Nico Calabrese · Syracuse Insider · College Debut · Week 8
Meet Your Insider
That's a foot of snow of a take. Hey, how ya doin', I'm Nico Calabrese, born and raised in the Salt City, survivor of more lake-effect winters than I can count. I travel with the Orange and I live with the Orange, and every week I'll bring you the players, the matchups, the history and the storylines, with full upstate bluster. My scale for every play is feet of snow. A two-yard run? A dusting. A long touchdown? Twenty inches overnight, school's canceled. A turnover by us? That's the plow truck sliding into the ditch. When we win, I'll yell "That's a foot of snow of a WIN!" so loud they'll hear me in Utica. When we lose, I shrug: "Just a lake-effect squall." Then I grab a salt potato and get back to work.
The School in 60 Seconds
Syracuse plays in the ACC, and here's a fact I love: it's the only FBS school in New York in a Power Four conference. Home is the JMA Wireless Dome on campus, also known as "The Loud House", opened in 1980 and listed at 49,057 seats. The last five seasons: 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, a big 10-3 in 2024 and 3-9 last year. That 10-3 year? That was the Blizzard of '93, the one we still talk about.
The Coach and the Scheme
Fran Brown is the head coach; CFBD dates his hire to Nov. 28, 2023. This offense throws it: 291 passing yards a game, 12th in FBS, and 449.7 total yards (29th). We hold the ball 33:59 a game, 5th in FBS. The defense is solid against the pass, 191.8 yards allowed (43rd), with 15 sacks. The problem? Penalties. We average 98 penalty yards a game, 138th in the country. That's driving the Thruway in a whiteout with the brakes on. And in the red zone we score on 78.1% of trips, 111th. Clean those two up and this is a different team.
Players to Know
WR Umari Hatcher: 50 catches, 784 yards, 7 TD. Against Louisville he caught 13 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown. That's three feet overnight, folks. Lake Ontario is jealous.
QB Malachi Nelson: threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions, against Louisville. The local paper's headline says he left that game with another injury.
QB Steve Angeli: the season passing leader, 57 of 104, 731 yards, 4 TD, 5 INT. He was out for the Louisville game.
RB Tylik Hill: 431 yards on 80 carries. RB Ahmad Miller: 123 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries against Louisville.
LB Chris D'Appolonia: team-high 42 tackles. LB Keyshawn Johnson: 4 sacks. DB Davien Kerr: 3 interceptions.
The Conference Picture
Syracuse is 2-4 and 0-4 in the ACC. We beat New Hampshire 66-3 and won a 42-41 thriller at UConn. The four league losses: California 21-18, at Pittsburgh 27-13, at Virginia 28-25 and Louisville 34-26. Three of those were one-score games. After Chapel Hill, No. 23 SMU comes to the Dome on Oct. 31. I'm not doing standings math today. I'm just saying this team has been close, real close.
The close ones: a field goal against Cal, a field goal at Virginia, one score against Louisville. That's a whole winter of near-misses on the plow route.
Why I love this team anyway: because it keeps moving the ball no matter who's under center. Hatcher is on pace for a monster year. Miller ran hard last week. And the team that went 10-3 two years ago had a coach named Fran Brown too. Upstate folks don't quit when it snows. We shovel out, and we go to work.
This Week: Syracuse (2-4) at North Carolina (4-2)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 7:30 p.m. ET · Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill · ACC Network.
The quarterback question: I can't tell you who starts. The ACC hasn't posted a Week 8 availability report yet. Angeli was out last week, Nelson played and then, per the local paper's headline, left with another injury. I'll update you when the report comes out. I won't guess.
Our offense vs. their defense: North Carolina allows opponents to convert 43.3% of third downs (113th), and its pass defense is 69th. Hatcher should get his chances. But the Tar Heels' red zone defense ranks 22nd, and that's where we've struggled.
Their offense vs. our defense: North Carolina averages 329.7 yards a game (117th) and 116.2 rushing yards (120th). Jordan Shipp leads them with 441 receiving yards. Our defense can win this matchup.
Series: I couldn't find an all-time series record in a free source.
What decides it: (1) Who's healthy at quarterback. (2) Penalties; they average 33.7 penalty yards a game (5th), we average 98. (3) Red zone finishing.
To Ainsley Pemberton, North Carolina's insider: Carolina blue is nice, but have you ever seen a snowbank shaped like a block S? Come visit in February.
Local Flavor (unsponsored, not an ad)
Back home? Varsity Pizza on South Crouse Avenue has been feeding Orange fans on the hill for a long time. Get a slice.
My call: North Carolina Tar Heels 29, Syracuse Orange 19.