Fran Brown Inflects Instant Punishment on Syracuse Athletes Despite Overtime Win

First win on the board for Syracuse, and that means a well-earned shower for Fran Brown. Much to the fandom’s joy, Saturday afternoon saw Fran Brown’s Syracuse paint the JMA Wireless Dome orange, as ‘Cuse clinched the victory with 27-20. A hearty cause for celebration, right? A crisp close win, that was what it was, and the head coach was not pleased. A tough call. With barely 48 seconds left in the game, Steve Angeli went in for a 53-yard touchdown to take a 20-17 lead. UConn tied the game with one second left, and the stakes hit the roof. Syracuse scored a 6-yard Justus Ross-Simmons TD pass from Steve Angeli in overtime.

Syracuse’s defensive unit held UConn out of the end zone. With the final two plays- back-to-back pass breakups from LB Antoine Deslauriers, Syracuse finally won over the trenches. The victory was clinched, but that close win was not enough for the head coach to don a celebratory armor. Before the players could head towards the locker room, the head coach had something else on his mind.

Post-game, the roster, pads still on, was made to run sprints on he turf in front of the whole stadium. “You can tell Fran Brown is not happy after that game. He’s making the entire team run sprints post-game right now,” Play-by-Play Broadcaster, Christian De Guzman wrote on X. Well, if there’s one thing we know, it’s that Fran Brown doesn’t take losses well.

The first quarter saw no major action, with both programs struggling to reach the end zone. The onset of the second quarter saw the Huskies gain momentum, while the Orange trailed behind, with 6-14 flashing on the scoreboard, spilling into the halftime. Again, the third quarter went sluggish for Fran Brown’s roster, 6-17. Albeit the fourth quarter saw some major action in the concluding minutes. The last six minutes witnessed two touchdowns from the Orange, taking the lead 20-17. But the Huskies won’t easily go down. With one second remaining, they forced overtime with a 41-yard field goal.

And the post-game sprints? Well, Fran Brown’s reputation was on the line. The head coach had to instill a tough code. “I don’t want to say something and then I don’t do it. I don’t want to be that guy. So whatever I say I’m gonna do, I try to make sure that that gets done because my name’s on the line.” The message is crystal clear that discipline is non-negotiable, with accountability burning right across.

He continued on Saturday’s performance. “There’s a certain way that we want Syracuse football to look,” Brown told reporters post-game. “And we didn’t do that for two weeks, but we were able to get a win. So we stated, ‘Win, lose or draw,’ that was happening if it didn’t look the way it was supposed to look.” So, heading into week 3, will there be any more consequences? Will the leader of the offense, Steve Angeli, face the heat?

What next? Is Steve Angeli getting benched?

Brown’s frustration didn’t just stem from how close they were about to go 0-2. Both offensive and defensive machinery lagged. They gave up 416 yards to the Huskies: 274 through the air and 142 on the ground. And the offense? Steve Angeli was sacked three times, along with an interception. This scene wasn’t just specific against the Huskies. Their season-opener against Josh Heupel‘s Vols witnessed a similar trend. Angeli was sacked five times, with the ‘T’ dominating the first quarter with 17-0, concluding in Syracuse’s 26-45 defeat.

Does that mean redshirt sophomore Rickie Collins might get the starting gig? Fran Brown’s response? “That’s messed up to ask about that. … I’m loyal, man.” The head coach laid it out bluntly and clearly. This is Steve’s moment and his team. “I’m married to Steve. I’m locked in on who I’m locked in on,” he said. “I always think about Rickie. Like, we met the other day, and I talk about Rickie. Rickie’s one play away (from going) in. When it’s Rickie’s time, I’m gonna support 100 percent behind Rickie.” Coming up next, Syracuse will face off against Colgate.