SYRACUSE, NY — Week 1 of the college football season was a breath of fresh air for Syracuse and its fans. After a disappointing 2025, 2026 is one of proving a point. And, they did just that against New Hampshire defeating the Wildcats by the score of 66-3. Steve Angeli and the Syracuse offense got rolling after a slow first drive, and the defense dominated the New Hampshire offense. While this game was expected to be a blowout, there’s still plenty to take away from the action. We’re hitting the recap for this 2026 matchup between Syracuse vs New Hampshire. Let’s dive in.
Syracuse vs New Hampshire 2026 Recap
To be honest, the Wildcats tried to keep this a close game. The defense held out for as long as they could, while the offense tried to take shots downfield. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. But, it provided some intriguing takeaways for the contest itself.
Knocking off the Rust
Like many teams in Week 1, Syracuse had its own share of mistakes. And like most teams, knocking off that rust is why many power conference programs schedule FCS or weaker Group of 6 teams to face as their first taste of regular season competition.
For Syracuse, the mistakes came in penalties. On offense, a holding call in the second half negated a massive 30+ yard touchdown run by Tylik Hill. And in the first half, every punt return was negated because of a penalty. No, that’s not an exaggeration.
Some of excellent returns by Demetres Samuel were called back. And while it didn’t matter in this contest, that field position change could play a massive role in contests against P4 opponents. They won’t have the same luxury of making these mistakes against Cal in Week 2.
On top of the penalty concerns, there were some issues with the offense. While Steve Angeli knew and understood the assignment from his end, there were instances of players not knowing the play or where they were supposed to be in the formation. The quarterback did a good job navigating that confusion, and mitigated any major problems that could have happened.
One defense, one big issue also plagued the unit. Late in the third quarter, cornerback Chris Peal was disqualified from the contest after a targeting penalty. Yet outside of that, the defense was fairly stout, stopping New Hampshire on multiple occasions with big hits, pass deflections, and TFL’s.
Syracuse Missed Angeli
After a season of struggling quarterbacks, Steve Angeli was missed by Cuse and their fans, badly. Yet, he wasn’t just missed for his play. It’s his leadership that potentially plays even a bigger role for the program.
There was a moment in the first possession of the game where the headset didn’t work. Instead of panic, Angeli drove the team down the field without worry. While the drive eventually stalled due to penalties, it was important nonetheless. It proved Angeli is more than just a quarterback for the team. He is its leader, and that’s something that was sorely missed last year once he went down.
Yet, that isn’t to say that his performance can be ignored.
Angeli performed well. He had good ball placement on his throws. On top of that, he was making excellent reads with the coverages he was presented in the passing attack. He also made a terrific block on Shavane Anderson Jr.’s 37-yard touchdown (clip below). People may have forgotten about Angeli’s performances last season before he went down. He’s going to remind them of his name very soon.
In the end, Angeli finished with 263 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-29 passing. It was an efficient showing from the quarterback in his first performance since tearing his Achilles.
Freshman Phenom
Syracuse is a young football team. Yet, one player stood out that may have flown under the radar from fans and media alike.
Shavane Anderson Jr. had three rushing touchdowns in the first half of the contest against New Hampshire in Week 1. However, I’ve kept note of the freshman since the spring, where he showed that he’s truly an undervalued player on an offense looking for difference-makers.
Syracuse Practice Notes:
– Amari Odom looks great throwing the ball. Composed, accurate, good mechanics.
– Defensive backs had the upper hand in 1-on-1s
– Danny Lauter had a great pass in RZ, led receiver for a TD
– Freshman RB Shavane Anderson looked good in drills & routes— Thomas Christopher (@TommyCFB) April 7, 2026
Two of Anderson’s touchdowns were run of the mill redzone attempts. However, his other score was much more impressive. Bouncing off tacklers, Anderson took it from 37 yards out to punch in the score – and the emphasis – for Syracuse in this contest. Anderson showcased tremendous vision and wiggle in Week 1. He finished the contest 102 yards on just 10 total attempts. It was an impressive display from the freshman.
Shavane Anderson Jr. with a helluva run to get his second score of the day. This one is getting out of hand now. 28-0, Syracuse over New Hampshire. pic.twitter.com/aJAL6TFRax
— Thomas Christopher (@TommyCFB) September 5, 2026
While unlikely to be a major contributor for the 2026 season, Anderson’s performance put the rest of the running back room on notice. And, if injuries were to continue plaguing the room, the Orange know what they have in the freshman going forward.
Smothering Defense
Last year, Syracuse’s defense was up and down. They weren’t great at getting to the quarterback, and had a difficult time creating turnovers. Yet, against New Hampshire in Week 1, Syracuse saw their offseason additions (and hard work) pay off.
Keyshawn Johnson made a great statement for Syracuse in game one, notching two sacks for the Orange in critical moments. Meanwhile, Rashard Perry had a fantastic interception on a screen attempt from New Hampshire. Later in the fourth quarter, the defense had a scoop and score from Zylan Moultrie-Goddard after a botched handoff exchange by the Wildcats.
With the starters in place, New Hampshire had extreme difficulty doing anything. In fact, in their first four drives, the Wildcats accumulated just 19 total yards. In the end, New Hampshire only scored three total points in the contest. That’s the type of dominance that the Syracuse defense is coming with in 2026. They did it against a good FCS opponent. Now they need to do it next week against an explosive California offense.
Wildcats Struggles Continue
After getting decimated on the ground by UAlbany in Week 0, the struggles against the run continued for New Hampshire in Week 1.
Despite not starting their top two running back due to injury, Syracuse ran all over the Wildcats at JMA Wireless. At halftime, Syracuse had 17 rushing attempts for 120 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. The Orange had four touchdowns on the ground, and that was just the start.
On offense, New Hampshire couldn’t get anything going. The playcalling and concepts of the Wildcats wasn’t the problem, though. Instead, it was the offensive line. The unit couldn’t get any push against Cuse’s front seven. Nor could they protect their quarterback in a reasonable manner. While it’s not expected for an FCS school to hold up against a Power 4 program, these struggles occurred against UAlbany in Week 0, another FCS school.
New Hampshire is trending in the wrong direction. A program expected to be a contender in the FCS has shown to be anything but, and that could spell problems for their 2026.
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