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After beginning the 2020 season with four conference games, Syracuse will play its lone nonconference game of the year against Liberty at 12 p.m. Saturday in the Carrier Dome. The Orange (1-3, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) lost 38-24 last week to a previously undefeated Duke and will now take on unbeaten Liberty (4-0). 

The matchup is the second of three scheduled with FBS newcomer Liberty and the first of two home games in a series between the two programs. The third game will take place in 2022. 

Here’s what you need to know about the Flames heading into Saturday’s game:

Betting odds: Liberty is a 3.5-point favorite, with a total of 52.5 points, per DraftKings.

All-Time Series: Syracuse leads, 1-0

Last time they met: 

Syracuse traveled to Lynchburg to kick off its 2019 season at Liberty, and the Orange’s defense shut out the Flames in a 24-0 victory. SU’s defensive line dominated, holding the Flames to minus-4 rushing yards and forcing two fumbles. The SU secondary intercepted Liberty quarterback Stephen Calvert twice en route to the win, and Moe Neal was both the Orange’s leading rusher and receiver in the game. But Syracuse struggled to move the ball consistently on offense, and Tommy DeVito threw two interceptions. 

The Liberty report: 

This season is just the Flames’ second year of FBS competition. They’re still not a member of a conference, and they play a schedule that features a few ACC opponents, Group of Five conference opponents and FCS teams. The Flames are 4-0 after two close wins against Western Kentucky and Florida International, followed by blowout wins against North Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe. 

The Flames rank top 10 nationally in rushing success rate, though opponents’ quality isn’t factored to any of these numbers, and LU has played a weaker schedule. They generate solid push with the offensive line in terms of line yards and rank pretty well in preventing negative run plays. Liberty ranks near the top of the NCAA in power success rushing, an ability to convert short rushing 3rd and 4th downs.

LU head coach Hugh Freeze, who coached last year’s game against Syracuse from a hospital bed, is leading the Flames for his second year. He led Liberty to its first-ever bowl game in 2019, where it beat Georgia Southern en route to an 8-5 season. The Flames no longer have star wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden, whom the Washington Football Team drafted in the 4th round of the NFL Draft.

Liberty and Syracuse’s defenses are comparable on a per-play basis — opponents’ quality not included — but the Flames haven’t been nearly as good at producing turnovers. They’ve forced six, while SU has forced 14, through four games. 

How Syracuse beats Liberty:

Playing without DeVito, the Orange’s offense will have a difficult challenge of preparing Rex Culpepper for a full game’s worth of plays. Culpepper has experience in relief, but now he’ll have to prove he can keep the chains moving. He needs to avoid mistakes, and the Orange’s defense needs to keep turning over their opponents to provide Culpepper with short fields and opportunities for some easy points.

Whether it’s Sean Tucker, Markenzy Pierre or some other running back in the backfield with Culpepper, SU’s ability to stay in front of the chains on first downs, with successful runs and short passes, will be critical to prevent obvious passing downs and deep dropbacks. 

Player to Watch: Malik Willis, quarterback, No. 7

Willis, a transfer from Auburn who sat out the 2019 season due to NCAA rules, has scored six touchdowns in his first three games. He’s a dual-threat quarterback who has led the Flames in rushing for two of the three games he’s played. He’s 48-of-80 for 595 yards through the air and has 47 rushing attempts for 340 yards on the ground. 

He was never a regular starter for the Tigers before transferring, but he did see time in 15 separate games for Auburn. He’s very different from last year’s Liberty quarterback, Stephen Calvert, who was a traditional pocket passer. 

“Very, very talented athlete, strong arm, explosive legs,” SU head coach Dino Babers said. “He’s a guy that can take off on scrambles, and he can ‘house call it’ on those types of things.”

The Orange have seen a dual-threat quarterback before, in Jeff Sims from Georgia Tech, but Willis is likely to run even more than Sims did in the Orange’s win against Georgia Tech.

Published on October 14, 2020 at 10:06 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo