Nothing like a FCS refresher before betting it all in Vegas
Teams: Syracuse Orange (2-1, 1-1) vs. Holy Cross Crusaders (1-3, 0-0)
Day & Time: Saturday, September 28, 12:00 pm
Location: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY
Line: Syracuse are -26.5 point favorites according to Fanduel.
TV/Streaming: ACC Network X, WatchESPN
Radio: Cuse.com, TK 99/105, WAER 88.3, Sirius/XM 139 or 194
Rivalry: 24-5, Syracuse
Current Streak: 13, Syracuse
First Meeting: Syracuse and Holy Cross first clashed close to the turn of the 20th century with a game in 1905. Syracuse won with a beautiful 16-4 scorigami score.
Last Meeting: Led by four touchdowns from Tommy DeVito, Syracuse dominated Holy Cross from the jump in 2019. The Orange comfortably walked away with a 41-3 win.
Alan Arsenault/Special to the Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Head Coaches: Syracuse – Fran Brown (first year, 2-1) | Holy Cross: Dan Curran (first year, 1-3)
Coach Bio: Curran was a highly regarded high school football player, earning Boston Globe Player of the Year honors and All American honors. He played his college football at the University of New Hampshire. After a few stints in the Arena Football League, Curran played in the NFL for three seasons – one for the New Orleans Saints and two for the Seattle Seahawks.
He immediately started his coaching career as the offensive coordinator for Merrimack, at the time in Division II. He earned a promotion to the head coach position at Merrimack in 2013, and led the program as it transitioned to Division I in 2019. In his last two seasons at Merrimack, Curran led the program to top-two finishes in the Northeast Conference in just the fourth and fifth years at the Division I level. After the departure of Bob Chesney, Holy Cross hired Curran for the 2024 season.
Last Year: Holy Cross made noise early last year after nearly upsetting Boston College but falling just short. The Crusaders also played Army very tight but lost by three. Holy Cross finished with a 7-4 overall record and a 5-1 Patriot League record.
Last Game: Holy Cross battled Yale and tied the game after trailing five times, culminating in scoring with 3:35 left with the 4th quarter. However, Yale scored with 12 seconds left to hand the Crusaders a 38-31 loss.
Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“Fear Me, I’ve Killed Hundreds of Timelords”: Scoring usually comes on the ground for Holy Cross, and the man leading that charge is Jordan Fuller. He averages 4.2 yards per carry and has scored four rushing touchdowns.
If Syracuse Wins: Attendance at future JMA Wireless Dome football games will require ear protection.
If Syracuse Loses: Alright, put everything on red next week.
Fun Fact: Syracuse is 21-0 against FCS opponents.