Jason Candle shared his thoughts on the Orange this week as the two get ready to play on Saturday afternoon.
The Syracuse football team (1-2) will return to the field this Saturday after the longest break of the season (15 days) to continue its rivalry with the UConn Huskies (2-2) in a nationally televised game (noon ET).
The Orange are coming off a Thursday night defeat (27-13) on Sept. 17 against Pittsburgh in their second ACC game of the season. The Huskies are also coming off a loss, a 24-21 loss to Miami (Ohio) last weekend.
UConn head coach Jason Candle spoke to the media on Monday about the upcoming matchup with the Orange.
What did Jason Candle say about Syracuse football?
Via Storrs Central on social media:
"Coach Brown has done a good job in his time there of putting a good product and seeing consistent improvement. Sometimes it may not show up in the record, but you know they play really hard on defense, very sound schematically... a lot of playmakers on the offensive side"
Saturday will mark Candle's first time serving as a head coach in a game against Syracuse, but he was a part of the Toledo Rockets staff in 2011 when the Rockets traveled to Central New York. Candle, then serving as Toledo's wide receivers coach, saw his Rockets almost pull off an upset inside the then-Carrier Dome. Toledo blew a double-digit first quarter leading before eventually losing in overtime 33-30.
Candle took over the Huskies program following a decade leading the Rockets as a head coach. From 2016-2025, Candle won two MAC conference championships (2017, 2022) and was named conference coach of the year twice (2017, 2023).
He took over for Jim Mora, who accepted the job at Colorado State after 2025.
History of the rivalry
Most college sports fans recognize the rivalry between UConn and Syracuse basketball teams. Both the men's and women's programs have faced off numerous times, in both regular season conference and non-conference matchups. The Syracuse women lost to UConn in the NCAA Tournament earlier in 2026.
Saturday's football game is just the 15th time that the schools have faced off on a football field. 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.
Fran Brown and Syracuse's viral moment from 2025 UConn game
The most memorable part of last season's game between Syracuse and UConn happened following the final whistle. Fran Brown had players run windsprints following the win over the Huskies. The moment was caught by multiple media members and had millions of views across multiple social media platforms.
Brown said players needed to run after the game because some players were not running during it. Brown said: "Guys not running to get lined up, guys not running to the ball, I just want to celebrate the win with the people, but I'm so pissed. I'm mad as heck right now."
Where can you follow Saturday's action?
CBS Sports Network will have the television coverage at noon 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 broadcast on the radio side on TK99/105 (99.5/100.5 FM) and WAER (88.3) and through Cuse.com.
Following the game on Saturday, SyracuseRoundtable will be offering insight and takeaways from the contest.
