Orange Downed by Cal in ACC Opener
9/12/2026 7:58:00 PM | Football
Despite out-gaining Cal by nearly 200 yards of total offense, Syracuse came up short in their ACC opener, losing 21-18.
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Syracuse (1-1, 0-1 ACC) jumped out to an early two-score lead and had multiple chances to tie or take the lead in the fourth quarter, but two missed field goals, and a pair of Cal (1-1, 1-0 ACC) interceptions, put the game away. Tight end Daunte Bacheyie had a career-high four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Steve Angeli threw for 306 yards and a touchdown, paired with three interceptions. Wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons tallied six catches for 105 yards in his first game of the 2026 campaign. Running back Tylik Hill led all Syracuse rushers with 56 yards, before exiting the game with injury after the opening drive.
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California was paced by quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw for 182 yards (21-of-34) and two touchdowns to help lead the Bears to the win. Kingston Lopa highlighted the Cal defense with three interceptions, including a go-ahead pick six in the fourth quarter.
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Syracuse hits the road for its first road tilt of the season to face Pittsburgh on Thursday, September 17. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Orange will return home to the JMA Wireless Dome on October 17 against Louisville. Tickets are available at Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
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Syracuse received the opening kickoff and on the second play of the game, Tylik Hill broke off a 55-yard carry deep into Cal territory. The Cal defense stood tall, though, setting up a 25-yard field goal by Tripp Woody to give Syracuse an early 3-0 lead, and the only score of the opening quarter.
In the Orange's second drive of the game, Ross-Simmons opened up the drive with his first reception of the 2026 season for 22 yards from Angeli. Shavane Anderson Jr. ran on three consecutive plays to reach the Cal 42-yard line. The drive stalled though, ending in a Syracuse punt.
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Syracuse struck again on their third drive. A trick play on the special teams kept the drive alive when punter Jimmy Gregg faked the punt and added a jump-pass to David Omopariola for 12 yards. The drive ended with a 33-yard field goal from Woody, just 16 seconds into the second quarter.
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The Golden Bears reached Syracuse territory for the first time on their third possession of the day, but failed to capitalize after Towns McGough missed a 46-yard field goal.
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Angeli took control of the 'Cuse offense following the missed field goal at its own 28-yard line. After facing 2nd-and-19 following a sack, Angeli connected with Umari Hatcher for a 20-yard reception. Just plays later, Angeli converted back-to-back passes to Bacheyie, the first for 38 yards followed by a 23-yard strike for a touchdown catch to finish the possession and give Syracuse a 12-0 edge after failing the two-point conversion.
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Sagapolutele responded when he connected with Ian Strong for a 43-yard reception. Just a few plays later, Cal found the endzone for the first time on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Sagapolutele to Chase Hendricks with 7:15 left before halftime.
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Each team traded a pair of punts before heading into halftime, with Syracuse leading 12-7.
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Midway through the third quarter, Cal took their first lead - setup by a takeaway. Lopa made his first pick and returned the interception 53 yards. Sagapolutele capped the ensuing drive with a 2-yard pass to Jordan King to give Cal a 14-12 lead.
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The Syracuse offense responded and put together a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Angeli was 6-for-7 passing on the drive, leading the Orange downfield to set-up a Ju'Juan Johnson two-yard touchdown plunge to re-take the lead. The following two-point conversion failed to make the score 18-14 with 1:38 remaining in the third.
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Syracuse controlled possession as they entered the fourth quarter. After reaching the Cal 18-yard line, Syracuse faced fourth down. The Golden Bears were penalized for too many men on the field, giving SU a fresh set of downs, which setup the Orange for 31-yard field goal attempt, but Woody's attempt hit the left upright.
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Taking over at their own 20-yard line, Sagapolutele connected with Mason Mini for a 38-yard catch to move into Orange territory. A sack from Chris D'Appolonia stalled the drive and led to a Cal punt to give the Orange possession. Another Lopa interception ended Syracuse's drive though and this time, the Cal defensive back returned it 24 yards for a touchdown to give the Golden Bears a 21-18 lead with 4:51 left in the fourth quarter.
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Syracuse drove down into Cal territory on the ensuing possession to set up a potential game-tying field goal. Yet, the 46-yard attempt from Woody fell short and Cal took back over.
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The Orange defense once again stood tall and got the ball back with just over a minute to play, but in the final chance for Syracuse, Angeli threw his third pick of the day to Lopa sealing the win for Cal.
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Syracuse (1-1, 0-1 ACC) jumped out to an early two-score lead and had multiple chances to tie or take the lead in the fourth quarter, but two missed field goals, and a pair of Cal (1-1, 1-0 ACC) interceptions, put the game away. Tight end Daunte Bacheyie had a career-high four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Steve Angeli threw for 306 yards and a touchdown, paired with three interceptions. Wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons tallied six catches for 105 yards in his first game of the 2026 campaign. Running back Tylik Hill led all Syracuse rushers with 56 yards, before exiting the game with injury after the opening drive.
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California was paced by quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw for 182 yards (21-of-34) and two touchdowns to help lead the Bears to the win. Kingston Lopa highlighted the Cal defense with three interceptions, including a go-ahead pick six in the fourth quarter.
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Syracuse hits the road for its first road tilt of the season to face Pittsburgh on Thursday, September 17. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Orange will return home to the JMA Wireless Dome on October 17 against Louisville. Tickets are available at Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
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Syracuse received the opening kickoff and on the second play of the game, Tylik Hill broke off a 55-yard carry deep into Cal territory. The Cal defense stood tall, though, setting up a 25-yard field goal by Tripp Woody to give Syracuse an early 3-0 lead, and the only score of the opening quarter.
In the Orange's second drive of the game, Ross-Simmons opened up the drive with his first reception of the 2026 season for 22 yards from Angeli. Shavane Anderson Jr. ran on three consecutive plays to reach the Cal 42-yard line. The drive stalled though, ending in a Syracuse punt.
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Syracuse struck again on their third drive. A trick play on the special teams kept the drive alive when punter Jimmy Gregg faked the punt and added a jump-pass to David Omopariola for 12 yards. The drive ended with a 33-yard field goal from Woody, just 16 seconds into the second quarter.
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The Golden Bears reached Syracuse territory for the first time on their third possession of the day, but failed to capitalize after Towns McGough missed a 46-yard field goal.
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Angeli took control of the 'Cuse offense following the missed field goal at its own 28-yard line. After facing 2nd-and-19 following a sack, Angeli connected with Umari Hatcher for a 20-yard reception. Just plays later, Angeli converted back-to-back passes to Bacheyie, the first for 38 yards followed by a 23-yard strike for a touchdown catch to finish the possession and give Syracuse a 12-0 edge after failing the two-point conversion.
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Sagapolutele responded when he connected with Ian Strong for a 43-yard reception. Just a few plays later, Cal found the endzone for the first time on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Sagapolutele to Chase Hendricks with 7:15 left before halftime.
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Each team traded a pair of punts before heading into halftime, with Syracuse leading 12-7.
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Midway through the third quarter, Cal took their first lead - setup by a takeaway. Lopa made his first pick and returned the interception 53 yards. Sagapolutele capped the ensuing drive with a 2-yard pass to Jordan King to give Cal a 14-12 lead.
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The Syracuse offense responded and put together a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Angeli was 6-for-7 passing on the drive, leading the Orange downfield to set-up a Ju'Juan Johnson two-yard touchdown plunge to re-take the lead. The following two-point conversion failed to make the score 18-14 with 1:38 remaining in the third.
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Syracuse controlled possession as they entered the fourth quarter. After reaching the Cal 18-yard line, Syracuse faced fourth down. The Golden Bears were penalized for too many men on the field, giving SU a fresh set of downs, which setup the Orange for 31-yard field goal attempt, but Woody's attempt hit the left upright.
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Taking over at their own 20-yard line, Sagapolutele connected with Mason Mini for a 38-yard catch to move into Orange territory. A sack from Chris D'Appolonia stalled the drive and led to a Cal punt to give the Orange possession. Another Lopa interception ended Syracuse's drive though and this time, the Cal defensive back returned it 24 yards for a touchdown to give the Golden Bears a 21-18 lead with 4:51 left in the fourth quarter.
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Syracuse drove down into Cal territory on the ensuing possession to set up a potential game-tying field goal. Yet, the 46-yard attempt from Woody fell short and Cal took back over.
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The Orange defense once again stood tall and got the ball back with just over a minute to play, but in the final chance for Syracuse, Angeli threw his third pick of the day to Lopa sealing the win for Cal.
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