Key takeaways from Syracuse's loss to UNC include baffling QB decisions, bad tackling

Syracuse football finally looked to break a four-game losing streak against struggling North Carolina. That's what Vegas thought as Bill Belichick's first year has more or less been a disaster. However, his Tar Heels have been playing better football, and they broke through for a dominant 27-10 win. Here are my takeaways from the game.

My key takeaways from Syracuse football's week-10 loss against North Carolina.

Syracuse can't get the quarterback position right

After much outcry over Rickie Collins' play at quarterback, Fran Brown made a decision and passed the reins to walk-on true freshman Joseph Filardi. Filardi, a scholarship member of Syracuse's lacrosse team, had played in just one snap before and seemed to jump Luke Carney, who replaced Collins for a few snaps in the second half against Pittsburgh. Syracuse has been flat-out horrible at the quarterback position since Steve Angeli's injury, and while I thought Collins was coming off his best game yet against Georgia Tech, it still wasn't very good.

If Syracuse were to make a change at quarterback, now is the time to give it a try. However, the plug took too long to be pulled, and worse, the substitutions didn't make much sense. Filardi was benched in the second half for Carney for two drives, before Syracuse brought Filardi back to finish the game. The coaching staff clearly doesn't trust Carney, and Filardi has been incredibly ineffective, so why not bring Collins into the game? He's had his own struggles, but he would actually make North Carolina respect the pass.

Syracuse has to tackle better

Tackling has been a concern all year for Syracuse's defense. Against the Tar Heels, the problem was at its worst. Syracuse couldn't bring down true freshman Demon June all day, who had 190 total yards and two touchdowns on just 15 touches. His 72-yard receiving touchdown in the third quarter was largely a product of missed tackles. Additionally, June grinded out yards and kept a tired defense on the field.

I don't think Syracuse will be able to turn around the tackling in the remaining three games. It was a problem last year, too, and something Elijah Robinson has to address. The Orange defense doesn't have many consistent tacklers, and teams have been taking advantage of that.

Syracuse feels like a completely different program from last year

In the midst of five blowout losses, it's hard to believe Syracuse won 10 games a year ago. The passing offense went from the best in the country to one of the worst. The only similarities are in what Syracuse struggled with - poor offensive line play and tackling, and the rest of the team can't overcome that. The Orange have some talent still, most notably safety Devin Grant, cornerback Demetres Samuel Jr., and the wide receiver room, but does Syracuse have a single position group where they're better than last year? Maybe special teams, but that's it.

Departures like Marlowe Wax, Fadil Diggs, and Justin Barron have become so much more impactful than we thought because guys haven't been stepping up to replace them. There is still a lot to be excited about, most notably the 2026 recruiting class and the young talent on this team, but 2025 has turned into a lost season.