Syracuse gets major boost back for Saturday night at UNC

With fourth quarter comebacks in each of their past two football games, the North Carolina Tar Heels are fun to watch. UNC (4-2, 2-1 ACC) upset 25th-ranked Pitt on October 10, then stole back the Victory Bell at archival Duke .

North Carolina makes its long-awaited return home on Saturday night, hosting Syracuse at 7:30 p.m. in a battle of ACC teams headed in opposite directions. The Orange (2-4, 0-2 ACC) are better than their record shows, losing three one-score games, while the Tar Heels are looking for their first 3-game winning streak since 2024.

Syracuse will be getting a much-needed boost back for its offense. On Friday, On3 Sports' Pete Nakos reported Orange quarterback Steve Angeli is expected to start against UNC.

Angeli started each of Syracuse's first three games, before losing his starting spot and injuring his leg. With Malachi Nelson and Amari Odom out, Angeli gets his chance to shine.

Angeli was one of college football's top surprises in 2025, leading Syracuse to a 3-1 start and road upset of Clemson . In Death Valley, though, Angeli tore his achilles and the Orange lost their final eight games.

Take away the second half at Clemson this year and losing to Notre Dame, the Tar Heels are good at defending the pass. With Duke (5-2, 2-2 ACC) driving in the closing seconds of last week's Victory Bell battle, freshman Kenton Dopson III picked off Walker Eget's pass to seal the North Carolina win.

Greg Smith and Kaleb Cost are leaders in the secondary. Linebackers Derek McDonald and Peyton Seelmann always have their eyes on the quarterback. Xavier Lewis and Leroy Jackson headline a deep, defensive line that excels at getting into the backfield.

Syracuse will thrive in Angeli's return, but how much? UNC will look to its defense for a third-straight victory on Saturday night, hopefully in front of a packed Kenan Stadium crowd.