Syracuse football (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has been on a roll since its week one loss to No. 15 Tennessee. The Orange have three straight victories, including last Saturday’s 34-21 win over Clemson. Up until last weekend, Syracuse had been winless in its last five games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, SC. The win also marked Syracuse’s first victory over Clemson in nearly a decade. However, the Orange now turn their eyes on another ACC foe in Duke (2-2, 1-0 ACC).
The Blue Devils opened their 2025 season with a new face at quarterback, Darian Mensah. The sophomore spent his previous season at Tulane, where he threw for over 2,700 yards and 22 touchdowns. Mensah opened this season strong along with his teammates, clobbering Elon 45-17 in Duke’s opener. The QB threw for almost 400 yards and three touchdowns.
Darian Mensah's Duke debut:
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) August 29, 2025
😈 27/34
😈 389 YDS
😈 3 TD @DukeFootball pic.twitter.com/sXX54r54f3
“They probably got one of the better quarterbacks in the country,” SU head coach Fran Brown said about Mensah.
After an exciting week one for the Blue Devils, things started to go downhill. Duke fell 45-19 against No. 24 Illinois in week two and followed that up with a 34-27 defeat against Mensah’s former home in Tulane. The Blue Devils made the score better than it seemed, trailing 24-3 in the first half. Mensah also struggled against the Illini and Green Wave, throwing an interception in each of those games.
To open up ACC play, Duke bounced back and scored 45 points over NC State to move to 2-2. Mensah threw three touchdowns in the win alongside running back Anderson Castle, who rushed in for three scores.
“They all do their jobs. They don’t make too many mistakes on the football field,” Syracuse head coach Fran Brown said about the Blue Devils. “I think this will be the biggest test for us to make sure and see who we are.”
In terms of the quarterback room for Syracuse, it has drastically changed for the rest of this season. SU QB Steve Angeli suffered a torn Achilles in Saturday’s win over Clemson, according to ESPN. This means LSU transfer Rickie Collins, who initially transferred to the Orange to start, gets his opportunity at just that.
“I’m happy for Rickie, I’m excited for him,” Brown said. “I thought he handled the opportunity the right way, and no one deserves the opportunity more than he does.”
Collins enters his new role as the starting quarterback for Syracuse with the schedule just beginning against conference opponents. Upcoming for SU after Duke is SMU, Pittsburgh, and No. 16 Georgia Tech.
“We just gotta focus on Duke,” Brown said. “We got our hands full, and they’re coming to our place.”
Syracuse enters the Dome on Saturday to a sold-out crowd against Duke. Kickoff is scheduled for noon, but WAER’s coverage begins at 11:30 with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Kickoff.