The 3-1 Syracuse Orange have to be feeling all kinds of emotions right now. That’s the nature of college football, it can be an up and down business.
Syracuse is coming off an incredible high and now have to feel all kinds of lows, though. The high was a win over the Clemson Tigers. It was a banner win for head coach Fran Brown. The last time the Orange beat the Tigers was in 2017, so this was a big deal.
Wrapped up in the high of that moment was the tough loss of quarterback Steve Angeli. A transfer from Notre Dame, Angeli beat out former LSU quarterback Rickie Collins in a competition this fall, and he had been playing well.
Angeli went down with a non-contact lower left leg injury while rolling out in the third quarter, though. He was in a boot after the game and then on Monday it was revealed that his season would be over due to an Achilles tear.
It was a big blow for Syracuse, but speaking about the injury on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Wednesday, Brown made it clear that the Orange have all the faith in Collins.
Syracuse is ready to roll with Rickie Collins
“That’s why we paid for two,” Brown said (h/t On3). “Rickie had a heated battle (with Angeli). Rickie [will] be ready to go.”
The way Brown came out and said it was a bit crass, especially if you’re Angeli, but college football is openly a big business in 2025.
Backup plans are all part of business, and now Syracuse is going to have to move on to Plan B and hope it works out.
For what it’s worth, Collins took over with Syracuse beating Clemson, 27-14, and helped the Orange close the door. A backup quarterback coming in can sometimes lead to disaster, but Collins finished the game completing 3-of-8 passes for 34 yards and a touchdown.
“I believe in Rickie. I think he’s a great kid,” Brown said. “The best thing about this kid though … he stayed ready. He worked. There’s so many kids that, when they don’t win that spot, they quit. They mope, they sit back and they complain. And we got some on our team that was doing that, but he wasn’t one of those guys.”
Angeli, a redshirt junior, finished the season with 1,316 yards and 10 touchdowns compared to two interceptions.