Syracuse football players and coaches believed they could knock off No. 24 Tennessee on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta, and for bits and pieces of this non-conference contest, the Orange showed glimpses of encouraging signs as the 2025 season got underway.
However, the Volunteers' offense simply was too good, too fast, too efficient and too balanced for a 'Cuse defense that has a lot of work to do. In the fourth quarter, down 38-26, Syracuse football had an opportunity to get within one score if it could punch the ball into the end zone.
However, the Volunteers (1-0) ended up halting any Orange momentum, and then Tennessee scored a touchdown of its own to put things away. The Vols won with relative ease, 45-26, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while covering the spread and moving to 4-0 in their all-time series with the 'Cuse.
This is only one game, against a Southeastern Conference powerhouse that made the 12-team College Football Playoff a season ago. The Orange (0-1) will now prepare to host UConn next Saturday afternoon.
Syracuse football didn't have an answer for Tennessee's offense.
The Volunteers racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense with complete balance: 247 passing yards and 247 yards on the ground. Tennessee relied on a platoon approach, with four running backs having at least six carries each. The Vols' offensive line, by and large, was able to handle the Orange's defensive front, making Tennessee quite effective with its rushing attack.
Both teams had new starting quarterbacks. Joey Aguilar, the UCLA transfer, went 16-of-28 for 247 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for the Volunteers. Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli, making his debut for the 'Cuse, was 23-of-40 for 274 yards with one touchdown, one pick and one fumble.
Syracuse football had to win the turnover department to prevail in Saturday's game, but Tennessee had a 2-1 edge there and scored 14 points off that pair of 'Cuse miscues. The Volunteers' edge rushers also gave the Orange fits, with Tennessee sacking Angeli five times.
Interestingly enough, the 'Cuse had the ball on offense for nine more minutes than the Vols, and the Orange ran 16 more total plays. Angeli had solid balance in terms of the wide receivers he targeted, with Texas transfer Johntay Cook II hauling in six catches for 58 yards and one touchdown.
On the ground, sophomore running back Yasin Willis carried the ball 23 times for 91 yards and three rushing scores.
Switching over to the defense, safety Duce Chestnut tallied seven total tackles, five solo tackles and a pass breakup. David Reese, a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end, generated seven solo tackles and one tackle for a loss.
All of us in Orange Nation wanted our boys to spring an upset in week one. It didn't happen. Tennessee, at this juncture, is just a better, more complete team. But Syracuse football's 2025 season isn't over. Far from it.
Head coach Fran Brown and his staff can't be pleased with Saturday's outcome, although as the ABC broadcast crew noted toward the end of this encounter, the Orange can have a successful 2025 campaign even with this initial setback.