Flames’ hope to keep from having letdown
Anytime a team comes off a big win, there’s a chance for a letdown the following week. Liberty is coming off the biggest win in school history after knocking off its first Power 5 opponent in school history last week. Now, they have to turn their attention to non-scholarship Morehead State. The Flames are currently a 31 point favorite over the Eagles, a similar point spread Liberty faced against Baylor. Playing in front of what should be an amped up Williams Stadium crowd will certainly help.
The last time Liberty beat an FBS opponent, in 2015 against Georgia State, the Flames lost the following week at Gardner-Webb. In 2010, after Liberty knocked off Ball State, the Flames lost to Robert Morris the next week.
5 OL played entire Baylor game
The starting offensive line (Julio Lozano, Michael Henderman, Tom Sargeant, Dontae Duff, and Ethan Crawford) played all 103 offensive plays against Baylor. That is certainly an impressive feat, but it can begin to take a toll on them especially as they face off against a team coming off a blowout win and 2 extra days of rest since Morehead State played on Thursday. As the season progresses, it will be important to get some of the reserve linemen some experience.
Injury update
After taking a nasty hit on his first career reception against Baylor, wide receiver Lionell McConnell is out for the season with a right knee injury. Linebacker Lucas Irons and cornerback Malik Matthews will be out for the Morehead State game. Matthews is out with an upper body injury, and Coach Gill says he thinks it will be 1-2 weeks before he is able to return. True freshman linebacker Amarii Jenkins, who is redshirting this season, has a lower body injury.
Mitchell Hurtado, a JUCO transfer from Anaheim, California, is healthy and is on the 2-deep for the Morehead State game. The 6’3″, 290 pound defensive lineman will provide much needed depth to the Flames’ defensive front.
While not an injury, wide receiver B.J. Farrow continues to be out due to “eligibility concerns” as Coach Gill described it. Gill said he learned of Farrow’s eligibility issue just a few days prior to the Baylor game.
Improvement in run game
Coach Gill and Offensive Coordinator Joe Dailey both highlighted improvement in the run game as an area needing improvement from week 1 to week 2. While Carrington Mosley had a productive day, finishing with 122 yards and 4.4 yards per carry, the rest of the team struggled to get any traction. Frankie Hickson carried the ball 8 times for 17 yards, and Buckshot had 6 carries for a net of 0 yards. The team finished the day with 138 yards on 43 carries, good for 3.2 yards per carry. The coaching staff wants the team to average 4 yards per carry during the season beginning with the Morehead State game.
My prediction:
Liberty 59, Morehead State 10
