After a humbling season opener, Syracuse coach Fran Brown said he hopes a more relaxed atmosphere will lead to better results Saturday afternoon when his team hosts UConn in non-conference action.

Coming off a 10-win season in Brown's first year on the sideline, the Orange fell behind 17-0 against then-No. 24 Tennessee last Saturday. Syracuse made a bit of a comeback but never truly threatened the Volunteers in a 45-26 defeat in Atlanta.

Steve Angeli, a transfer from Notre Dame, threw for a career-high 274 yards, while Yasin Willis ran for 91 yards and three scores. The areas where the Orange struggled included rushing defense (6.2 yards per carry) and third-down defense (7 of 12 conversions allowed).

Perhaps the heightened expectations for 2025 got the best of Syracuse, which will look

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