This is the Depth Dossier: the Syracuse Orange, Week 9.

Fran Brown's team got outplayed for most of Saturday night and found a way to win anyway, going 4 for 4 on fourth down in a 30 to 27 victory over SMU that the numbers say Syracuse had no business winning.

Quarterback Steve Angeli hit wide receiver Noah Meyers from 2 yards out with 17 seconds left, capping an 11-play, 68-yard drive and giving Syracuse its first win over a ranked opponent since November of 2024. Angeli wasn't sharp most of the night, 21 of 34 for 200 yards and a touchdown, and just 4 of 16 on third down. But he added a 26-yard touchdown run and didn't turn the ball over. Defensive linemen Keyshawn Johnson and Tunmise Adeleye combined for three and a half of Syracuse's four sacks on SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who still threw for 352 yards. The separator was fourth down. Syracuse converted all four tries, including the two biggest plays of the game, and completed the comeback after trailing 27 to 20 with nine minutes left.

Here's the gap between what should have happened and what did. SMU outgained Syracuse 421 yards to 338 and won the per-play efficiency battle too. And they still lost, because Syracuse won the two columns that actually decide close games: turnovers, two to nothing, and fourth down, a perfect four for four.

Those conversions weren't small plays, either. Meyers caught a fourth-down pass at the SMU 31 that set up Angeli's touchdown run on the very next snap. Running back Ahmad Miller punched in a fourth-and-goal from the one with 22 seconds left in the first half. And on the winning drive, Angeli hit tight end David Clement on fourth and one to keep things alive before Meyers' finish.

The pass rush flipped the game late, too. Johnson's two sacks and Adeleye's sack and a half helped Syracuse post its most sacks in a game since week one, against an SMU offensive line that had allowed almost nothing all season. One of those sacks, plus a pass breakup from defensive back Braheem Long Jr., forced the three-and-out that set up Syracuse's winning drive.

Special teams mattered too. A punt return from Demetres Samuel Jr. set up Syracuse's opening touchdown, and SMU was flagged nine times for 90 yards, wiping out a long punt return that would have given them great field position. Syracuse had its own costly penalties as well, including one that wiped out a touchdown on review, a reminder the Orange left points out there too.

One decision drew some second-guessing. Down seven with about five and a half minutes left, Brown chose to kick a short field goal instead of going for it on fourth down. It worked out fine, but it's worth remembering the next time Syracuse faces a similar call.

Now, let's get into the depth chart, where there's good news: no injuries to track this week. So the story is all about quarterback, special teams and the trenches.

Angeli's clutch finish, plus his first rushing touchdown of the season, cements him as the unquestioned starter, even with the third-down struggles and a costly intentional grounding safety that briefly let SMU back into it.

At kicker, Tripp Woody went 3 for 3 after having actually lost the job to Shay Barker, and Brown made a point of praising him afterward. That's a battle worth watching again. Punter Jimmy Gregg also had a strong night, averaging nearly 53 yards a punt.

Up front, Johnson now has six sacks on the season and Adeleye has five and a half, and together they're driving the best week-to-week jump this pass rush has shown since the opener. In the backfield, running back Tylik Hill outgained Miller on fewer carries, even as Miller stretched his touchdown streak to four straight games. That's a timeshare worth tracking if Hill keeps earning more early-down snaps.

Syracuse sits at 4 and 4 overall, 2 and 4 in the ACC, and needs two wins from its final four games: Clemson, at North Carolina State, at Boston College, and Notre Dame. The fourth-down fearlessness bought Fran Brown a signature win. Whether it holds up against that closing stretch is the next question.

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