Overheard before Syracuse football takes on Notre Dame: ‘It’s not an easy thing to process’

Syracuse, N.Y. —Syracuse football comes out of its bye week with a losing season locked and no bowl game in its future.

The Orange are a 35-point underdog to Notre Dame ahead of its trip to South Bend on Saturday (3:30 p.m., NBC).

Syracuse players are trying to salvage what’s left of the 2025 season knowing that so much of what happens on the field in the next two games have an eye towards next season.

Here are some of the best things I heard on Tuesday from the Orange after practice.

QB Joe Filardi

syracuse Orange Football 2025: Syracuse vs University of North Carolina — Syracuse Orange quarterback Joseph Filardi (13). The Syracuse Orange football team take on the North Carolina Tar Heels at the JMA Wireless Dome Oct 31, 2025. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.comdennis nett | dnett@syracuse.com

On the opportunity to start another game for Syracuse at quarterback:

“Yeah, it’s definitely crazy. A lot happens quick and I just got, obviously, you have to stay prepared because you really never know what’s gonna happen.”

QB Luke Carney

Syracuse Football vs Pittsburg Panthers — Syracuse Orange quarterback Luke Carney (11) pivots to dodge Pittsburgh Panthers defensive lineman Francis Brewu (95) as the Syracuse Orange football battled the Pittsburgh Panthers at JMA Wireless Dome Saturday, October 18, 2025. (N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com)N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com

On earning more trust from the coaching staff to demonstrate his abilities:

“I think I’ve had a good week of practice this week so far and last week, during the bye week, I think I had a good couple days of practice. So I’m just going to continue to prove what I can do and just leave no doubt with my abilities.”

On the plan to have OC Jeff Nixon return next season and balancing the last two games and planning for next season:

“I love Coach Nixon. I’m glad he’s gonna be back. Right now, we’re kind of just focused on these next two weeks. Don’t want to look too far in advance and into next year or future, or anything like that.”

On trying to navigate whether he’ll get on the field against Notre Dame or Boston College:

“It’s tricky, because I can only play one more game before burning the red shirt. So I’m just going to be ready whenever my name gets called, either this week or next week, and do the best I can to help the team.”

RB Yasin Willis

On the team’s mindset enduring a losing season and no bowl game this year:

“The whole team is tough actually. It’s not easy to deal with these losses. You got to have a strong mindset to just, you know, get up every day and stay on the same mission that you’ve been on since week one. We’re losing right now. It’s just a mindset thing right now. And that’s the biggest thing, that this team has a great mindset. We going out to practice every day and keeping the same energy that we’ve been on since week one.”

On adjusting to several different starting quarterbacks on offense:

“I mean, it’s not an easy thing to process, but, you know, you just got to work whatever you got with. We can’t make no excuses week-by-week. We just got to figure out a way to get the job done.”

On what he has talked to Steve Angeli about on the approach for next season:

“Actually, me and Steve was just having that conversation last week. Next year, when everybody come back and we get new guys that come in, we just gonna have to turn it up off the top. I feel like we didn’t really set that tone early on, early on in the season, especially in the offseason. When these new guys come in here it’s straight to business. We got to tell them what the expectation is and they got to live up to it every single day and we hold them accountable.”

OL Byron Washington

football action — Syracuse Orange linebacker Antoine Deslauriers (5), wide receiver Darius Johnson (14), defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. (1) , and offensive lineman Byron Washington (76) walk out for the coin toss against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium Saturday, November 8, 2025, in Miami Gardens, FL. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

On self-reporting being late to a meeting and sitting out the first play vs. Miami:

“It’s easier to hold yourself accountable. He looks at me as a leader on the team. Who’s going to get on me if I’m a leader? Him (Fran Brown). I’d rather just go to him like two grown men and have a conversation about it. It was one play compared to 70. 10 seconds. Then I ran on the field and handled business.”

“Me and coach have a great relationship. He knows that I work hard. The team knows that I work hard. Me being a captain (for the Miami game), if I got stripped of those duties, I would just have to accept the fact of earning my team’s trust back. I was excited to be out there in that atmosphere as a captain as a freshman.”

On embracing SU’s two remaining games in a losing season:

“The season is not over yet. People are trying to put our season to rest, but we still got two more weeks and I’m excited for those two weeks. Every week I get better. Every week I learn something new about myself. That’s two more opportunities I get.”