No. 22 Syracuse opens its season against Liberty on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. The game will begin Liberty’s first season as a full-time Football Bowl Championship Series team.

It’ll be the second consecutive season Syracuse begins its campaign on the road against a non-Power 5 school, as Carrier Dome renovations continue until the home opener on Sept. 14. The Orange enter this season ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since 1998, coming off a 10-3 campaign last season that finished with a Camping World Bowl victory.

As new starters come into play on both sides for Week 1, here’s what to know about Liberty ahead of the matchup:

All-time series: This is the first meeting between the two teams.

The Liberty report: On Monday Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said, “We don’t have a clue what they’re going to do,” in reference to the Flames. That’s in part because of a coaching shift. Hugh Freeze, the former Ole Miss coach who resigned after a call to an escort service surfaced, begins his first year as the head coach this season. Freeze led Ole Miss to a 43-37 victory over Alabama in 2015 and the Rebels finished at 10-3 with the nation’s fourth-ranked offense.

Babers’ skepticism came from a previous uncertainty at quarterback. Senior Stephen Calvert is back this season after throwing for 3,068 yards, 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions last season. But Liberty also had dual threat quarterback Malik Willis, a transfer from Auburn, on the roster until his waiver was denied on Aug. 28.

With Calvert as the projected starter on Sunday, senior receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden will likely find the ball, as he caught 71 passes for 1,037 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

How Syracuse beats Liberty: Syracuse starts its season with a win by playing like an ACC team that’s facing a newly crowned FBS opponent. That means: Limited penalties, winning the turnover battle and not letting Liberty or their home crowd feel in the game at any point. The Orange started last year’s season opener against Western Michigan like this, but allowing 28 points in the third quarter helped the Broncos hang around and Syracuse brought its starters back in.

If Syracuse’s new faces on the offensive line keep Tommy DeVito upright in his starting debut, the Orange should outscore Liberty regardless of what Freeze stews up.

Player to watch: Jessie Lemonier, No. 11 defensive end

The younger brother of Corey Lemonier, a former All-SEC linebacker and third round NFL Draft pick, Jessie Lemonier tallied 10 sacks in 2018. No other Liberty player had more than 4.5. If the Flames are to take advantage of redshirt freshman Carlos Vettorello’s first career start at right tackle, it’ll likely begin with Lemonier, who finished tied with Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson in sacks a season ago.

Published on August 28, 2019 at 11:05 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44