Liberty football has opened as a 2.5-point favorite against Syracuse, as Week 7 opening lines were announced on Sunday. The Flames (4-0) will travel to Syracuse (1-3) to face the Orange in the Carrier Dome on Saturday at noon.
This is the second time ever that Liberty has been a favorite against a Power Five team, as the Flames were also the favorite in last season’s game at Rutgers. Liberty entered that game a 7.5-point road favorite before losing to the Scarlet Knights, 44-34.
The Flames have moved to 4-0 thanks to three straight wins at home following a season opening road upset over Western Kentucky. Liberty’s defense has shined in the past two weeks, holding North Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe to 14 combined points, keeping shutouts in tact until late in the 4th quarter of each game.
Syracuse fell to 1-3 on the 2020 season on Saturday in a 38-24 home loss to Duke. The Orange have been plagued by injuries in the early part of the season as junior All-American safety Andre Cisco and redshirt freshman Jawhar Jordan suffered long-term injuries on Sept. 26 before redshirt sophomore quarterback Tommy DeVito suffered a lower-left leg injury against the Blue Devils. According to multiple reports, DeVito is expected to miss the rest of the 2020 season.
Redshirt senior Rex Culpepper is expected to replace DeVito as the Syracuse signal caller. Culpepper has been the backup this season, appearing in all four games and completing 8 of 19 passes for 113 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Syracuse beat Liberty 24-0 at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Va to open the 2019 season. The schools are scheduled to play their third and final contest in the series next fall when Liberty makes its second trip to the Carrier Dome on Sept. 25, 2021.
This weekend’s contest will be broadcast regionally, on the ACC Regional Network. Affiliates that will carry the game include the YES Network, MASN, and NESN.
