Orange Return to the Dome to Face Louisville Saturday Night
10/12/2026 2:59:00 PM | Football
Syracuse returns home for an ACC matchup with Louisville on Saturday evening. The game is slated for a 7:30 p.m. kick and will air on ACC Network.
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Syracuse returns to the JMA Wireless Dome after a 35-day stretch between home games this Saturday. The stretch was among the longest for any team to spend away from their home venue. The only Power Four team with a longer span is Stanford, who spends 36 days away. Head coach Fran Brown is looking forward to being back in the Dome in front of a home crowd.
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"Excited for the opportunity to play ball again," Brown said. "Thankful we get the opportunity to play against Louisville at the Dome. Getting a chance to come back home after being away for the last three weeks. Really, it's been a month due to the bye week. So, excited for the opportunity we have to come back to the Dome."
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Saturday marks the third home game of the season for Syracuse and the latest chance to experience the Orange's new game day atmosphere. Fans can take in the large-format videoboard, live music, expanded fan amenities and the Toyota Fun Zone at 'Cuse on the Quad and can welcome the team before the game as part of the new arrival tradition in addition to new in-game elements. Tickets for Saturday's game are available at Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
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Wide receiver Umari Hatcher was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watchlist a week ago. He has posted single-season career highs in receiving yards (560) and touchdowns (6) just five games through the 2026 campaign. The wide receiver has topped 100 yards three times, including in each of the last two games. Head coach Fran Brown says it's Hatcher's leadership he will lean on this week.
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"I just want him to compete," Brown said. "I want him to be able to block extremely well in the run game and I want him to be the leader that he is supposed to be for this football team, to stay focused and continue to push. I want players to be able to look to him when adversity strikes. I want them to look at Umari Hatcher and see that he's still fighting and he still goes strong."
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Louisville brings a stout rushing attack to Syracuse, one that averages 231.7 yards on the ground per game. The Cardinals' rushing attack is spearheaded by Isaac Brown, who averages 126.3 all-purpose yards per game. His counterpart, Keyjuan Brown, has racked up 367 yards on 38 carries as well. Fran Brown said he's looking forward to the challenge of stuffing the Cardinals' rushing attack.
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"It's hard to neutralize what they do," Brown said when asked how he planned to stop the Louisville run game. "They've got two really good running backs: Brown and Brown - both of those guys are the truth."
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Brown also praised the Louisville coaching staff, led by Jeff Brohm, for having a tough football team that likes to run the ball.
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"I think Coach Brohm does a really good job," Brown said. "His brother, Brian, he calls the plays and is doing a really good job. They've been doing that for a long time. They've always been able to run the ball well. But we just want to go out and compete and have a bunch of fun."
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Saturday's game marks the first time Syracuse and Louisville have clashed since 2022. The Orange won the last matchup, 31-7 behind 184 yards of total offense from running back Sean Tucker.
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Syracuse returns to the JMA Wireless Dome after a 35-day stretch between home games this Saturday. The stretch was among the longest for any team to spend away from their home venue. The only Power Four team with a longer span is Stanford, who spends 36 days away. Head coach Fran Brown is looking forward to being back in the Dome in front of a home crowd.
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"Excited for the opportunity to play ball again," Brown said. "Thankful we get the opportunity to play against Louisville at the Dome. Getting a chance to come back home after being away for the last three weeks. Really, it's been a month due to the bye week. So, excited for the opportunity we have to come back to the Dome."
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Saturday marks the third home game of the season for Syracuse and the latest chance to experience the Orange's new game day atmosphere. Fans can take in the large-format videoboard, live music, expanded fan amenities and the Toyota Fun Zone at 'Cuse on the Quad and can welcome the team before the game as part of the new arrival tradition in addition to new in-game elements. Tickets for Saturday's game are available at Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
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Wide receiver Umari Hatcher was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watchlist a week ago. He has posted single-season career highs in receiving yards (560) and touchdowns (6) just five games through the 2026 campaign. The wide receiver has topped 100 yards three times, including in each of the last two games. Head coach Fran Brown says it's Hatcher's leadership he will lean on this week.
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"I just want him to compete," Brown said. "I want him to be able to block extremely well in the run game and I want him to be the leader that he is supposed to be for this football team, to stay focused and continue to push. I want players to be able to look to him when adversity strikes. I want them to look at Umari Hatcher and see that he's still fighting and he still goes strong."
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Louisville brings a stout rushing attack to Syracuse, one that averages 231.7 yards on the ground per game. The Cardinals' rushing attack is spearheaded by Isaac Brown, who averages 126.3 all-purpose yards per game. His counterpart, Keyjuan Brown, has racked up 367 yards on 38 carries as well. Fran Brown said he's looking forward to the challenge of stuffing the Cardinals' rushing attack.
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"It's hard to neutralize what they do," Brown said when asked how he planned to stop the Louisville run game. "They've got two really good running backs: Brown and Brown - both of those guys are the truth."
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Brown also praised the Louisville coaching staff, led by Jeff Brohm, for having a tough football team that likes to run the ball.
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"I think Coach Brohm does a really good job," Brown said. "His brother, Brian, he calls the plays and is doing a really good job. They've been doing that for a long time. They've always been able to run the ball well. But we just want to go out and compete and have a bunch of fun."
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Saturday's game marks the first time Syracuse and Louisville have clashed since 2022. The Orange won the last matchup, 31-7 behind 184 yards of total offense from running back Sean Tucker.
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