Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse football team takes on the North Carolina Tar Heels at 7:30 p.m., Friday in the JMA Wireless Dome.
The game will air on ESPN.
See in-game team and individual stats here.
Note: Refresh this page throughout Syracuse’s game vs. North Carolina to see the latest updates
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syracuse Orange Football 2025: Syracuse vs University of North Carolina
Fourth quarterFINAL: UNC 27, Syracuse 10
Syracuse suffered it’s second-most deflating loss of the season Friday night.
The worst loss, as Friday’s ugly offensive showing confirmed, was losing starting quarterback Steve Angeli to a season-ending Achilles injury back in September.
The Orange went away from Rickie Collins and it backfired horrendously.
Freshman walk-on Joe Filardi completed just four of his 18 passes, and Luke Carney didn’t attempt a single throw for a second-straight spot appearance. The disappearance of offense left Syracuse’s defense hanging, so much so that it allowed the Tar Heels to break the 20-point threshold for the first time this season.
Syracuse’s quarterback situation is a mess, and it led to more fans prematurely leaving the JMA Dome than in any other game this season.
The Orange has hit rock bottom at the worst time.
Calvin Russell III was in the building Friday, sitting in the front row with his mother. Not only did Syracuse look awful against the Tar Heels, but the Orange will travel to Russell’s home school of Miami next week as large underdogs. While Russell has given no indications of flipping, his mother is a Hurricanes basketball great and he has quite a few friends on the Miami roster.
And four-star defensive end Kamron Wilson hasn’t been shy about posting his visits and the schools that are attempting to flip him.
Syracuse has a lot of soul searching to do and many questions it has to answer. Unfortunately for this year’s team, those questions most likely can’t be answered until winter time.
But there is one question that requires an immediate answer: Who will start at quarterback next week?
Score update: UNC 27, Syracuse 10 with 10:35 remaining
Another exodus of fans has begun. UNC took advantage of the turnover and turned it into a 21-yard touchdown for wide receiver Jordan Shipp.
Syracuse has no momentum on either side of the ball. The Orange appears headed for its sixth consecutive loss, something it hasn’t done since 2018.
Syracuse finished that season with eight consecutive losses. With back-to-back top-25 teams awaiting to host Syracuse, another eight-game skid seems possible. But it would place immense pressure on the Orange not to lose to Boston College in the season finale.
12:53 remaining, UNC ball at Syracuse 34
Things have gone from bad to ugly. Filardi was strip sacked and UNC’s Smith Vilbert saved the ball from going out of bounds to allow the Tar Heels to take over in Orange territory.
Some fans have headed for the exits.
Third quarterEND FIRST QUARTER: UNC 20, Syracuse 10
Syracuse has begun the quarterback shuffle. After replacing Filardi with Carney, Filardi is back in the game as hope continues to wane on Syracuse’s season.
Syracuse’s offense has been held to 125 yards compared to UNC’s 345 and looks just as lifeless as it did with Collins under center. But this may be worse. Syracuse went away from Collins, and nothing changed, signaling a bigger issue.
Syracuse has an uphill climb to win this one, but will at least have the opportunity to evaluate its quarterbacks room.
Score update: UNC 20, Syracuse 10 with :08 remaining
The Tar Heels just ate away at the third quarter, taking seven minutes and 18 seconds to go up by two scores.
UNC had multiple explosive plays, but Syracuse still had chances to get off the field. The Orange forced a 3rd-and-15 and a fourth down but still allowed a touchdown.
The halftime stats suggested North Carolina had some touchdowns to score. Now, the Tar Heels have scored 20 points in a game for the first time this season.
12:18 remaining, Syracuse ball at own 41
Fran Brown said Carney would play Friday, and that time has come. Trailing by a field goal with Filardi struggling, Carney has taken over at quarterback.
Score update: UNC 13, Syracuse 10 with 13:26 remaining
One play was all it took.
June caught a screen and broke multiple tackles to go 72 yards for a touchdown on North Carolina’s first play of the second half.
The JMA Dome went nearly silent as the Tar Heels took their first lead of the night. With a true freshman that is 2-of-13 passing tonight, Syracuse is being forced to play from behind.
Second quarterHALFTIME: Syracuse 10, UNC 6
It hasn’t been a smooth half for Syracuse. Its offense has been outscored, 6-3, and Joe Filardi has one completion on 11 attempts. But Syracuse’s defense has helped the true freshman.
Anwar Sparrow’s 51-yard scoop-and-score has the Orange leading at halftime, which will at least keep Syracuse from playing catch-up as it has for the past month.
Protecting the lead doesn’t seem impossible, either. Syracuse’s running backs are averaging 4.3 yards per carry, which should Syracuse eat some clock.
However, the box score suggests Syracuse’s defense isn’t a guarantee to hold up. Gio Lopez has completed 64% of his passes, and the Tar Heels are averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
Essentially, Syracuse is still looking for complementary football. Filardi must turn things around or else Syracuse will have to look to either Luke Carney or Rickie Collins to get it across the finish line.
Kyle McCord may be in the building, but he can’t save the Orange.
Score update: Syracuse 10, UNC 6 with :36 remaining
Syracuse got what it needed. The Orange held UNC to a 43-yard field goal and, since the Tar Heels are out of timeouts, can take a knee and head into the locker room with a lead.
Syracuse hasn’t led at halftime since Sept. 20 at Clemson, which happens to be the last time Syracuse won a game.
2:00 remaining, UNC ball at Syracuse 31
Syracuse has its first completed pass of the game, a 25-yard flea flicker to freshman wide receiver Darius Johnson. However, North Carolina has found some momentum after Demon June took a read option for 44 yards.
Holding the Tar Heels to a field goal and taking a lead into halftime would be a huge win for the Orange.
8:00 remaining, UNC ball at own 21
Through 22 minutes, Filardi has yet to complete a pass. All eight of his attempts have been incomplete as Syracuse receives further confirmation of how poor its quarterbacks room is.
UNC hasn’t been able to get going either, which gives Syracuse a chance. But the quality of the two offenses can’t be helping ESPN poach viewers away from the World Series.
Score update: Syracuse 10, UNC 3 with 12:17 remaining
Syracuse cannot get out of its own way in goal-to-go situations. The Orange marched all the way down to UNC’s nine-yard line before a false start pushed them back, again.
The Orange had to throw on 3rd-and-goal from the 13 and had two receivers open. However, Filardi is clearly on a one-read limitation right now and forced a fade to Gill.
Syracuse settled for the 31-yard field goal. Filardi is now at 0-for-6 passing.
First quarterEND FIRST QUARTER: Syracuse 7, UNC 3
Filardi isn’t afraid to use his legs and has resorted to them rather than forcing potential turnovers. He has yet to complete a pass though, and has just four attempts in three possessions.
Syracuse is protecting its young quarterback by utilizing the running game. Filardi has taken a read option for 14 yards, and running backs Yasin Willis and Will Nixon have combined for 35 yards on six carries.
Syracuse is threatening to score again while its defense disrupts the Tar Heels. Although it would want a completion in the first quarter, Syracuse has seemingly gotten enough from its offense so far.
Score update: Syracuse 7, UNC 3 with 4:38 remaining
Defense gets on the board first for Syracuse as Anwar Sparrow’s scoop-and-score gave the Orange its first points of the night.
Devin Grant forced Shamar Easter to fumble at Syracuse’s 49-yard line, and Sparrow returned the recovery 51 yards for the touchdown.
6:53 remaining, UNC ball at own 25
Syracuse isn’t hamstringing Filardi, completely. The Orange have dropped back to pass three times in two drives. One resulted in a one-yard scramble, the other two have been incompletions.
Johntay Cook II couldn’t hold on to a jump ball, and Filardi threw a pass behind Darrell Gill Jr. on a short crossing route.
Filardi’s first two drives as a starter have resulted in three-and-outs.
Score update: UNC 3, Syracuse 0 with 7:59 remaining
Syracuse allowed a score mainly because of one play. The Orange missed a sack on Gio Lopez and Demetres Samuel Jr. was late attempting to break up the pass. It resulted in a 50-yard completion that got the Tar Heels to Syracuse’s three-yard line.
The Orange got UNC down to 4th-and-1, and a false start forced the Tar Heels to abandon their conversion and settle for a 24-yard field goal.
Pregame
Eight games into the season, Syracuse has had to reopen its quarterback competition. Coach Fran Brown has said he doesn’t go back and forth on quarterbacks. He said he chooses one and sticks to it.
But after losing his first four starts since starting quarterback Steve Angeli went down with a season-ending injury, backup Rickie Collins has forced Brown’s hand.
True freshman Joseph Filardi, who also plays lacrosse at Syracuse, will start Friday. Fellow true freshman Luke Carney is also expected to play. With multiple quarterbacks poised to take the field Friday night against Bill Belichick and North Carolina, it shows how unsettled Syracuse’s depth chart is.
They warmed up with Austin Collins and Joe Cruz — indicating Cruz will be Collins’s backup in Joshua Miller’s absence.
With Angeli expected to return in 2026 and two incoming quarterback recruits intending to sign with Syracuse, the current quarterbacks have uncertain futures.
Beyond the quarterbacks, Syracuse could use a good showing against the Tar Heels to finally snap a long losing streak. Friday is the Orange’s last game before going on the road for back-to-back games against ranked opponents.
The Orange is also expected to host another large group of recruits, a group that includes wide receiver Calvin Russell III. Syracuse will travel to his hometown of Miami next week, most likely giving him two weeks of exposure to the Orange program.
In its first game as the favored team since Sept. 12, on national television, with a future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach coming to the dome, Friday presents a final chance to gain confidence in what has become a lost season.
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