Syracuse Football: Decimated by injuries, a tall task vs. unbeaten Liberty

Syracuse football has performed relatively poorly in the fall term, but its injuries are heart-breaking, and the team has to regroup against Liberty.

Syracuse football is in danger of potentially going the rest of the 2020 campaign without many victories, or perhaps even one more win at all, some Orange fans are fearing at this juncture.

It’s an understandable mentality given where the ‘Cuse stands. Syracuse football looked woeful in its loss last weekend to previously winless Duke on the Hill, as the Orange gave up a ridiculous amount of rushing yards to the Blue Devils.

At 1-3 on the year, and with undefeated non-conference foe Liberty (4-0) coming to town this Saturday afternoon, the ‘Cuse outlook seems really bleak, particularly since injuries have totally crushed the Orange’s roster, and our boys still have to travel to No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Notre Dame later on in the 2020 stanza.

I’m just as bummed about the state of Syracuse football to date in the fall campaign as every other ‘Cuse fan out there, yet it’s also absolutely heart-wrenching what has happened to the squad’s line-up.

Junior safety Andre Cisco is out for the season and has declared for the 2021 NFL Draft. Starting quarterback Tommy DeVito is likely out for the rest of this term.

The team’s top-two running backs, Jawhar Jordan and Sean Tucker, both have gotten a bit banged up of late. We’ve also seen injuries on the Orange’s offensive and defensive lines, among its linebackers and in the secondary. The list goes on and on.

As Nate Mink of Syracuse.com noted in this article, “Fourteen players on the two-deep released at the start of spring practice are injured or left the team.” Ugh.

So now the ‘Cuse will attempt to hold its 2020 season together amid all of these injuries, and a Liberty crew that is receiving votes in the Coaches top-25 poll is up next.

Liberty, a school located in Lynchburg, Va., is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference for most sports, but the Flames are an FBS independent in football.

Syracuse football will host Liberty this Saturday at noon, and the Flames are 4-0 for the inaugural instance since beginning the 2008 campaign with six-consecutive conquests.

In the 2019 season opener for both groups, the Orange made a trip to Liberty and came away with a 24-0 success. I wouldn’t expect that to occur in this go-round, as the Flames are a slight betting favorite for now despite suiting up on the road.

Yes, Liberty’s schedule hasn’t proven quite as challenging as Syracuse football’s has in 2020, but the Flames are significantly superior to the ‘Cuse in virtually every statistical category, save for turnovers gained. A depleted Orange roster will have its hands full this Saturday afternoon.