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Coming off a difficult 24-21 loss against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, the UConn Huskies football team is back in action this Saturday (noon ET) against the Syracuse Orange in East Hartford.

The Huskies are 2-2 while the Orange are 1-2 and coming off a bye week.

Syracuse has had ample rest for this matchup: They last played against on Sept. 17 in a 27-13 loss against Pitt.

With that time, the Orange have had time to make decisions at the quarterback position, and it looks like they're going to start veteran starter Steve Angeli against the Huskies, though head coach Fran Brown says that backup Amari Odom will play, giving Jason Candle's group more to prepare for.

About Angeli 

Having appeared in parts of five seasons with Notre Dame and Syracuse, Angeli went 3-1 as a starter in 2025 before tearing his Achilles and missing the final eight games. 

He threw 10 touchdowns vs. two interceptions last season, but hasn't been quite the same this year. He's already got five interceptions in three games, with all five coming in the second half. One of those interceptions against Cal was returned for a touchdown.

Syracuse lost all eight games in his absence last season to finish 3-9.

How he fared vs. UConn last year

The Orange beat the Huskies 27-20 at the JMA Wireless Dome last season, with Angeli going 34-of-54 for 416 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He had one rush for one yard and is not seen as a running threat, especially after the Achilles injury.

If UConn can badger him in the pocket, they can force him into more of the mistakes that he's been making.

One note to think about

UConn offensive coordinator Nunzio Campanile was on the Syracuse staff last year, so the Huskies will certainly have internal knowledge of Angeli's game and they'll have the ability to prepare against him as a result of it. How that manifests itself will have to wait until Saturday, but it does give the Huskies somewhat of an advantage.

And what about Amari Odom?

A transfer from Kennesaw State, Odom led his group to a 10-win season last year and a Conference USA championship. More of a running threat than Angeli, he can also pass. He went 7-of-7 in relief of Angeli in the Pitt game, though that occurred in mostly fourth quarter garbage time.

He's certainly a weapon for the Orange that could be impactful, but it will be curious to see how much Brown uses him.

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