SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Steve Angeli hit little-used tight end Noah Meyers on a 2-yard scoring strike with 17 seconds to go and Syracuse defeated No. 19 SMU 30-27 Saturday.
The Orange (4-4, 2-4 ACC) got the ball on their own 32-yard line with 3:36 remaining while trailing 27-23. Angeli led Syracuse on an 11-play drive capped by Meyers’ second career touchdown for the Orange. Meyers, a transfer from Western Kentucky, had six receptions for 73 yards entering the game.
“It’s absolutely awesome,” Angeli said of the winning drive. “We talked about it before the game. Let’s have our receivers go out there and make touchdown blocks. Have our tight ends also go out there and dominate. I think that’s what those guys did.”
Angeli said the winning march didn't come as a surprise.
“It’s all about preparation throughout the week. We practice these scenarios, honestly, every day in practice," Angeli said. "We were able to operate and go out and win the football game.”
It was Syracuse's first win over a ranked team since Nov. 30, 2024.
Angeli was 21 of 34 and 200 yards and opened the scoring with a 26-yard run early in the first quarter. Umari Hatcher had six catches for 65 yards.
“He's a pretty good quarterback,” Syracuse coach Fran Brown said. "He sees things the right way. He's the leader of our football team."
Brown said preaching patience in his young team is starting to pay off.
“You're putting the players in position to understand what it takes to win,” he said. “And I just feel now our playmakers are making a few more plays.”
Kevin Jennings threw for two scores and Kendrick Raphael ran 14 yards for what appeared to be a game-winner for SMU (6-2, 4-2) with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter. His score gave the Mustangs a 27-20 lead, but Tripp Woody’s third field goal of the game brought Syracuse to 27-23 with 5:26 remaining.
Jennings was 29 of 36 for 351 yards with scoring strikes to Jalen Hale and Yamir Knight. Knight had six receptions for 80 yards. Raphael had five receptions for 33 yards and 51 more on the ground.
SMU’s defense, which entered the game allowing opponents to convert on third down only 27.3% of the time, the fourth lowest in the country, held the Orange to 4 of 17 on third down. Syracuse did go 3 for 3 on fourth down, including a 1-yard run by Ahmad Miller.
Syracuse was leading 20-17 when Angeli was penalized for intentional grounding from the end zone, awarding SMU a safety with 12 minutes to go in the game. Raphael’s score and a two-point conversion gave SMU a 27-20 lead.
“We just weren’t able to get that final stop, but we shouldn’t have been in that position,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “Offensively, we were not able to run the ball effectively. We had the fumble, we had the turnover, they didn’t. We had the penalties that were all pretty critical, particularly on special teams and a couple holds on offense, and we took more sacks than we’d taken all year.”
The Orange held SMU nine points below their average.
SMU: The Mustangs totaled 421 yards on offense, well below their average of 470, and they just couldn’t punch it in when they needed to. SMU could fall out of the AP Top 25.
Syracuse: The Orange are picking up some mojo — two straight wins and a very winnable home game against Clemson coming up. A bowl game, which seemed out of reach, is now a distinct possibility.
SMU: Home against Virginia Tech on Friday.
Syracuse: Hosts Clemson on Nov. 7.
This story has been corrected to show it was Meyers' second career touchdown for Syracuse.
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SMU wide receiver Jalen Hale, center, is tackled by Syracuse defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr., left, and linebacker Keyshawn Johnson during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Upon his arrival at the Mexico City Grand Prix, British driver Lewis Hamilton claimed there has never been a driver like him in the history of motorsport.
Perhaps his assertion is not entirely off the mark.
The seven-time world champion Hamilton rebounded from a wretched Friday practice to capture pole position on Saturday. Hamilton edged out Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
“I feel great, that feels good, I am at a loss of words,” Hamilton said. “We did a pretty good job with the setup in the weekend. It feels special for me in Mexico, my first pole for Ferrari here.”
He has extended his own record for Formula 1 pole positions to 105.
“Wow, to have pole here, I mean, I don’t even know if I’ve had a pole here before,”said Hamilton, who had pole position in Mexico in 2016. "It feels special to be in Mexico and get that. My first, I think this is my first pole with Ferrari. And 105... I like that number.”
Furthermore, at 41 years and some months Hamilton was the fifth oldest driver to secure an F1 pole position and the oldest since Mario Andretti did it in 1982 at age 42. Nino Farina holds the record at 47 years, two months.
“When there’s a will, there’s a way, I think it’s all in the mind. For sure, you might feel aches and pains but I do all those different things that you can do to try and keep yourself young and fit," Hamilton said. “But I love what I do. And that love is not gone. I wake up every day thinking about it. I dream about it.”
This marks the Italian team’s first pole position since Hungary last year, 30 races ago.
Hamilton, who has crowned himself world champion twice in Mexico, will aim to become the first Ferrari driver to win a race from pole position since Carlos Sainz in Mexico in 2024.
On Friday during the second practice, he suffered a loss of power that forced him to retire.
“Embarking on this journey with Ferrari, and all the challenges and ups and downs we’ve had. Even yesterday was challenging, when the car stopped on track and we lost the long runs that everyone got to do.” Hamilton said. “I didn’t get to do a long run. But we’ve really done a good job with the set-up over the weekend.”
Kimi Antonelli could become the youngest world champion in F1 history. He qualified fifth, demonstrating his car’s setup was optimal.
The 20-year-old Italian, who missed Thursday’s media session because of a viral infection, said he was still recovering but hoped to be at his best for what could be a special Sunday.
“I’m going to bombard myself with melatonin, so I hope I can sleep about 10 hours, with any luck,” said Antonelli, who will start fourth after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen received a one-place grid penalty Saturday for an incident involving Liam Lawson.
“It’s a new one, that penalty, but yeah, we’ll keep inventing new ones, I guess,” Verstappen said.
Antonelli, who won the United States Grand Prix last week from pole, can finish as low as ninth on Sunday at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to surpass the record set by Sebastian Vettel, who became world champion the first time at 23.
Russell began the season as Mercedes’ No. 1 driver and won the first race of the year in Australia, but Antonelli has since won nine grands prix.
Antonelli can also become the first Italian driver to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953. while Mercedes can clinch the constructors’ title on Sunday for the first time since 2021.
Fernando Alonso, who arrived in Mexico amid controversy after claiming that the bottom third of F1 drivers lack quality, was eliminated after completing just four laps in the first qualifying session.
The Spanish Aston Martin driver was instructed to stop shortly before reaching the pit lane, and he made no secret of his annoyance.
“I’m only a hundred meters from the pit lane entrance,” the two-time world champion said over the radio, while striking the steering wheel with his hands in frustration.
The Mexico City GP does not hold fond memories for Alonso, as he has failed to finish the last four races.
Cadillac driver Sergio Pérez will mark his 300th Formula 1 Grand Prix on home soil, but if he wants to give his millions of fans something to cheer about, he will have an uphill battle ahead of him.
Pérez was eliminated in the first qualifying session (Q1) and will start from the second-to-last position on the grid, ahead only of his teammate, Valtteri Bottas.
Earlier this week, the 36-year-old driver signed a contract extension that will keep him with Cadillac through 2029.
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the qualifying session for the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix auto race in Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Pole position winner Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, center, second fastest Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain, left, and third placed Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco pose for photos at the end of the qualifying session for the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix auto race in Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy steers his car during the qualifying session for the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix auto race in Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the qualifying session for the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix auto race in Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after he clocked the fastest time during the qualifying session for the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix auto race in Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
