The Liberty Flames will open the 2019 season and Hugh Freeze era Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at Williams Stadium, playing host to #22 Syracuse Orange. This game marks the first ever time Liberty has played host to an FBS top 25 foe and first Power Five opponent to visit Williams Stadium.

The Orange are coming off one of their most successful seasons in recent memory, winning 10 games including a 34-18 win over West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl. Behind 4th-year head coach Dino Babers, the Orange ascended into the top 25 in late October last season, finishing the year at #15 in both major polls. Syracuse is beginning a campaign ranked in the national polls for the first time since Donovan McNabb’s senior season in 1998.

Babers’ biggest question mark this season will be at quarterback where the Orange must replace Eric Dungey led a Syracuse offense that scored over 40 points per game. Dungey was prolific as a passer and on the ground, finishing 2nd on the team with 754 rushing yards and leading the team with 15 rushing touchdowns while throwing for 2,868 yards and 18 touchdowns. Redshirt-sophomore Tommy DeVito is expected to make his first career start against the Flames. He played in 8 games a season ago, completing a hair over 50% of his 87 passes while throwing for 525 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.

“I’m impressed with their quarterback Tommy DeVito,” Coach Freeze said. “He didn’t play in a lot of games, but I think he is an extremely accurate passer and athletic enough to run when he needs to.”

At running back, the Orange are led by Moe Neal who rushed for 869 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2018. He could finish his career as Syracuse’s all-time leading rusher. Syracuse also welcomes in Oklahoma transfer Abdul Adams after sitting out last season. He is expected to make an impact in the Orange’s backfield and is responsible for the longest rushing play in Oklahoma football history, a 99-yard touchdown run against Baylor in 2017.

Tommy DeVito, photo courtesy Syracuse.com

At receiver, Sean Riley is the active ACC leader with 83 career receptions, including a team-high 64 in 2018. He’s also very dynamic in both the punt and kick return games. Another transfer, Trishton Jackson, sat out the 2018 season following his transfer from Michigan State. At 6’1″, Jackson will play outside for the Orange. 6’2″ sophomore Taj Harris set the SU freshman records with 40 catches and 565 receiving yard. So, their wide receiver room is very experienced.

“Sean Riley is an athletic guy that you better know where he is,” said Freeze. “They use him in all kind of ways to get him involved – reverses, screens, anything they can. He’s very elusive. He’s also a danger in their return game, both kickoff and punt return.”

Their weakest unit coming into the season on the offensive side of the ball is at offensive line. Airon Servais started at center last year, but he has been moved to left tackle where he is currently slated to start Saturday. Left guard Evan Adams is their most experienced lineman with 33 starts in his career.

“They did lose some people there and they seem to be shuffling some guys around to try to find the right fit,” Freeze said of the Syracuse OL. “We’ve seen them move that depth chart quite frequently. I think they’re like us at some of our positions, they’re still searching for exactly what is the right combination.”

On defense, Syracuse is returning 8 starters from a team that held opponents to 27 points per game a season ago. To say they are experienced would be an understatement. The Orange only have two expected starters that aren’t entering at least their 3rd year with the program. Defensive ends Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman are cause for concern. This combo combined for 29 tackles for loss and 20 sacks in 2018.

“Their D-Line is something to be concerned about,” said Freeze. “94, to me, is going to be an early draft pick, Alton Robinson. He had 10 sacks last year, so did Kendall Coleman, the other end. 55 and 94 are problems that you have to have a plan for going into this game.”

At linebacker, Syracuse will have two new starters in Andrew Armstrong and Lakiem Williams. Both seniors, Armstrong has made an impact on special teams and as a reserve his first 3 seasons on campus. Williams replaces All-ACC performer Ryan Guthrie as the starter at middle linebacker. He played two seasons at Butte College in California before transferring to Syracuse ahead of the 2018 season when he appeared in 7 games and made 4 tackles.

Andre Cisco, photo courtesy Syracuse.com

In the secondary, the Orange are led by Andre Cisco at safety and Christopher Fredrick at corner. Cisco is a preseason All-American and voted as the number 20 player in college football by Sporting News. As a true freshman in 2018, he led the nation interceptions and set the Syracuse true freshman record with 18 passes defended. The 5’11” Fredrick has started 31 straight games at corner.

The Orange sport one of the best special teams unit in the country, as they return all major contributors from last season’s unit that ranked in the top 10 nationally among most special teams efficiency rankings where Liberty was near the bottom of those rankings.

“Obviously, the matchup is in their favor,” Liberty special teams coordinator Tanner Burns said. “They’ve got a very explosive returner. He’s fearless on both punt return and kick return. Their two specialists, Ray Guy finalist and Lou Groza winner, they’re very dynamic. They are a very talented group. We’ve got to raise our game up to their level. We’ve got a tough task, but we look forward to it.”

As mentioned above, Sean Riley is a very explosive wide receiver for the Orange, and he also handles the return duties on both kickoffs and punts. Last season, Riley was second nationally with 16.4 yards per punt return. In 2016 as a freshman, he led the country with 1,095 kick return yards.

Kicker Andre Szmyt is a preseason all-American after winning the 2018 Lou Groza Award given to the nation’s best kicker. Punter Sterling Hofrichter was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List and is 3rd in SU history with a 42.9 career punt average.

Burns has been pleased by the play of punter Aidan Alves and kicker Alex Probert over the past couple of weeks of camp. He said that Alves has been averaging over 42 yards per punt and over a 4.2 hang time the last two weeks.

“Probert is going to be very, very dynamic on kickoff,” Burns said. “I think he gives us a chance to be very successful with that unit, just with his leg talent.”

NOTABLES

  • Liberty is 13-2 all-time in season openers played at Williams Stadium, including eight straight season opening wins in Lynchburg. The Flames haven’t lost a season opener in Lynchburg since 2002.
  • The Flames are 2-6 all-time when facing an FBS opponent in a season opener, but those two victories have come in the last two years (Baylor and Old Dominion).
  • In those two games against Baylor and ODU, Buckshot was 69-of-96 (71.9%) for 792 yards, 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions while Antonio Gandy-Golden had 19 receptions for 245 yards and 5 touchdowns.
  • Liberty 0-6 all-time against ACC opponents. Liberty’s last head coach, Turner Gill, had his Flames debut against ACC member Wake Forest on September 1st, 2012. The Flames lost that game, 20-17, the closest Liberty has ever come to defeating an ACC opponent.
  • Liberty running back coach Bruce Johnson played for Syracuse head coach Dino Babers in 1997 when Babers was the running backs coach at Arizona.
  • Johnson is best friends with Syracuse defensive coordinator Brian Ward, they played JUCO ball together and are both from Arizona. He has never coached against Babers or Ward before.
  • Liberty running back Joshua Mack grew up in Rochester, 45 minutes from Syracuse.

    Joshua Mack

QUOTABLES

Coach Johnson on Babers and Ward – “Looking forward to seeing (Coach Babers) and giving him a hug before the game and hugging him after the game, and just getting a chance to talk to him for a couple of minutes. I can’t wait to see Brian again. There’s not many guys coaching at this level from Arizona. There’s a few, a small fraternity of guys. I’m looking forward to seeing Brian, that’s my guy.”

Coach Johnson on Syracuse – “They got to come here and play us. Whether they’re (ranked) 21, 115th or whatever, Syracuse has got to come here to Lynchburg to play us. I’m looking forward to that.”

Coach Freeze on the game – “It’s a great opportunity, enjoy it. It’s no stress. They’re a top 20 football team, this is our first full season FBS. On paper, they have a better roster than we do, but that doesn’t always mean that a better roster wins. I’ve seen it happen.”

PREDICTION

Syracuse 33, Liberty 21

The game will be close throughout, while the Orange faithful get restless as the game wears on. In the end, Syracuse will prevail in a much closer game that many expect.