Syracuse Smackdown Starts 2026 Campaign

Fifth-year quarterback Steve Angeli's first play since going out in the fourth game of the 2025 season due to a torn Achilles was a hand-off to sophomore running back Tylik Hill for a four-yard gain as the Orange hosted the New Hampshire Wildcats of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Football Conference who were coming off of a 28-14 loss on the road in conference to the UAlbany Great Danes (0-1, 0-1 CAA).

His first completion since the road match-up against the Clemson Tigers last season was a five-yard pass to Hill on Angeli's first attempt of the game versus New Hampshire on Syracuse's opening drive.

After the Orange and Wildcats traded punts on their first drives of this game, the Orange would score on a pass from Angeli to sixth-year wide receiver Umari Hatcher for a 19-yard connection that gave Syracuse a 7-0 lead at the 4:27 mark of the first quarter. Angeli would go 5-for-7 on this drive, including completing his first four passes.

Following a punt by the Wildcats on their second drive of the day, the Orange would keep their drive alive when true freshman running back Shavane Anderson, Jr., out of York, Pennsylvania, took his first college carry 37 yards from the New Hampshire 42 to their five-yard line.

Anderson would carry the ball one yard on the next play and then get the final two needed on the ground for his first collegiate touchdown, rolling the Orange ahead 14-0 at the 1:35 mark of the first quarter, a lead they would carry through the end of the first 15 minutes of play.

New Hampshire would cheap shot Angeli on Syracuse's fourth drive of the game, and first of the second quarter, but there would be no penalty due to Orange teammates coming to Angeli's defense which brought about offsetting penalties.

Angeli responded by completing an eight-yard pass to senior tight end David Clement two plays later.

Hill would get Syracuse into the end zone for their third-straight drive, this also being a two-yard run, giving the Orange a 21-0 lead at the 9:31 mark of the second quarter.

A strip-sack by Syracuse newcomer Keyshawn Johnson, a senior defensive end who transferred in from UT Martin, helped bring about a fourth punt by New Hampshire on their fourth drive of the day.

The Orange would score on their next drive of the game, their fifth overall and fourth scoring drive in a row, when Anderson got into the end zone once again, this time from 16 yards out. Junior kicker Tripp Woody would miss the extra point, bringing the score to 27-0 Syracuse with 6:58 remaining in the second half.

Keyshawn Johnson would obtain his first sack as a member of the Orange on the Wildcats' fifth drive, getting to quarterback Brooks Bentley for a six-yard loss.

On the next play, senior defensive tackle Rashard Perry would tip the ball and grab his first collegiate interception, getting Syracuse to the New Hampshire 21-yard line.

The sixth drive of the game for the Orange would end up back in the end zone on a 27-yard pass-play from Angeli to Clement, the first collegiate touchdown for Clement, a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, NY. This score made it 34-0 Syracuse at the 4:38 mark of the second quarter; with this touchdown, the Orange had scored on five-consecutive drives.

With 1:42 remaining in the opening half Anderson would rush in his third career touchdown in his first career college game, giving the Orange a 41-0 lead; this two-yard carry also put Anderson at exactly 100 rushing yards on just eight carries, for an average of 12.5 yards per carry.

Senior defensive end David Omopariola would attain his first solo sack of his college career when he got to Bentley for a seven-yard loss with less than a minute left in the first half. Omopariola recorded half a sack in a 38-31 overtime victory for Syracuse at home against the Virginia Tech Hokies in his first season, back on November 2, 2024.

New Hampshire sophomore kicker Lucas Glassburn's 45-yard field-goal attempt would not land in between the uprights, keeping the shutout going for Syracuse at 41-0 at the break.

After two quarters, Angeli was 15-for-20 (75%) for 176 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Hatcher led all receivers for the Orange with 81 yards on five catches, with one touchdown, followed by Clement who had 35 yards on two catches, one being the other touchdown thrown by Angeli in the first half.

As aforementioned, Anderson had 100 yards on eight carries with three rushing touchdowns, followed by Hill who had 68 yards on 10 carries (6.8 yards per carry) with one rushing touchdown.

Keyshawn Johnson had two sacks in the first half for Syracuse and Omopariola had one.

Perry had the only interception of the first half.

Junior defensive back Davien Kerr had one pass breakup in the opening 30 minutes of play.

Bentley went 11-for-18 (61.1%) for the Wildcats in the first half, with 75 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.

Graduate running Myles Thomason led New Hampshire in rushing and receiving yards in the first half, with 13 yards on eight carries (1.6 yards per carry) and 30 yards on six catches.

Wildcats' sophomore linebacker led all defensive players on both teams with seven total tackles before halftime.

Senior outside linebacker Micah Wing had the lone sack for New Hampshire in the first half.

The Wildcats would open the second half with a safety that came after Davien Kerr blocked a punt attempt by junior Matt Guidebeck. This special teams' play gave the Orange a 43-0 lead at the 13:30 mark.

Syracuse would punt away their first attempt of the second half, ending their streak of six-straight scores and sending away their first punt since their opening drive of the game.

Orange Head Coach Fran Brown would go for it, ahead 41-0, on 4th-&-2 from the Wildcats' two-yard line, This play would land incomplete on a pass attempt from Angeli to junior tight end Elijah Washington-Baker at the 2:59 mark of the third quarter.

Syracuse senior cormerback Chris Peal would be called for targeting late in the third quarter. The play was reviewed and upheld, so Peal had to leave the game versus New Hampshire and will be out for the first half of the next game (Sat, Sept 12, versus the California Golden Bears, Syracuse's first conference game of the season inside the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)).

Outside of the safety on New Hampshire, there were no scores in the third quarter by either team.

The first score by the Wildcats would come on Glassburn's second field-goal attempt, also from 45 yards out like his first, but this one would sail through the uprights to make it 43-3 at the 14:50 mark of the fourth quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter following a four-yard loss on the ground by Orange newcomer running back Matthew Outten, a sophomore who transferred in from Penn State, Angeli completed three-consecutive passes, all to Hatcher, the first for 35 yards, followed by a 13-yard completion and an 18-yard completion in the end zone to give Syracuse a 50-3 lead with 13:16 remaining.

On the next drive for the Wildcats, Orange senior linebacker Zyian Moultrie-Goddard would gather a loose ball after a miscommunication between sophomore backup quarterback Tommy McLeish and junior reserve running back Denzell Gibson. Moultrie-Goddard would then head 26 yards to the New Hampshire end zone for his first collegiate touchdown, a defensive score with 12 minutes remaining that gave Syracuse a 57-3 lead.

With exactly 11 minutes remaining, Odom would come in for Angeli after Gibson fumbled on the second-consecutive drive, forced by true freshman defensive lineman Kordae Houston and recovered by true freshman linebacker Gemaus Sackie at the Wildcats' 15-yard line.

Syracuse would score off of this forced turnover when Odom found sophomore tight end Daunte Bacheyie for a seven-yard touchdown at the 8:52 mark that rose the Orange up to a 63-3 advantage. This was the first touchdown for Odom in orange and blue and Bacheyis's first-ever collegiate touchdown for the alum from down the road at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, New York.

With approximately two minutes remaining, Syracuse senior newcomer quarterback Malachi Nelson would come in; Nelson transferred to the Orange after spending last season with the UTEP Miners.

Nelson's lone drive would end in a score when Woody booted it home from 34 yards away, making it 66-3 Syracuse with 48 seconds remaining.

That score would hold for the Orange who improved to 1-0 while the Wildcats fell to 0-2.

Angeli was 20-for-29 (69%) for 263 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Backup quarterback Odom went 1-for-2 (50%) for seven yards, the lone completion being the aforementioned seven-yard pass to Bacheyie.

Hatcher led all players on either team with 147 receiving yards, this coming from eight catches with two being for touchdowns.

Anderson finished with 102 yards on the ground, followed by Hill with 90 for Syracuse.

In his Orange debut, fifth-year defensive end Tunmise Adeleye led Syracuse with six tackles.

Bentley finished 11-for-18 (61.1%) with no touchdowns and one interception for New Hampshire.

Backup quarterback McLeish went 4-for-8 (50%) for 24 yards.

Thomason led New Hampshire with 53 receiving yards on seven catches out of the backfield.

Senior running back Joquez Smith led all Wildcats with 60 yards on eight carries (7.5 yards per carry).

Barry, who led New Hampshire at the half, also led the team at the end of the game, with 11 total tackles.