Syracuse, coming off a tough 27-20 victory against UConn, will host FCS program Colgate Friday night.
Coach Fran Brown told TK99’s Gomez and Company on Thursday that the Orange likely will be without a pair of key starters – running back Yasin Willis and starting safety Devin Grant – against Colgate due to injuries.
Willis has an undisclosed injury. Grant left the season-opening loss against Tennessee with a lower-body injury.
For the Orange (1-1), Willis has run for 139 yards and four touchdowns on 34 carries (4.1 yards per carry) in the opening two games.
Colgate (0-2) opened the season with losses to two FCS-ranked teams: 42-39 vs. Monmouth in Week 1 and 21-17 at Villanova in Week 2.
How to watch Colgate at Syracuse
- Who: Colgate Raiders (1-1) at Syracuse Orange (1-1)
- When: Friday, Sept. 12, 7 p.m. ET
- Where: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, N.Y. (Capacity 42,774)
- TV: ACC Network
- Announcers: Doug Sherman, Forrest Conoly
- Radio: ESPN Syracuse 97.7 and 100.1 FM or 1200 and 1140 AM; SiriusXM 81
- Series history: The series between the schools dates to 1891, and the Orange lead 32-31-5. The Raiders last won in 1950, with the Orange victorious in the past 17 meetings.
- Last meeting: Syracuse won 65-0 on Sept. 2, 2023, its season opener. The Orange set a school record for total offense with 677 yards, breaking the mark of 675 against Rutgers on Oct. 10, 1992. The points were the most in 25 years since the Orange scored 66 against Miami.
Meet the Coaches
Fran Brown, Syracuse: Brown is in his second season on the Orange sidelines, hired Nov. 28, 2023. In his first season, the Orange won 10 games, third most in program history (10-3, 5-3 ACC). Syracuse defeated three top 25 opponents and ended the season with a victory over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl. A dozen players earned All-ACC honors, the most since Syracuse joined the conference. A cornerback at Western Carolina in his playing days, Brown was a longtime FBS assistant coach, including stops at Georgia and Rutgers, before taking the helm at Syracuse.
Curt Fitzpatrick, Colgate: Fitzpatrick was named the 31st head coach at Colgate in December 2024. With deep ties to Central New York, he arrived with the Raiders after spending four seasons at Division III powerhouse Cortland, which went 45-5 during his tenure. Colgate won four consecutive Empire 8 league titles and the national championship in 2023, when Fitzpatrick was named Division III Coach of the Year. He started his coaching career at his high school alma mater at Fulton High School before becoming an assistant coach at his college alma mater, St. John Fisher (2006-07). He went on to become offensive coordinator at Utica College (2008-12), then on to seven years as the head coach at Morrisville State before joining Cortland.