Despite a shaky passing game, No. 22 Syracuse (1-0) took down Liberty (0-1), 24-0, on Saturday night in its season-opener.

SU’s defense forced four turnovers and held the Flames to minus-4 net yards on the ground. Meanwhile, the Syracuse offense looked unstable throughout, although its running backs accounted for touchdowns in each of the final three quarters.

Here’s whose stock is up or down after the Orange’s shutout of Liberty.

STOCK UP

Moe Neal

SU’s senior running back led the way both on the ground and through the air, registering a game-high 143 yards from scrimmage. Neal set a career-high with 54 receiving yards and went untouched on a 42-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter that served as the final score of the game. He was the most explosive player for a Syracuse team that otherwise had very few sparks on offense.

Lakiem Williams

After playing in seven games and recording just four tackles during his first year with the Orange, Lakiem Williams dominated in his first Syracuse start. The former Butte College star led SU with 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, adding 1.5 sacks as well. Serving as the replacement at middle linebacker for reigning ACC tackles leader Ryan Guthrie, Williams filled his role, and then some.

Defensive Line

It’d be unfair to single out any one player from the Syracuse defensive line, which manhandled the Flames at the line of scrimmage. Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman played well as expected, combining for eight tackles and 2.5 sacks. But SU’s interior defensive linemen stepped up, as Josh Black (four tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery), Curtis Harper (two tackles, 0.5 sacks) and Kingsley Jonathan (0.5 sacks, forced fumble, fumble recovery) all contributed to the success up front.

STOCK DOWN

Tommy DeVito

Karleigh Merritt-Henry | Digital Design Editor

The replacement for one of the most productive Syracuse quarterbacks of all time struggled in the season-opener, finishing 17-for-35 with two interceptions and zero touchdowns. DeVito looked out of sorts all night, struggling with overthrows and miscommunication with the SU receivers. He looked comfortable scrambling out of the pocket, but was far from the confident, capable quarterback that Syracuse fans saw in flashes last year. With under two weeks until SU’s matchup with No. 1 Clemson, DeVito and the SU passing game have just one game to remedy the issues they had on Saturday.

Offensive Line Stability

Just when it seemed like the Orange had finally found the offensive line rotation they wanted, it was reshuffled again when Sam Heckel left due to injury in the second quarter. Babers declined to speculate whether or not Heckel will return versus Maryland in his weekly press conference on Monday, but Heckel is listed on this week’s depth chart at center along with Airon Servais, who moved from left tackle to center — his former position. Carlos Vettorello shifted from right tackle to left and Ryan Alexander filled in Vettorello’s stead. The offensive line was already surrounded by questions heading into the season, and Heckel’s injury doesn’t help.

Published on September 3, 2019 at 12:10 am

Contact Eric: erblack@syr.edu | @esblack34