Orange Host Cal to Open ACC Play

SYRACUSE vs. CALIFORNIA
Game Details: 3:30 p.m. | Saturday, Sept. 12
Location: JMA Wireless Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.
Tickets: Cuse.com/FootballTickets
Television: ACCN
Game Links: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Game Program: Here
Radio: Syracuse Sports Network from Learfield
Twitter: @CuseFootball | @Cuse
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Notes
Cal Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Notes

OPENING DRIVE
• The Orange are set to welcome the California Golden Bears to the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday afternoon. This marks the second time the Golden Bears have traveled to Syracuse, but the first since the Dome opened.
• Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Rodney McLeod Jr. (analyst) and Kendra Douglas (reporter) will be on the call for the conference matchup, set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff airing on ACC Network.

FAN INFORMATION
• Be there early on Saturday to experience all the activities to get you ready for kickoff!
• Saturday's game is Military Appreciation Day. There will be military themed activations on the Quad and in-game to honor and celebrate active duty and military veterans for their service.
• Both season and individual game tickets are available at Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
• 'Cuse on the Quad opens at 12:30 p.m., featuring new additions for 2026! The NYE Auto Quad Walk will be at 1:10 p.m., but throughout 'Cuse on the Quad, fans will see live music, food and beverage options, a new large video board, rock climbing wall and mechanical bull.
• As you make your way to the Dome, be sure to utilize the Waze app to provide real-time traffic updates on routes around the venue. Visit Cuse.com/Dome for GPS directions to your specific lot. Fans are encouraged to download the app and use it to view the quickest route to parking lots in real time.
• Make sure you download the 'Cuse app (Download on IOS or Google Play) to be part of interactive fan opportunities in-game. The light shows prior to the team entrance and between the third and fourth quarter provide ways for fans to involve themselves in the action, plus trivia and more.
• Select gates (A, B, C, P and VIP) will continue to open two hours prior to kickoff, as in prior years, for access to the suites, Club 44 and Kuhn Gameday Lounge. All other gates will open 90-minutes prior to kickoff.

RIGHT TO THE ACC-TION
• The Orange are in their 14th season as a member of the ACC.
• Syracuse plays its first ACC game of the year when California visits the Dome on Saturday.
• The Orange have won three of their last four ACC openers, including the last two. Syracuse took down then-ranked No. 23 Georgia Tech, 31-28, at home in 2024 before topping Clemson on the road, 34-21, last season.
• The Orange and Cal meet for the second time as conference opponents on Saturday afternoon after clashing in California two years ago.

HISTORIC DEBUT
• Head coach Fran Brown got off to a historic start in year three at the helm of the Orange. Syracuse's 66 points were the second-most in a season opener in program history, trailing the 77 points the program scored in 1929's opener against Hobart.
• The 63-point win margin is the widest of the Fran Brown Era. The Orange scored 41 points in the first half, the most in a single half during Brown's tenure.
• The Orange offense spread the wealth, with 10 players recording at least one reception and five different players scoring a rushing or receiving touchdown.
• The Syracuse defense allowed just three points, the fewest points allowed during Fran Brown's tenure, besting the previous mark of 14 points against Holy Cross in 2024. It was the least amount of points scored by a Syracuse foe since the Orange shutout Colgate in September, 2023 in the season opener.
• The defensive performance included five sacks and nine tackles for loss, both the second most in a single game by the Orange during the Fran Brown Era.

SERIES HISTORY
• Syracuse and California clash for the fourth time in history on Saturday.
• The Orange lead the all-time series, 2-1, and have won the only prior matchup with the two as conference foes in 2024.
• Syracuse has welcomed California to Syracuse once before, in 1968 winning the tilt, 20-14.
• This will be the Golden Bears' first trip to the Dome.

LAST TIME VS. CAL
• Syracuse and California last met in 2024, their first time clashing as conference opponents.
• The Orange scored on six consecutive drives to start the game to establish an early lead they would never relinquish.
• DB Davien Kerr tallied his first career interception in the 2024 triumph, intercepting Fernando Mendoza, who won the 2025 season's Heisman Trophy.
• WR Justus Ross-Simmons hauled in a 40-yard reception from Kyle McCord in the win.
• The Orange connected on four field goals in the victory, the most in a single game for the Orange during the Fran Brown Era.

A WIN WOULD …
• Give Syracuse its fourth 2-0 start to a season in the last five years.
• See Syracuse win its ACC opener for the third consecutive season and fourth in the last five seasons.
• Give Syracuse its 758th all-time victory (includes 11 wins from 2004-06 that were vacated by the NCAA). The Orange currently rank 21st on the FBS ledger of winningest programs. Syracuse is one of 37 FBS schools to have accumulated 700+ wins.

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Players Mentioned

Davien Kerr

Justus Ross-Simmons

Syracuse University Athletics