Syracuse pulled starting quarterback Steve Angeli in the fourth quarter of a 27-13 loss at Pitt on Thursday night, turning to backup Amari Odom after Angeli threw interceptions on back-to-back drives. The loss dropped Syracuse to 1-2 and 0-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), while Pitt improved to 3-0 (1-0 ACC) behind a ground game that produced 245 rushing yards even without starting running back Ja’Kyrian Turner, who did not play.
How it unfolded
Pitt built a 17-point lead before Syracuse answered, cutting the margin to 17-10 by halftime on Ahmad Miller’s 2-yard touchdown run and a Shay Barker field goal. Angeli struggled late in the game, throwing interceptions on back-to-back drives. That was enough for Syracuse coach Fran Brown, who benched Angeli in favor of Odom, a Kennesaw State transfer, midway through the fourth quarter. Odom went 7 for 7 in relief, according to WRVO (AP), and marched the offense down the field to set up a field goal, according to Sports Illustrated. Angeli finished 13 of 25 for 161 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Angeli and Brown
Angeli said the benching was the coach’s call. “It was the coach’s decision, he’s trying to do what’s best for the team,” he told The NewsHouse. He also took the blame for the loss postgame, saying he needs to take better care of the ball, according to CNY Central.
Sports Illustrated reported that Brown showed his support for Angeli but also did not rule out Odom overtaking him in the depth chart, saying there would be a competition for the job. Brown told CNY Central: “We just gotta keep going. We got nine games left, nine regular-season games left so we’ve got a lot of football but we just need to focus.” Syracuse was also penalized heavily in the loss, taking 10 penalties for 94 yards, according to Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated.
A second rough outing
Thursday’s benching came after Angeli had already struggled the week before. He threw three interceptions in Syracuse’s 21-18 loss to California on Sept. 12 — the Orange’s first defeat of the season after opening with a 66-3 win over New Hampshire on Sept. 5.
Pitt’s side
Pitt’s win came mostly on the ground rather than through the arm of quarterback Mason Heintschel, who completed just 10 of 23 passes for 123 yards and threw an interception of his own. The rushing production came from multiple backs: Damon Ferguson Jr. broke off a 32-yard touchdown run as part of a 10-carry, 102-yard day, La’Vell Wright scored on a 2-yard run, and Heintschel himself punched one in from 9 yards out. The game was Pat Narduzzi’s 144th as Pitt’s head coach, a school record. Narduzzi said afterward, according to the Associated Press recap published by WRVO: “Nice to win when you don’t play your best football on offense or defense.”
What’s next
Syracuse now heads into its bye week with the quarterback job unresolved. Brown has not named a starter for the next game. The Orange’s next game is on the road at UConn on Oct. 3 at noon, according to the team’s official schedule. Pitt, meanwhile, stays home to host Bucknell on Saturday, Sept. 26, at noon.