"Imagine punishment for a loss": Fans baffled by HC Fran Brown making entire Syracuse players run sprints despite big win over UConn

Syracuse football coach Fran Brown is going viral online for making his players run sprints after their win over UConn on Saturday. The Orange beat UConn 27-20 at JMA Wireless Dome in New York.

The second-year coach made his players run sprints following the game, leading to wild reactions on social media, especially on Instagram. One fan wrote:

“Imagine the punishment for a loss?”

One fan added:

“I don’t give a damn what anyone says, this is peak coaching.”

Another fan commented:

“I didn’t watch the game. They must’ve not played well despite the win.”

A user commented:

“Good because if anyone who watched that game know Syracuse deserve ts.”

Another fan wrote:

“This guy’s from the Kirby Smart tree and he’s gonna stick at Syracuse just telling y’all now. He’s legit.”

One fan commented:

“Great coach conditioning is keep to extended games and winning in general.”

Comments on Syracuse football's post-game sprint run

Brown subsequently explained his reason for the post-game sprint. While the Orange were able to grind out an important win in front of their home crowd, the coach was not satisfied with his team. He was particularly unimpressed with his players’ runs. He told the press:

“Guys not running to get lined up, guys not running to the ball. I just want to celebrate the win with the people, but I’m so pissed. I’m mad as heck right now.”

Fran Brown frustrated despite win against UConn

Fran Brown did not hide his dissatisfaction with his team’s performance, despite their impressive win over the UConn Huskies to go 1-1 in Week 2. The Orange trailed 17-6 into the fourth quarter of the game, staring defeat in the face against a Huskies team they were favored to beat.

However, the massive comeback to earn the Orange’s first win of the season wasn’t enough for Brown to overlook his players’ laxities. He said:

“We didn’t play our brand of football that I know we can play, that I watched us play all week. And that’s frustrating… There’s a certain way you’re supposed to win a football game. They showed they were tough, we came back and we done that. But we just gotta play our brand of football.”

Brown led the Orange to a 10-3 finish in his first season in charge. However, the team fell to a 45-26 defeat against Tennessee to start this season. Up next for Syracuse is Colgate in Week 3.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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Edited by Kayode Akinwumi