Syracuse Football: Opponent Q and A with The UCONN Blog

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With the long bye officially in the books, Syracuse Football hits the road to take on UConn this weekend with that said it’s time for everyone’s favorite Opponent Q and A’s. Aman Kidwai from the UConn Blog joined us to talk about the Huskies.

TNIAAM: What has first year Head Coach Jason Candle done that is different from the UConn we’ve seen in the past?

AK: The biggest things he’s done differently from his predecessor are: emphasize high school recruiting and attempting balance on both sides of the ball.

Jim Mora had de-emphasized HS recruiting and he wanted to have a run-heavy, pro-style, defensively strong approach, but eventually moved off that model by his final season. Despite having an offensive background, Candle has a balanced approach that’s reflected in the backfield committee, investment in the defense, and the amount of times he says “complementary football.”

TNIAAM: What has impressed you the most about our old friend Nunzio Campanile?

AK: What really stood out to me was the way he stayed at Rutgers and Syracuse through coaching transitions and was trusted to be an interim head coach as well. Given Candle’s Ohio roots, Campanile brings heavy regional recruiting chops to the staff and another offensive mind for Candle to work with, who has had a lot of success with QBs. In his interviews, he seems like a frank, earnest guy, and I’m sure he’s played a large role in UConn’s recruiting as it navigated the unique circumstances of filling a roster via the portal in the wake of a coaching change. The Huskies brought in 70 new players between transfers and HS recruits this offseason.

TNIAAM: What are Orange fans going to see differently from Last year’s offense with Joe Fagano and this year’s offense with Kaileb Osborne?

AK: For starters, Osborne is more of a true dual threat than Fagnano. Skyler Bell, a Biletnikoff finalist in 2025, is now on the Buffalo Bills and last year’s leading RB, Cam Edwards, is at Michigan State (though he just suffered a season-ending injury). So UConn is looking for someone to stand out at RB, WR, and TE; and it’s all new guys. Some have flashed at times but nobody has consistently shined so far.

The O-line is also less experienced than years past, which had been a strength of the Jim Mora years. This year, penalties and pressure have been issues.

TNIAAM: Over the last few weeks the Huskies defense has allowed a lot of yards through the air. Is it a scheme issue or is the secondary just having a slow start?

AK: The Husky secondary is less experienced than the front seven. Opponent passing yards have been coming in many different ways. Maryland used the short-passing attack and got a lot of YAC, while Miami (Ohio) succeeded with longer attempts through the air. There is an injury that’s impacted the secondary, but that is certainly appearing like UConn’s vulnerability on that side of the ball.

TNIAAM: A player on each side of the ball to keep an eye on?

AK: Offense – Sorry to be basic but it’s Osborne. He’s been the team’s leading rusher in each game, but still a poised pocket passer with a very strong arm. As mentioned, nobody has stood out at RB, TE, or WR, so it’d be tough to call anyone out. As an honorable mention, one of RBs Kenji Christian or Cyncir Bowers is capable of breaking a big play.

Defense – K’Von Sherman – This is an absolute dude, stud at middle linebacker.

TNIAAM: Predictions for the game?

AK: UConn may have a tough time stopping Syracuse, even though the Orange offense has not been amazing thus far. The Orange defense seems to be stout enough to hold up against an offense at UConn that’s had some moments but is still trying to figure things out. I think it’ll be close to start, but have Cuse winning, 31-24, unless the Angeli Interception Machine fires up again.

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A huge thank you to Aman for taking the time to talk to us, And head to the UCONNBlog to see our responses to their Q and A.

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