not seen more clearly than on the first play of offense for North Carolina in the third quarter. 

Lopez swung the ball over to the running back Demon June, who was able to shed two would-be tacklers to find the end zone and take the lead, which North Carolina never gave back.

“We just looked at the mistakes we made and fixed them on the sideline.” Linebacker Anwar Sparrow said. “We just got to get in the film room and get better.”

Growing pains

Brown was able to find a positive in tonight's game: A youth movement.

“So I was in the game with like 18 freshmen.” Brown said, “Back in the day, 18 freshmen don't even get into the game, you're just sitting on the sideline the entire time.”

Coach Brown went on to emphasize that even though the team has been unable to find a win in recent weeks, he still feels he is building the team the right way. While the benefits of this strategy may not be immediately apparent, in the long run, this experience for a young team could pay dividends. 

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