What Fran Brown said after Syracuse upset No. 19 SMU, notching consecutive wins over ACC opponents

Trailing late in the fourth quarter, Orange QB Steve Angeli flipped the short game-winning TD pass with 17 seconds left to stun the Mustangs 30-27 in the Dome.

Syracuse coach Fran Brown speaks to the media Saturday after the Orange won their second straight game, knocking off 19th ranked SMU in the Dome. | Ryan Giancola, The Juice Online - On SI

Syracuse football rallied in the fourth quarter for the second straight week as an underdog to stun #19 SMU on a final, game-winning touchdown drive 30-27, before an announced crowd of 33,396 on Halloween afternoon in the Dome.

The win upped SU's record to 4-4, 2-4, needing to win two games over the final five to gain bowl eligibility. The comeback over the final three minutes of the game, brought Fran Brown's record to 3-0 when playing a ranked opponent at the Dome in his three seasons running the program.

It is also the first time 'Cuse football has won back-to-back games in successive weeks against ACC opponents since the 2021 season. Here are three takeaways from the "treat" of an upset win:

Running lifted Syracuse early, but disappeared late

After gashing UNC for almost 200 yards on the ground, Syracuse did not miss a beat. In the first half, Syracuse outgained SMU on the ground 115-26. That ground dominance got the Orange into the end zone to start the game, and it came from someone nobody expected.

After returning from an Achilles tear and needing an injection during the season, Quarterback Steve Angeli opened the scoring by avoiding a sack and scrambling 26 yards to the end zone. Then, in the closing seconds of the first half, senior Ahmad Miller got into the end zone to give Syracuse a 20-10 lead going into halftime.

But that run offense disappeared in the second half, only putting up 23 more yards in the last 30 minutes of the game. It hurt Syracuse, as the offense couldn't string together a strong drive until the final six minutes. That offensive stagnation let SMU get right back into the game, scoring 17 unanswered.

But Fran Brown knew he could lean on his quarterback 

"They committed to stopping the run, and as they did, we still tried to run," Brown said, “But in the same sense, we just knew that we could still always be able to pass the ball when you got Steve Angeli.” 

Angeli led two scoring drives in the final six minutes. The final drive that gave Orange the lead ended with a goal-line pass to tight end Noah Meyers for a touchdown. 

The defensive line has its best game of the season against a top ACC OB

Coming into the game against Syracuse, the SMU offensive line allowed only eight sacks all season, in front of dynamic QB Kevin Jennings (351 yards passing in defeat), which is tied for 18th best in the country. 

Saturday, Syracuse won the battle, recording four sacks and building massive momentum. Senior Keyshawn Johnson was all over the field, credited with two sacks, to lead SU. He now has six sacks this season. 

However, one sack could have been seen as the most important. Syracuse's Tripp Woody booted a late 26-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, but SU still trailed 27-23.

SMU needed just one more strong drive to put the game away. But on that last drive, the Mustangs couldn't move forward. On second down, Jennings stepped up in the pocket but was caught by senior Tunmise Adeleye for a detrimental sack that forced a third-and-long that could not be converted.

Adeleye and the defense forced a three-and-out, setting up Syracuse's game-winning drive. Fran Brown praised Adeleye post-game for his work in the trenches; he now has 5.5 sacks this season. 

“I was happy for him,” Brown said. “We just talked about, ‘Have you ever taken over a game?’ he was like, ‘Yeah, but not here.’ I said, ‘Well, do it now.”

A bowl game is within reach for the young team

Now with two straight wins, the season has new life. Syracuse are back to .500 for the first time since the second game. At 4-4, Syracuse just needs two more wins to reach a bowl game.

A postseason game seemed out of reach just two weeks ago, before the Orange won another nail-biter in Chapel Hill. Syracuse has done just enough to win, and it's because the team made the plays when it mattered most and limited mistakes.

Syracuse had only seven penalties in the win today, fewer than SMU’s nine. Syracuse is also a young team that has needed time to develop. Syracuse has 70 underclassmen on the roster this season. Coach Brown believes that his team has turned the corner and has bought into the culture 

“As we are beginning to get back to what Syracuse football is, you’ll start to see guys overcome those things," Brown said after the win. "We won't make those mistakes because we will outgrow those mistakes.”

"Our guys are young; we’re gonna continue to grow, continue to push, and just keep exemplifying our culture," he added. "Without a culture, you have no football team.”

Young players made massive impacts on both sides of the ball against SMU. Sophomore Demetres Samuel Jr. led the defense with 10 tackles and broke up a pass. True freshman receiver Calvin Russel III has emerged as a consistent weapon in the offense, having 65 yards receiving and drawing a massive pass interference penalty in the fourth quarter.

Poetically, the game ended with freshman Chase Geter's fumble recovery, sealing the upset for Syracuse. 

Syracuse now looks to eclipse the .500 record as they host Clemson next Saturday (12:00 p.m. ET / ESPN2).

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