11/2/2026 2:59:00 PM | Football
Syracuse is back home for another ACC matchup against Clemson this Saturday, set for a noon kickoff to air on ESPN2.
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After a last-minute game-winning touchdown against No. 19 SMU last weekend, Director of Athletics Bryan Blair opened head coach Fran Brown's weekly press conference by praising the program's fight and stressing that football is vital to the future of Syracuse Athletics.
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"I'm really proud of our football program and the way they've been fighting," Blair said. "The last two weeks, for all of us, have been a joy to watch and experience. I want to be clear on a couple fronts. One, football matters here at Syracuse and football matters in the grander equation for what we're trying to do. Football is vital to the future of Syracuse Athletics. It's important that we get this right and I'm excited for Fran and our young men about the opportunity they have in front of them this week."
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Blair concluded his remarks with a call to action for Orange Nation: pack the Dome and support this football team.
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"Lastly, I implore and I ask, we want that Dome packed," Blair said. "Last week, in that crowd against SMU, you felt tentacles of what it can feel like when that place is rocking. You felt that deafening noise, you saw an opponent scrambling to get signals in. We need people not to just show up and attend the game, we need people to show up and to be a part of the game and create that atmosphere that makes this place the hardest place to play in the entire country. The opportunity is right in front of us. We are going to try to do everything we can to facilitate a packed dome because, frankly, that's what our football program deserves."
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Tickets for Saturday's game are on sale now! Fans can secure their tickets by visiting Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
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Brown followed Blair's remarks to discuss the upcoming matchup with Clemson, citing Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney as someone who he admires as a coach and has a very talented football team coming to the Dome on Saturday.
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"I'm very excited for the opportunity this weekend and go out and compete against Clemson," Brown said. "Coach Dabo Swinney is one of the best coaches in college football. He won a national championship twice. He's one of those college coaches that everybody wants to learn from. I think he has really good football team -- a team that's a couple points away from being undefeated. These guys can play football."
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The Orange head into the weekend riding back-to-back wins, with quarterback Steve Angeli delivering late in both. Over the past two games, Angeli is 23-of-31 for 288 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime. Brown credited his quarterback's comfort and confidence for the late-game heroics.
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"He's getting more and more comfortable," Brown said. "I think when you have an injury, you get surgery, things of that nature, it can kind of mess with you a little bit until you regain full confidence in being able to run and move. He understands and knows he can do it and feels like himself again. He understands he's playing the same game he's been playing since he was a little boy."
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Amid the two wins the past two weeks, Brown had high praise for the entire program from his coaching staff to the student equipment managers who have continued to work throughout the entire season.
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"The reason everything is working is because of the coaches, players and everybody together," Brown said. "We're all together in our building. It's all the same page. Our secretaries, equipment staff, students that work with us, they've probably done a better job than anybody. The managers that are running around and competing and showing up and running around, they're working extremely hard for us."
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The matchup on Saturday marks the 14th time the Orange and Tigers have met on the gridiron. Syracuse won last year's game, 34-21, the first time the Orange had ever won on the road against Clemson. Angeli led the offense, completing 18-of-31 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game due to injury.
Â
After a last-minute game-winning touchdown against No. 19 SMU last weekend, Director of Athletics Bryan Blair opened head coach Fran Brown's weekly press conference by praising the program's fight and stressing that football is vital to the future of Syracuse Athletics.
Â
"I'm really proud of our football program and the way they've been fighting," Blair said. "The last two weeks, for all of us, have been a joy to watch and experience. I want to be clear on a couple fronts. One, football matters here at Syracuse and football matters in the grander equation for what we're trying to do. Football is vital to the future of Syracuse Athletics. It's important that we get this right and I'm excited for Fran and our young men about the opportunity they have in front of them this week."
Â
Blair concluded his remarks with a call to action for Orange Nation: pack the Dome and support this football team.
Â
"Lastly, I implore and I ask, we want that Dome packed," Blair said. "Last week, in that crowd against SMU, you felt tentacles of what it can feel like when that place is rocking. You felt that deafening noise, you saw an opponent scrambling to get signals in. We need people not to just show up and attend the game, we need people to show up and to be a part of the game and create that atmosphere that makes this place the hardest place to play in the entire country. The opportunity is right in front of us. We are going to try to do everything we can to facilitate a packed dome because, frankly, that's what our football program deserves."
Â
Tickets for Saturday's game are on sale now! Fans can secure their tickets by visiting Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
Â
Brown followed Blair's remarks to discuss the upcoming matchup with Clemson, citing Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney as someone who he admires as a coach and has a very talented football team coming to the Dome on Saturday.
Â
"I'm very excited for the opportunity this weekend and go out and compete against Clemson," Brown said. "Coach Dabo Swinney is one of the best coaches in college football. He won a national championship twice. He's one of those college coaches that everybody wants to learn from. I think he has really good football team -- a team that's a couple points away from being undefeated. These guys can play football."
Â
The Orange head into the weekend riding back-to-back wins, with quarterback Steve Angeli delivering late in both. Over the past two games, Angeli is 23-of-31 for 288 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime. Brown credited his quarterback's comfort and confidence for the late-game heroics.
Â
"He's getting more and more comfortable," Brown said. "I think when you have an injury, you get surgery, things of that nature, it can kind of mess with you a little bit until you regain full confidence in being able to run and move. He understands and knows he can do it and feels like himself again. He understands he's playing the same game he's been playing since he was a little boy."
Â
Amid the two wins the past two weeks, Brown had high praise for the entire program from his coaching staff to the student equipment managers who have continued to work throughout the entire season.
Â
"The reason everything is working is because of the coaches, players and everybody together," Brown said. "We're all together in our building. It's all the same page. Our secretaries, equipment staff, students that work with us, they've probably done a better job than anybody. The managers that are running around and competing and showing up and running around, they're working extremely hard for us."
Â
The matchup on Saturday marks the 14th time the Orange and Tigers have met on the gridiron. Syracuse won last year's game, 34-21, the first time the Orange had ever won on the road against Clemson. Angeli led the offense, completing 18-of-31 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game due to injury.
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