Syracuse Back on the Road to Clash with North Carolina Saturday
10/19/2026 2:42:00 PM | Football
Syracuse is back on the road this week as the Orange get set to take on North Carolina at Kenan Stadium on Saturday. The game is slated for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff and will air on ACC Network.
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Head coach Fran Brown said he believes his team is about to hit its stride with six games left to play and is excited about the opportunity he and his team have this week.
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"Ready to just compete this week," Brown said. "We're going to go down to UNC and play our hearts out and I'm excited about the opportunity we have… the team is starting to peak. I feel like we're going to truly peak right now and I'm excited about the next six games. But most importantly, I'm excited about practice today and the opportunity that we get to go out and compete this week."
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The Orange have seen an abundance of freshmen and sophomores make their way onto the field this season. Of the 93 different players to appear for Syracuse, 48 have been underclassmen and 14 of those players have logged at least one start. Few of those underclassmen have made as much of an impact off the field as freshman wide receiver Calvin Russell III, Brown said.
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"I think Calvin Russell is a leader," Brown said. "I think his mentality, his work ethic, his happiness, his love for everybody is genuine. It's truly, truly genuine. He's a guy that wants to see everybody on the team do well just as if he was a coach. If you watch Calvin and if you've seen him when he scored, the entire team was just excited about it because he's always happy about them every day about the smallest things they do in practice. To him, everything matters."
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Through six games, the Orange have seen five different quarterbacks appear in a game and three of those players have logged starts as injuries have limited the room. The Orange are one of four teams across the nation to start three different quarterbacks and the only to see all three of those starters throw for 300 yards in a game. Brown said he's proud of how the quarterback room has stayed ready all season and whoever steps up is ready to compete.
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"They're ready, able to step up to the table and ready to go out and play," Brown said. "We had three different quarterbacks throw for 300 yards [in a game this season]. We're trying to continue to coach them all the same. I think they're doing a good job. It shows we're competing and ready to go. We just have to tighten things up in the second half from an offensive perspective. I don't think it really should matter who's at quarterback if we're able to tighten things up."
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Syracuse is looking ahead, but Brown wants his team's focus on the present, winning each day one rep at a time.
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"Just attacking the day, just have to win the rep," Brown said. "Let's just focus on that rep. Let's not worry about the games, the games will handle themselves. We just have to attack each day."
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Following Saturday's road game, the Orange return for a pair of home games against No. 23 SMU on Saturday, October 31 and Clemson on Saturday, November 7. The SMU contest will kickoff at noon while the Clemson game time will be announced at a later date. Make sure you secure your tickets at the JMA Wireless Dome by visiting Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
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Head coach Fran Brown said he believes his team is about to hit its stride with six games left to play and is excited about the opportunity he and his team have this week.
Â
"Ready to just compete this week," Brown said. "We're going to go down to UNC and play our hearts out and I'm excited about the opportunity we have… the team is starting to peak. I feel like we're going to truly peak right now and I'm excited about the next six games. But most importantly, I'm excited about practice today and the opportunity that we get to go out and compete this week."
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The Orange have seen an abundance of freshmen and sophomores make their way onto the field this season. Of the 93 different players to appear for Syracuse, 48 have been underclassmen and 14 of those players have logged at least one start. Few of those underclassmen have made as much of an impact off the field as freshman wide receiver Calvin Russell III, Brown said.
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"I think Calvin Russell is a leader," Brown said. "I think his mentality, his work ethic, his happiness, his love for everybody is genuine. It's truly, truly genuine. He's a guy that wants to see everybody on the team do well just as if he was a coach. If you watch Calvin and if you've seen him when he scored, the entire team was just excited about it because he's always happy about them every day about the smallest things they do in practice. To him, everything matters."
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Through six games, the Orange have seen five different quarterbacks appear in a game and three of those players have logged starts as injuries have limited the room. The Orange are one of four teams across the nation to start three different quarterbacks and the only to see all three of those starters throw for 300 yards in a game. Brown said he's proud of how the quarterback room has stayed ready all season and whoever steps up is ready to compete.
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"They're ready, able to step up to the table and ready to go out and play," Brown said. "We had three different quarterbacks throw for 300 yards [in a game this season]. We're trying to continue to coach them all the same. I think they're doing a good job. It shows we're competing and ready to go. We just have to tighten things up in the second half from an offensive perspective. I don't think it really should matter who's at quarterback if we're able to tighten things up."
Â
Syracuse is looking ahead, but Brown wants his team's focus on the present, winning each day one rep at a time.
Â
"Just attacking the day, just have to win the rep," Brown said. "Let's just focus on that rep. Let's not worry about the games, the games will handle themselves. We just have to attack each day."
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Following Saturday's road game, the Orange return for a pair of home games against No. 23 SMU on Saturday, October 31 and Clemson on Saturday, November 7. The SMU contest will kickoff at noon while the Clemson game time will be announced at a later date. Make sure you secure your tickets at the JMA Wireless Dome by visiting Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
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