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Fresh off its second bye, Syracuse enters a pivotal six-game stretch that will decide the fate of its first season under head coach Fran Brown. The Orange are 5-1 to start the year, winning two games against ranked opponents in then-No. 23 Georgia Tech and then-No. 25 UNLV.

In the Week 9 AP Top 25 Poll, SU received 15 votes, the second most among teams on the outside looking in. And its next opponent gives Syracuse its best chance yet at cracking the top 25 for the first time since October 2022.

The Orange will travel to No. 19 Pittsburgh in a Thursday night primetime matchup. Pitt is off to its best start since 1982, when NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino was a senior. The Panthers are 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 6-0 overall, ranking third in the conference in points per game (40.8). A win would also clinch SU its third consecutive bowl appearance, the first time it clinched three in a row since five straight from 1995-99.

“We just want to go up and try and compete and have a good show. It’ll be a good thing Thursday night, 7:30. We’ll be the only college football team playing at that time, hopefully,” Brown said. “So everybody in the country will get the chance to watch us and see us go out and compete against a good football program.”

Here are some takeaways from Brown’s weekly press conference before Syracuse’s matchup at No. 19 Pitt:

Player availability

Following a Week 1 right leg injury, All-ACC linebacker Marlowe Wax has been sidelined since. The timeline for return was “about six weeks” according to Brown, and though SU survived to win 4-of-5 games without Wax, his absence forced the Orange to shuffle their defense.

The Pitt matchup will be almost seven weeks since the injury, but Brown announced in Monday’s press conference Wax will likely not return against Pitt.

“Honestly, it seems like he’ll probably play next week, but he’s trying,” Brown said. “He’s pushing. He’s a tough kid. He wants to go, but just for his safety and all the things, probably next week.”

As for the return of another key starting defender, freshman cornerback Marcellus Barnes Jr. is expected to be back. Brown revealed Barnes Jr. was available versus NC State but the coaching staff felt Jayden Bellamy was “a little ahead,” prompting Barnes to miss his third straight game.

Redshirt freshman Zeed Haynes, an explosive downfield threat at outside receiver, was a key transfer for SU entering the 2024 season. Haynes came over with Meeks and Brown from Georgia and was said to be quarterback Kyle McCord’s top threat through training camp. Through the first two games, Haynes totaled eight receptions for 97 yards.

However, since facing Georgia Tech on Sept. 7, Haynes has been away from the team due to a personal matter. Brown gave an update on Haynes’ situation Monday.

“I’m just gonna make sure I tell everybody. I’m gonna post. I’m gonna throw a party and everything,” Brown said of when Haynes returns. “As soon as he comes back, everybody gonna know. I’m sending balloons. You’re gonna see all these orange and blue balloons coming up from our spot as soon as he back. But he’s not back right now. He’s just handling his family issues that he’s taking care of. You know, everybody handles things different and we think that this is best for (Haynes).”

Panthers breakdown

Brown broke down Pitt, which remains undefeated on the season, including the coaching staff and key players.

“They’ve done a real good job,” Brown said of Pitt. “They’re ranked in the country, so they’ve done a good job. But for us, we’re just trying to focus daily on the same things we’ve been doing.”

Head coach Pat Narduzzi is in his 10th season with the Panthers. Brown said he’s tracked Narduzzi since he was the Michigan State defensive coordinator from 2007 to 2014. Brown described Narduzzi’s work over the last decade as “phenomenal.”

At quarterback, redshirt freshman Eli Holstein leads Pitt. Brown was fond of what Holstein has put on tape to start his college career, and described him as “one of the better quarterbacks in the conference right now.”

“He’s just a playmaker,” Brown said. “He kills you with his legs. (And) throwing, he does a real good job.”

Another offensive weapon for the Panthers is running back Desmond Reid. The junior is averaging 182.1 all-purpose yards per game, the most in the ACC. Brown was familiar with Reid’s game due to his past school — Western Carolina. Reid attended Brown’s alma mater for two years before transferring to Pitt. Besides having “some of that Catamount blood in him,” Reid poses serious issues for the Orange.

“He’s always been a good football player, and I think he plays with a chip on his shoulder. We can see it on film,” Brown said. “We have to know where he’s at all times, whether it comes to the passing plays (or) the running game.”

Bye week clean ups

During the second bye week, Brown said he was in touch with Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, discussing taking care of all the little things. He also highlighted the scouting department for continuing to work throughout the week.

Following SU’s first bye week, it fell flat against Stanford, losing on a field goal in the final seconds. Now, coming off its second bye, Brown said it didn’t change much up from last time.

“We’re gonna prepare the same,” Brown said. “We just got to stay focused. We got to work.”

Published on October 21, 2024 at 7:16 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky