The signal caller helped lead the Orange to their second victory of the season Saturday afternoon against UConn.
The Syracuse Orange football team pushed its record to 2-2 on the season with 42-41 overtime victory on Saturday afternoon against the UConn Huskies .
It's the first win for the Orange against an FBS opponent in more than a calendar year.
Quarterback Amari Odom's first start in a Syracuse uniform was one of the highlights of the team's victory. After his performance on Saturday, the Orange need to begin shifting the focus to Odom becoming the team's starting quarterback moving forward for the rest of the season.
The Amari Odom file
Odom spent the first two seasons of his career at Wofford before spending last season as the starting quarterback at Kennesaw State. Last season for the Owls, Odom was a first team All-Conference USA selection.
In 10 starts, Odom threw for 19 touchdowns. He also added versatility to the position as he ran 120 times for 347 yards and seven touchdowns.
Throughout the week, head coach Fran Brown had indicated that Steve Angeli would be the starter against the Huskies. Odom had replaced Angeli in the team's previous game, a loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers, but he seemed resolute in sticking with Angeli.
Less than two hours before kickoff, Brown announced that Odom, rather than Angeli, would be getting the start for the Orange. Odom was impressive in the team's victory throwing for more than 300 yards and combining for six total touchdowns. He also scored the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime.
Why Amari Odom needs to be Syracuse football's starting quarterback moving forward
Odom's performance against UConn was better than any individual performance that Angeli had posted in his respective starts during this regular season. In fact, Odom's six total touchdown performance is arguably better than any previous outing by Angeli during the last two seasons.
If head coach Fran Brown had decided to start Angeli over Odom for the UConn game, it could have been perceived in the locker room that no matter how Angeli performed, he was guaranteed to be the team's starting quarterback. The decision to take Odom over Angeli not only stopped that potential messaging, but also provided a needed spark to the Syracuse offense.
Odom's mobility in the pocket, along with accuracy passing to receivers, gave Syracuse a needed boost to an offensive that struggled the past three games against FBS schools. Odom has yet to be tested against ACC competition, but next week offers his first chance to take on that level of competition (Virginia). Odom's production could be a major factor in how much success this team can have for the remainder of the season.
What's next for Odom and the Orange?
The Orange will play their third consecutive road game in less than a month when they travel to Charlottesville, Va. to take on the Cavaliers. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
