In the first game of the season, the Deacons took on the Syracuse Orange. For the first half, every time the Deacons scored, like quarterback Ben Mauk's 14-yard pass to Willie Idlette, the Orange answered. The half ended with the teams tied 10–10. In the second half, despite throwing an interception early in the quarter, Mauk led the Deacons to an eventual field goal to give them a 13–10 lead in the third quarter. However, before the field goal, Mauk suffered an injury to his right arm when two Syracuse players fell on the arm as he was attempting to recover a fumble. He was replaced by Riley Skinner who only threw one pass. In the fourth quarter, on the final scoring drive, the Deacons took nearly eight minutes off the clock with their running game, and scored on a 19-yard run by De'Angelo Bryant. The Deacons won the game 20–10, but had to make a decision on their quarterback.