SMU led Syracuse by four points with 3:47 left on Halloween, and it had the ball. It punted. Steve Angeli then drove the Orange down the field and hit tight end Noah Meyers for the winning score with 17 seconds to play, handing the Mustangs a 30–27 loss at the JMA Wireless Dome.
How Syracuse got that close matters more for Virginia Tech. The Orange sacked Kevin Jennings four times for 52 yards and held Kendrick Raphael to 51 yards on 14 carries. SMU had allowed eight sacks in its first seven games and never more than two in one game.