The Orange are looking to end the current two game losing streak.
Syracuse Orange football is hoping to push the teams record back to the .500 mark on Saturday afternoon. The Orange fell to fellow ACC member Pittsburgh 27-13 over two weeks ago, a loss that dropped them to 1-2 on the campaign.
The 15-day layoff marks the longest stretch of time off between any two games on the regular season schedule. Syracuse will hope to grab a second win, and a second non-conference win, of the season before returning to conference play next weekend.
It's also the second road game of the season for the Orange, so here's what you need to know as Syracuse takes on the UConn Huskies Saturday afternoon:
Recapping Syracuse football's first three games of the 2026 season
The Orange kicked off there 2026 season with a dominant 66-3 win over FCS New Hampshire.
The margin of victory in the home opener was the largest in the history of the JMA Wireless/Carrier Dome in nearly 100 years. The Orange could not match that same type of dominance in game two.
After leading for a large portion of the game, Syracuse squandered opportunities against the California Golden Bears. Syracuse had double-digit penalties, including one that nullified a punt return touchdown. The Orange lost 21-18.
Syracuse could find no rhythm or enough production on offense to pull an upset against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the team's final game of September.
No starting quarterback change for Orange
For three weeks, the question of Steve Angeli's position as the team's starting signal-caller has been questioned. Angeli struggled in the team's home loss to California by throwing three interceptions. Angeli followed up that performance with just tallying 161 total passing a yards in the game against Pittsburgh before being benched for Amari Odom late in the fourth quarter.
He had only six passing yards in the second half.
Head Coach Fran Brown addressed the quarterback situation earlier in the week, saying that Angeli would start but that Odom would play.
How have the Huskies played through four games?
The Huskies blew out FCS Lafayette in the first game under new head coach Jason Candle 56-7 and followed it up with a 38-14 loss to Maryland, a win over Southern Miss 48-20 and a loss to Miami (Ohio) 24-21.
The Huskies, again for the 2026 season, compete as an independent program with no conference affiliation for football.
Health status of Calvin Russell III
For the Orange, it appears that star wide receiver Calvin Russell III will make his collegiate debut.
The highly touted prospect is recovering an Achillies injury from March.
Fran Brown has laid out a game plan for how he plans on using the freshman wideout this weekend.
History of the rivalry
Saturday's football game is just the 15th time that the schools have faced. Syracuse holds the series edge 8-6. In last year's matchup, The Orange trailed by double-digits in the fourth quarter but rallied for a 27-20 win in overtime.
Where can you follow Saturday's action
CBS Sports Network will have the television coverage at 12:00 p.m. ET. On the audio side, fans can listen across multiple affiliates in New York State. In the Central New York area, the game will be broadcasted on the radio side on TK99/105 (99.5/100.5 FM) and WAER (88.3) and through Cuse.com.
Following the game, SyracuseRoundtable will be offering insight and takeaways from the afternoon contest.
