Kingston Lopa intercepted Steve Angeli at California’s 44 with 54 seconds left, ending Syracuse’s last possession in Saturday’s 21-18 home loss. Lopa had already returned a fourth-quarter interception 24 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Tripp Woody missed from 31 and 46 yards on Syracuse’s other two fourth-quarter possessions. Four chances, no Syracuse points.
Syracuse visits Pittsburgh on Thursday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Fan Watch gives the Orange a 6.7% chance to win, so a late possession with a chance to steal this one would be worth plenty. No outside result warrants a rooting detour this week; the interactive guide and methodology have the forecast details.
Angeli’s problem against Cal went beyond the final minutes. Lopa’s first interception produced a 53-yard return and set up a 29-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter. Angeli finished with 306 passing yards on 24 completions in 49 attempts, but his three second-half interceptions made that yardage expensive. His importance remains easy to understand. In four games last season, he threw 10 touchdowns against two interceptions; Syracuse’s other quarterbacks combined for seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The Orange need his production with fewer possessions handed back.
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has identified the downfield threat from Umari Hatcher and Justus Ross-Simmons, emphasizing contested catches and the responsibility on his corners. Angeli needs to give those receivers chances against a lone corner without forcing the throw when help arrives. Asking the receivers to win a contested catch is different from asking them to rescue a pass into extra coverage.
Daunte Bacheyie and David Clement also offer scoring options. Syracuse’s tight ends have combined for three receiving touchdowns through two games. Look for Angeli to keep them involved rather than make every important passing down a deep shot outside.
The running game may offer limited relief. Tylik Hill’s apparent leg injury ended his Cal game after the opening drive; Ju’Juan Johnson and Shavane Anderson Jr. combined for 64 yards on 24 carries. Meanwhile, Pitt has allowed just 47 rushing yards through two games, at 1.1 yards per carry. If Johnson and Anderson must handle the work again, Syracuse needs enough early-down gains to keep Angeli from repeatedly facing obvious passing situations.
Vince Kehres’ defense gives that approach a chance to matter. His first game as coordinator brought five sacks, three takeaways and just 159 yards allowed against New Hampshire. Against ACC opposition, Syracuse then held Cal to 249 yards and forced seven punts. Chris D’Appolonia supplied the only sack, and Syracuse recorded no takeaways. Kehres’ unit kept getting off the field even without the opener’s turnover haul. Another night of repeated stops could let the offense stay patient instead of chasing points with increasingly risky throws. After Syracuse fell from 10 wins to three under Brown, a win built on those stops would give fans more reason to believe in a rebound.
There is a particularly sour precedent for giving Pitt those chances. In Syracuse’s 2024 Thursday-night visit, Pitt returned three first-half interceptions for touchdowns in a 41-13 win. On this trip, the satisfying late sequence would be Angeli finding a receiver, Syracuse keeping possession and the drive ending with points, without giving a Pitt defender an open field to run through.