Disaster. That is perhaps the only word that could capture the Syracuse-Pittsburgh game, though the chaos had little to do with what unfolded between the lines. The action on the field was almost an afterthought, as Syracuse head coach Fran Brown’s behavior on the sideline became the story.
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It was the second quarter, and the frustration was beginning to boil over. A pass interference penalty had just kept a Pitt drive alive when Brown was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That gave the Panthers another 15 yards of field position. But what had happened on the sideline to draw the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty?
Well, Brown was seen continuously bickering with the referee, but the sideline drama was far from over. When the coach realized the official wasn’t paying attention to what he had to say, Brown made a fake motion toward the referee: a flinch test.
That immediately drew a flag. Post the game, the coach apologized for his actions.
“I should be able to hold my composure as being the face of our football program. Can’t say words like that to a referee,” he said postgame.
But none of it was surprising.
The Syracuse head coach has had a reputation for losing his temper. In fact, back in November 2025, Brown and Miami head coach Mario Cristobal got into a heated, face-to-face jawing match on the sideline. The officials had to physically step between the two.
Brown told a sideline reporter that Miami was ready to quit, which made Cristobal fire back. But coming back to Brown, he has also yelled at his own players, smashing a clipboard on national television and making his program run after a sloppy win.
So, while fans are used to the intensity the coach brings to the game, they don’t necessarily like it.
Fans dislike Fran Brown’s temper!
“Syracuse head coach Fran Brown is POS; he just did the flinch test or a fake out, whatever you wanna call it, to one of our ACC official,” an X post read, and it had gone quite viral.
The responses to the viral X post did not hold back as fans expressed their frustration over his on-field conduct, along with expressing doubts about the program’s direction.
One fan took a jab at his overall ability to build something sustainable in Syracuse, as the Orange now sit at 1-2 and 0-2 in ACC play after back-to-back conference losses.
“I called that this wouldn’t work when they hired him!” one X user wrote.
The Orange finished Week 3 against the Panthers with 10 penalties, including Brown’s own flag.
“No shock as to why his team leads the nation in penalties. Dude is a clown,” another X user commented.
Another fan brought up the Cristobal incident from last season, pointing to Brown’s pattern of getting aggressive when things don’t work in his way
“Fake tough guy Fran up to his old tricks. Tried to flex on Mario last year.”
The Orange’s offense stalled for long stretches, and the defense allowed 245 rushing yards. The head coach picking a personal penalty in the middle of it was not helping the team find its footing.
“He made many blunders today. Needs to focus on coaching and not blaming officials,” one X user wrote.
Another user shared the same sentiment, pointing out that his future with Syracuse is at risk with his losing streak.
“Fran career could be toast after next season. Last week was so bad,” another fan wrote.
Whether that criticism sticks with the team or the program steps up to work on the current issues on both sides of the ball is to be seen. However, the Orange’s schedule is not getting any easier after the matchup against UConn on October 3.
Fran Brown has two weeks to fix Syracuse’s biggest problems after Pittsburgh loss
The Orange head into their bye week sitting at 1-2 overall, with a lot of issues to be solved before their schedule resumes next month.
Quarterback Steve Angeli was benched in the fourth quarter against the Panthers after throwing back-to-back interceptions.
So, Brown will have two weeks to figure out who lines up in the center, clean up a penalty problem that has defined the program’s season, and also work on his own sideline temper before it costs his team more field position.
Syracuse returns on the road against Connecticut on October 3, followed by a trip to No. 25 Virginia. Both the matchups look like a possible win for the Orange on paper, unless Brown and his staff eliminate the costly penalties that have piled up over three weeks.