After a devastating loss to the Duke Blue Devils last week, the Syracuse Orange hit the road in Week 6 to take on the SMU Mustangs. Quarterback Rickie Collins will get his second-career start, and Cuse will look to play much more competitive ball in this outing. The question is, whether or not they can hold up against the stampede of the Mustangs. It’s a Syracuse vs. SMU showdown in Week 6, so let’s dive into this 2025 game preview.
Syracuse Orange vs. SMU Mustangs: Matchup History and Excerpts
Despite now being conference opponents and storied programs, this 2025 matchup will be just the second time these teams have ever met on the football field. The first matchup occurred in 1932, where the Mustangs defeated the Orange 16-6.
After their blowout home loss, head coach Fran Brown understands the importance of getting back on the right track.
“We’ve got a big game ahead of us,” began Coach Brown at his weekly press conference. “We travel down to SMU to play [the Mustangs] down in Texas … Rhett Lashlee’s a really good head football coach. I’ve got to spend some time with him at coaching conventions over the last few years .. I think he’s a good man, he does a good job, he always has a really good offense … they are a good football team. They were a playoff team last year.”
While there’s no need yet to panic for Syracuse, everyone knows that this is an important matchup for the Orange. A win has a much different impact on the season than a loss, especially in conference play.
For SMU, head coach Rhett Lashlee’s name has been thrown around circles as the next potential head coach of Arkansas. While Lashlee brushed those comments aside, he understands a win for the Mustangs is what’s important right now. Sitting at 2-2 on the season, a conference win will help SMU grab momentum.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to find a way to get a home win, go 1-0 [in the conference] with a sell-out crowd against a good Syracuse team,” said Coach Lashlee. “Our guys are locked in and ready to go. Like I said, conference season [is kind of the] meat of our schedule, and most important part, so we’re excited to get that started.”
Syracuse vs. SMU 2025 Preview: Keys, Players, and Predictions
Key Players for Syracuse
Normally I try to avoid putting the quarterback position here. However, Syracuse quarterback Rickie Collins needs a bounce-back performance after last week’s loss. Against Duke, the Orange offense had their worst offensive showing by far. And, their worst passing performance of the season. While the entirety of the loss isn’t on Collins, he’s now the face of the team, and the offense. The training wheels will need to come off, and in a hurry, if Syracuse wants to salvage their season.
Helping Collins should be the ground attack. Yasin Willis and Will Nixon need to be more involved. Syracuse needs to take the burden off of their quarterback, and allow the unit to get in rhythm. Willis has continued to show he has workhorse capabilities, but does not get enough touches in games. In a similar fashion, Nixon could also afford to be utilized more in screen and designed opportunities to get the ball in space. They face a defense that’s graded as one of the best units against the run this season by PFF. So, their work will be cut out for them. Yet, if Syracuse wants a win, they need to gain an advantage here.
On defense, two key players will be Chris Peal and Demetres Samuel Jr. The cornerback duos will have to not only play clean football, but try to make plays on the ball in coverage. SMU likes to utilize their outside receivers for big play opportunities. If the Syracuse secondary can take that away, it will severely limit the offensive firepower of the Mustangs.
Key Players for SMU
The first key player for SMU in this contest will be running back TJ Harden. The Syracuse defense has been putrid against the run this season, allowing multiple touchdowns of 20+ yards. After a tough showing against TCU, the Orange provide a nice bounce-back opportunity for Harden to put together a good performance. Yet even if Harden can’t find room to run, the SMU rushing attack will need to have an impact if the Mustangs wish to win this game.
On defense, all eyes are on Cameron Robertson for SMU. Robertson has the third-best run defense grade (90.2) among all qualifying EDGE players this season. He hasn’t been recorded missing a tackle yet, and has 12 defensive stops on the year. He’s also great at rushing the passer, putting together 13 total pressures and three sacks. Robertson will have to set the edge, stop the run, and affect the passing attack of Syracuse.
Along with Robertson, another key player for SMU is defensive lineman Jeffrey M’ba. The interior lineman didn’t perform well against Baylor, but has been on a roll in every other contest for the Mustangs. He currently leads the team with four sacks, also hasn’t missed a tackle yet this year, and has nine stops as a run defender. M’ba also has the 11th-best pass-rushing grade among all qualifying interior defenders. Creating havoc in the middle of the trenches will help SMU set the line of scrimmage, and force Syracuse into long-down situations.
2025 Game Preview: How Syracuse Wins vs. SMU in Week 6
There’s no question that the Syracuse offense needs to play better in Week 6. In order to win against SMU, the Orange needs Rickie Collins to put together a good game. He doesn’t have to shoulder the load, but if he can be a game manager, that may be all the team needs to put them over the top. The offense can’t afford to have turnovers, create discipline-related penalties, or find themselves in long-distance situations. If they can simplify the game and execute, they will perform well.
Defensively, Syracuse needs to get pressure on Kevin Jennings. Jennings hasn’t been completely mistake-free with the football this season. Making him uncomfortable and throwing into disguised coverages could help the Orange defense create turnovers. If they want to help their quarterback, getting turnovers is one way to do it. With SMU being a big-play passing attack, opportunities will present themselves for Cuse to make play.
In the end, Syracuse needs to out-coach SMU. Last week against Duke showed a team that was not completely prepared. With another week of adjustments, expect that to change. Yet, if they aren’t able to match the Mustangs on the X’s and O’s, Syracuse may head into their bye week on a two-game losing streak.
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