Liberty football is set to begin the most difficult part of their schedule when they travel to Rutgers Saturday for a noon kickoff.
The Scarlet Knights have had a difficult 2019. They currently sit at 1-6: their only win coming against one of the worst FBS teams in UMass. Seemingly the beginning of a total program overhaul, Rutgers fired head coach Chris Ash and offensive coordinator John McNulty.
Upon Ash’s dismissal, two starters elected to redshirt: quarterback Artur Sitkowski and running back Raheem Blackshear. Backup receiver Hunter Hayek will also use his redshirt, bringing the total to three.
The Scarlet Knights are averaging 11.1 points per game: the lowest scoring average of all 130 FBS teams. In Sitkowski’s absence, redshirt freshman Johnny Langan will start at quarterback for Rutgers against Liberty. Langan has completed 28-of-58 passes this year for 220 yards, no touchdowns and five interceptions.
Isaih Pacheco will start at running back against Liberty. Having appeared in all seven games, Pacheco has tallied 462 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 104 attempts. Rutgers’ receiving corps is led by Bo Melton: who is averaging 35.86 yards per game this season.
Defensively, Rutgers hasn’t performed much better. The Scarlet Knights are ranked 108 in team defense, surrendering an average of roughly 37 points per game. Rutgers defensive line, however, has coach Hugh Freeze worried.
“Those guys play with great technique,” Freeze said in a press conference Monday. “They’re well coached in the d-line. (Number) 96 is the best we’ve seen all year, he’s gonna be a high draft pick.”
No. 96 is redshirt senior Willington Prevlion. Prevlion leads Rutgers with five tackles for loss. He’s also tied for the team lead in sacks
“22 is a top corner, one of the top projected corners,” Freeze continued. “The whole d-line is very, very, very solid.”
No. 22, Damien Hayes, has two interceptions and four pass breakups through seven games. Look for him to shadow Antonio Gandy-Golden Saturday.
Liberty is favored to win this game by a touchdown. Rutgers is not the best team the Flames will face this year, but they’re still a Big 10 team. I expect Liberty to cover the seven-point spread and continue to build momentum heading into next Saturday’s game at Massachusetts.
