Syracuse football upsets No. 19 SMU 30-27 for consecutive conference wins

Syracuse football (4-4, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat No. 19 SMU (6-2, 4-2 ACC) 30-27 on Halloween in the JMA Wireless Dome, the Mustangs’ first visit to the building. It was SU’s fourth win over a ranked opponent under head coach Fran Brown, and it came in a back-and-forth game.

Coming off a 256-yard, zero-turnover performance against North Carolina (4-3, 2-2 ACC) last Saturday, Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli got the start again. Many wondered about his mobility after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his Achilles tendon to help with his injury from last year. Angeli silenced any doubts with a 26-yard rushing touchdown on SU’s first drive, which started the scoring.

That allowed SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings to get to work. Jennings showed off why he sits second in the ACC in passing yards per game when he connected with wide receiver Jalen Hale. Hale’s touchdown catch was the last score of the first quarter, which ended with SMU ahead 10-7.

The Orange weren’t fazed and dominated the second quarter. SU defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. forced a fumble that defensive back Davien Kerr recovered, but the ‘Cuse turned the takeaway into only a field goal.

Kicker Tripp Woody made three field goals and was a perfect 3 of 3 on the day. The junior lost the kicking job to freshman Shay Barker three games into the season after making 50% of his placekicks.

“Hat goes off to Tripp,” Syracuse head coach Fran Brown said. “He did a really good job kicking today. Tripp was able to come back and make some field goals.”

Woody wasn’t the only one who got on the scoreboard. SU relied on its ground game to build a 10-point lead. Running back Ahmad Miller scored on a 1-yard run, his fourth straight game with a touchdown. The Orange led 20-10 at halftime.

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A recurring theme for Syracuse this season has been blowing halftime leads. The Orange let leads over Virginia and California slip away, and it looked like the trend might repeat a third time.

Jennings was held quiet in the first half but came out of the break strong. He threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Yamir Knight to cut the deficit to three. Jennings finished the day with 351 yards, which pushed him past 10,000 career passing yards. He also has accounted for multiple scores in all but one game this year.

As in the first quarter, the third featured only one touchdown for the Mustangs. SMU trailed 20-17 but got help from its defense when Angeli was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, which gave the Mustangs a safety.

SMU now trailed by only a point and had momentum. On the very next drive, the Mustangs used the run to regain the lead. Running back Kendrick Raphael scored on a 14-yard run, and with a two-point conversion SMU led 27-20.

The ‘Cuse defense didn’t allow another point. While the Orange surrendered 421 total yards, they held the Mustangs to a season-low 70 on the ground. SU also held SMU nine points below its average.

“They are all tough,” Brown said. “They work really hard, they have a knack for the ball. They go get the football.”

Trailing 27-20, Angeli and the Orange offense took over. Woody made a field goal to cut the deficit to four, and SU got the ball back with a chance to take the lead.

On fourth-and-1 at the SMU 39-yard line, Brown decided to go for it. The decision paid off when Angeli connected with tight end David Clement to keep the drive alive. The ‘Cuse had second-and-goal with 27 seconds left, and Angeli again turned to a tight end. He rolled out to the left and threw a 2-yard pass to Noah Meyers for the game-winning touchdown, giving SU the 30-27 win.

“I just wanted to have the ball in our offense’s hand last and give Steve Angeli the opportunity to go out and compete,” Brown said. “He knows what to do in the two-minute drills.”

The win marked Syracuse’s first consecutive conference wins this season. SU can make it three in a row when it hosts Clemson in the JMA Wireless Dome at noon Saturday, Nov. 7. Last year’s matchup against the Tigers was the game in which Angeli suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. WAER’s pregame coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Kickoff at 11:30 a.m.