Since the 4th quarter of Syracuse’s home opener against UConn, Steve Angeli was playing as one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC. He led the offense to a whopping 66 points against Colgate, and made sure all of the Orange’s targets were fed throughout the game. A 24-point first half against Clemson, one of the best on-paper defenses in the country, had Syracuse fans excited for what’s to come. The offensive line was coming together, running backs Yasin Willis and Will Nixon were beginning to compliment on another, and the wide receivers extended plays with run-after-catch yardage. His season-ending injury in the third quarter at Death Valley didn’t change the result of last Saturday’s contest, but the offense’s questions will remain as fans await a full dosage of Collins this Saturday against Duke.
Why should fans have faith in Collins?
If you remember back to the spring and summer, Collins and Angeli were locked in a quarterback duel. In fact, Head Coach Fran Brown didn’t name Angeli as the starter until two weeks before the season opener against Tennessee. He was brought in during the winter (Original) transfer portal, and looked to be their guy going forward before Angeli became available after the Notre Dame quarterback room shook out in spring ball. Collins is a younger, more dynamic quarterback with a definite higher ceiling. While he is now forced to gain that crucial in-game experience with the first team unit on the fly, his showings during summer camp gave the Orange staff a strong impression to keep that competition close into August.
What does this mean for the offense?
Angeli’s start to last week looked similar to the Kyle McCord playcalling of 2024: pass, pass, and pass again. While they might favor the running game with both Yasin Willis and Will Nixon beginning to heat up, at least initially as Collins gains his footing, there’s a lot of optimism surrounding his throwing ability. His mobility could help to keep opposing defenses on their toes, and provide another threat to beat zone defenses that teams such as Notre Dame and Georgia Tech frequently run. Johntay Cook was one of Collins’ favorite targets from over the summer; his 234 yards on the season could greatly increase with some more deep shots sprinkled into the offensive gameplan.
The Duke game will undoubtedly be an offensive shootout this upcoming Saturday. Quarterback Darian Mensah is third in the country for passing yards (1305), and the Blue Devils recently put up 45 points on a quality NC State team. Collins and the entire offense will have to retain their form from Death Valley to keep their win streak alive.
