Welp. That wasn't fun. At all.
On Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome, before a sell-out crowd and with various high school football and basketball prospects on hand, Syracuse football put up a dud and got blasted by Duke, 38-3. The Orange (3-2, 1-1 in the ACC) will head to SMU next Saturday afternoon in week six.
The Blue Devils (3-2, 2-0 in the ACC) thoroughly dominated the 'Cuse. Duke's only gaffe was in the penalty department, as the Blue Devils committed nine for a whopping 105 yards. Besides that, Duke racked up more than 500 total yards, and the Blue Devils' defense made life uncomfortable for new starting quarterback Rickie Collins, a redshirt sophomore who transferred in from LSU.
Collins will need time to settle in, but this game wasn't entirely his fault. The Orange's defense, candidly, was awful. What I find discouraging is the number of 'Cuse fans on Saturday afternoon who were declaring the 2025 season over, and who were calling for Collins to be benched.
Trying to replace the injured Steve Angeli is no easy task, as the redshirt junior was leading the country in total passing yards heading into week four. Yes, Collins needs to make better decisions, but let's not forget that he was Syracuse football's declared starter in the spring before Angeli decided to transfer from Notre Dame to the Orange.
With this triumph, Duke moves to 5-1 in its short all-time series with the 'Cuse. Also, it's important to note that the Blue Devils are a quality team with a great offense. They were picked to finish at No. 6 in the ACC, per the conference's preseason media poll, as compared to No. 12 for Syracuse football.
Duke pummeled Syracuse football on Saturday in Central New York.
This result is the worst loss that the Orange has suffered in the era of head coach Fran Brown. At halftime, with his team trailing 24-3, Brown told the ACC Network broadcast crew that he was being out-coached, and he was right.
But 'Cuse players were also completely out-classed against Duke. As this Atlantic Coast Conference clash carried on, the collective body language of Syracuse football players looked more and more dejected; understandably so.
The Blue Devils tallied 235 rushing yards and 268 passing yards. Duke rushed for more yards than the 'Cuse generated through the air (229 passing yards). In his first career start, Collins went 24-of-37 for 229 yards with one interception.
The Orange also had three fumbles, and it lost two of them. Turnovers definitely stung Syracuse football in this setback.
Sophomore running back Yasin Willis had 11 carries for 67 yards. I wished he were used more, especially with Collins struggling a bit. Junior wide receiver Johntay Cook II hauled in eight passes for 84 yards. And redshirt freshman wide receiver Emanuel Ross, who hasn't played much this season, caught five passes for 57 yards.
On defense, the 'Cuse had its issues for sure, and the team will need to clean things up before heading to Dallas in a week to square off with SMU. Still, let's give a shoutout to freshman linebacker Antoine Deslauriers, who tied for the Orange lead with six total tackles and also boasted a sack.
Saturday was frustrating for the coaching staff, the players and the fan base. There's no other way to slice it. However, it's just one game. Syracuse football has to put this loss in the rear-view mirror and get ready for the Mustangs.