Rhode Island head coach Jim Fleming hopes that it will be “anybody’s game” in the fourth quarter. He expects the Carrier Dome will be hostile on Friday night and he’s planning to use a quarterback that’s never played at the Division I level, but still has high expectations of his team in its season opener against Syracuse.

“At the end of the day, we get on a bus, I hope we got a tape that shows a team that plays very physical, very hard and plays within themselves and don’t make stupid penalties that hurt you,” Fleming said. “This game is all about that. Particularly the first game.”

Syracuse hosts Rhode Island on Friday in its season opener. The Rams finished last season 1-11, while getting outscored 402-137 in their losses. When asked what the best-case scenario for his team was against SU during Monday’s Colonial Athletic Association teleconference, Fleming never mentioned a win.

“What you’re hoping for is a clean operation on offense, defense and special teams,” Fleming said. “And not let the environment get you distracted and be able to execute your plays.”

The head coach said he was watching old tapes of SU offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s previous coaching stops. Lester has implemented a new type of offense in the offseason, and Syracuse has mostly been tight-lipped about the types of plays they plan to run come Sept. 4.

With Paul Mroz, a junior college transfer, now starting behind center, there’s uncertainty for a young offense that struggled mightily a season ago. Against SU, Fleming hopes his defense holds up against the Orange’s new-look offense.

“We’ve got as good a beat as we can on it,” Fleming said. “Obviously, it’s going to come down to game-time adjustments once we see things we’re unprepared for.”