The Liberty Flames (3-0, 2-0 CUSA) are back in action against East Carolina (2-1, 0-0 American) this week. The Flames and Pirates will meet in Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia on Saturday, September 21 at 6 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Last season, East Carolina was a very disappointing 2-10 and 1-7 in conference play. It stopped a streak of two straight bowl appearances under head coach Mike Houston.
Houston is 26-35 in his sixth year in Greenville. He came there from James Madison where he was 37-6 in three seasons including two national championship game appearances. Houston and Chadwell have met three previous times. Chadwell and Charleston Southern beat Houston and the Citadel three times in 2014 and 2015.
It has been a challenging transition to the AAC for ECU where they have posted just two winning records in conference play over their 10 seasons in the league.
Prior to their time in the American, the Pirates competed in Conference USA where they were frequently one of the better non-power conference teams, frequently winning 9 or more games.
In just three games, East Carolina has already matched last season’s win total with a 2-1 mark. They opened the year with a 42-3 win over Norfolk State and 20-14 win at Old Dominion. This past Saturday, the Pirates fell at home to Appalachian State, 21-19.
Jake Garcia began h is career at Miami, where he played in nine games for the Hurricanes. He then transferred to Missouri for the 2023 season, not receiving any playing time, before heading to ECU this season. The quarterback has completed 66 of 102 passes for 817 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions so far this year. He’s also run the ball the second most times of any one on the team, carrying it 24 times for 23 yards.
Garcia has three primary targets in Anthony Smith, Winston Wright, Jr., and Casey Kelly. All three of those receivers have between 11 and 15 receptions and each one has a touchdown catch. Smith leads the team with 15 catches for 212 yards.
Rahjai Harris has rushed the ball 50 times for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The ECU defense is holding teams to just 12.7 points through the first three games of the season. Opponents are averaging just 73 yards rushing per contest and only 1.8 yards per carry. The Pirates are ranked in the top 25 in both rushing and scoring defense.
Three Players to Watch For
QB #11 – Jake Garcia has completed 64.7% of his 102 passes for 817 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions through three games this season.
RB #47 – Rahjai Harris is the bell-cow running back for the Pirates, carrying the ball 50 times already this season for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns.
LB #33 – Zakye Barker leads the team with 30 tackles and 5 tackles for loss to go along with one sack.
Upcoming Games/Recent Results
Sep. 7 – East Carolina 20, Old Dominion 14
Sep. 14 – Appalachian State 21, East Carolina 19
Sep. 28 – East Carolina vs UTSA
Oct. 5 – East Carolina @ Charlotte
