Following a home contest against ULM, Liberty will travel to Syracuse to face the Orange in week seven.
Week seven’s matchup is a rematch from 2019, when Syracuse defeated Liberty 24-0 in the season opener for both teams. Liberty hung around until late in the game, but a fourth-quarter touchdown put the game out of reach for the Flames. This year could be different.
Syracuse, who entered week one of 2019 ranked 22nd in the nation, struggled in the weeks following the Liberty game. The Orange were blown out by Maryland and third-ranked Clemson in weeks two and three before picking up week four and five wins over Western Michigan and Holy Cross. Hardly impressive wins for an ACC team, Syracuse struggled the rest of the way: dropping five of their seven games to conclude a 2019 many Orange faithful saw as a potential bowl-winning season.
In 2020, Syracuse will bring back Tommy DeVito at quarterback. DeVito didn’t shine against the Flames in 2019: tossing for 176 yards, two picks and no touchdowns. He finished the season with 2,360 yards passing, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Liberty should know what to expect from DeVito, having seen him in 2019.
Running back Moe Neal, who started against Liberty last season, has graduated. The Orange will look to a combination of Abdul Adams and Jarveon Howard to lead the team’s rushing attack against the Flames. Adams rushed for 336 yards last season as Neal’s backup, and Howard collected 337.
At receiver, Syracuse graduated nearly half of their production in Triston Jackson and Sean Riley. DeVito will look to Taj Harris and tight end Aaron Hackett to step up in 2020; and the two could receive the bulk of Syracuse’s targets against the Flames.
Defensively, the Orange have a new defensive coordinator in former Arizona State assistant Tony White. White runs the 3-3-5, which will be a new look for Syracuse. The Orange return the nation’s leader in interceptions, Andre Cisco, at safety. Alongside Cisco, Syracuse will have two new defensive linemen in the absence of graduates Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson. Syracuse returns most of its secondary, however, and won’t be a slouch defensively. Syracuse’s defensive success or lack thereof in weeks 1-5 will be an excellent indicator of what Liberty can expect from the Orange’s new defensive scheme.
This game will be closer than last year’s game, but I still think Syracuse is the better team. Syracuse is an ACC team, and still a few years ahead of Liberty.
Final score: Syracuse 28, Liberty 17.
Projected Liberty Record: 4-3
