5 Things to Know: 'Cuse vs. Duke

The Syracuse football team returns to the JMA Wireless Dome, fresh off a convincing win at Clemson in its ACC opener last week.

Here's five things to know about the matchup:

1. SELL OUT
Saturday's game against Duke is officially sold out. Fans seeking tickets to Saturday's game are encouraged to utilize Ticketmaster Verified Resale for secondary market options.

Orange Nation should also act now to secure seats for remaining games in the JMA Wireless Dome this season at Cuse.com/FootballTickets. After Duke, Syracuse will host Pittsburgh (Oct. 18), North Carolina (Oct. 31) and Boston College (Nov. 29) as its three remaining home games with tickets still available.

2. SLICK RICK
Quarterback Steve Angeli, who was leading the nation in passing heading into Clemson, suffered a season-ending injury in the victory. The Orange will now turn to LSU transfer Rickie Collins – who battled Angeli for the starting job all throughout camp.

Syracuse's offense has proven to be able to effectively pass the ball under Offensive Coordinator Jeff Nixon, with both starting quarterbacks he's worked with over the past two seasons (Angeli and Kyle McCord). 'Cuse has thrown for 250+ yards in every game since Nixon arrived at the start of the 2024 season, currently holding the nation's longest streak of consecutive games with 250+ yards through the air (17). Texas Tech (8) is the next closest.

The 17-straight games with over 250+ yards is the longest such streak by an ACC team since Florida State (also 17) during the 1999-2000 seasons, according to Stats Perform.

Saturday's game features two teams that can air it out. Syracuse (354.0) and Duke (331.8) both rank inside the top-10 of the FBS in passing yards per game.

3. FAN INFORMATION
'Cuse on the Quad opens at 9 a.m., with the NYE Auto Quad walk to follow at approximately 9:40 – however fans will want to arrive before that to ensure their spot along the route and beat the team there. Each game will have a collectible NYE Auto Quad Walk game pin this season and will be distributed beginning at 9 a.m. in front of Hendrick's Chapel. Be there early to get yours and try to collect all-six this season.

The Orange men's lacrosse (10 a.m.) and women's lacrosse (10:45 a.m.) teams will be signing autographs on the quad as well. The Marching Band will perform at 10:30 a.m. on the Hendrick's Chapel Steps.

4. FAMILY WEEKEND
Saturday's game is part of Family Weekend on the Syracuse University campus. Plenty of activities are planned for families, including the Fore the Orange Golf Tournament, which still has limited foursomes available, the Syracuse field hockey team retiring Alyssa Manley's jersey on Friday night vs. Duke, a pair of ice hockey contests, plus additional University programming. Visit the Family Weekend website for more information.

Additionally, during Saturday's game, the 2015 Syracuse field hockey and cross country teams will be honored for the 10-year anniversary celebrations of their NCAA Championships.

5. GET OFF THE FIELD
A big part of Syracuse's defensive success last weekend was holding Clemson to a combined 4-of-18 on third and fourth down. The Orange will seek to continue the defensive effort on Saturday, but face one of the ACC's better teams in converting on such situations. Duke's offense enters Saturday's game ranked seventh in the ACC in third-down conversion percentage (44.4-percent), which is 48th nationally.

Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Rickie Collins

Kyle McCord

Related Videos