The Liberty Flames (1-2) look for back-to-back wins for the first time this season when FCS Hampton (2-1) comes calling Saturday evening with a 6 p.m. kickoff that will be aired on ESPN+.

The Pirates split a pair of games against Division II opponents to open the season before defeating FCS Howard, 41-20, in the Chicago Football Classic last Saturday. The game will also feature the return of head coach Robert Prunty to the central Virginia area. Prunty grew up in Chatham and returned to his hometown to coach at Hargrave Military Academy in 2002 following a six-year stint as head coach at local Gretna High School.

Prunty and Hugh Freeze have known each other for nearly 20 years as their relationship goes back to Prunty’s time at Hargrave. First, Prunty was scouring Freeze’s Briarcrest Christian’s roster for talent, and later Freeze scoured Prunty’s roster at Hargrave when he was at Ole Miss.

“He does a heck of a job,” Freeze said of Prunty earlier this week. “A great defensive coach, I’ve always enjoyed the time I have spent around Coach Prunty. He’s a neat guy. He’s a passionate football coach and he’s done well for a lot of kids in helping them to get where they are. There are a lot of kids that owe him a lot.”

After Hargrave, Prunty made his way through the collegiate ranks as a defensive line coach and eventually a defensive coordinator. He’s made stops at Texas Tech, Cincinnati, and East Carolina.

“He’s a D-Line guy,” said Freeze. “Whether he was the D-Line coach for Coach Tuberville or even at Hargrave, his defensive line was just always so disruptive. They were always on the move, they could make you look bad. They can make plays. When you say his name as a coach, you can expect the D-Line play is going to be good.”

It should come as no surprise that Hampton’s defensive line is the strength of their defensive unit, especially their interior linemen. Andy Matthews (6’2″, 296) and Desmond Sturdivant (6’1″, 304) have combined for 18 tackles, 3 TFLs, and 2 sacks through the Pirates’ first three games this season. Defensive end Devin Thurmond has 11 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 1 sack.

“Defensively, their strengths are up front,” Freeze said. “They are very destructive, athletic. They have Division I transfers and are athletic on defense at corner and really disruptive inside in their defensive tackle positions. We’ve struggled some interior with those athletic, big defensive linemen.”

Cincinnati transfer Christian Angulo leads the secondary. He has 2 interceptions, 5 pass breakups and 7 pass deflections this season – all marks are team highs.

We’ve highlighted the ability of Florida State transfer quarterback Deondre Francois earlier this week. Francois gives the Pirates elite talent at quarterback for the FCS level. He’s completed 34-of-65 passes for 496 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions so far this season. He’s also added 66 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.

Alongside Francois in the backfield is another FBS transfer, as former Virginia Tech running back Shai McKenzie leads the team with 280 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns this season. McKenzie played in 12 games over three seasons at Virginia Tech before graduating in 2017 and transferring to Hampton.

At receiver, it’s again FBS transfers leading the way for Hampton as Alec Dana and KeyRon Catlett are the team’s top two receivers through two games. Dana transferred in from Utah after appearing in just one game for the Utes in 2017. He leads the Pirates this year with 9 receptions and is second on the team with 135 receiving yards. Catlett transferred in this offseason from Purdue and is second on the team with 8 receptions through 3 games. Jadakis Bonds leads the team in receiving yards with 173 on 7 receptions.

“He can spin it, he can run,” Freeze said of Francois. “They have athletic wide receivers. McKenzie, the running back transfer from Virginia Tech, is very, very talented. It’s an athletic team.”

Liberty’s defense has had some struggles against the run this season, allowing over 800 yards and 6 touchdowns through three games. The 268.3 yards allowed per game ranks 127th in the country out of 130 FBS teams. The Flames gave up over 400 yards in week 2 against Louisiana, but have also allowed right at 200 yards in each of the other two contests. Allowing 200 yards rushing per game would only move Liberty up to 113th place.

“We’ve got to stop the rush better,” said Freeze. “We’ve got to do a better job at stopping the run.”

NOTABLES

  • According to ESPN’s FPI, Liberty is favored to win each of the next 4 games beginning this week.
  • Hampton is the most frequently faced opponent on Liberty’s 2019 schedule, having faced the Pirates 6 times previously. Liberty is 4-2 all-time against Hampton, with the last meeting coming on October 10, 1998.
  • Hampton is now a member of the Big South and will be the first Big South member Liberty has faced since leaving the league at the end of the 2017 season. The Flames are 55-23 all-time against Big South opponents including a 33-8 mark at Williams Stadium.
  • Following his 174 yard, 2 TD performance against Buffalo last week, Antonio Gandy-Golden now ranks 5th nationally in receiving yards this season.
  • Jessie Lemonier is now in 5th place nationally with 4.5 sacks through 3 games.

QUOTABLES

Hugh Freeze on facing an FCS opponent – “I don’t put a label on it. To me, they are the next opponent, and we better prepare just like we have or we will be very disappointed in the result, I’m sure, because it’s a scary team.”

DE Jessie Lemonier on his sack celebrations against Buffalo – “After the first one, the bow, Coach got on me because of that a lot. He said I wouldn’t play if I keep doing stuff like that. So, I had to change it up.”

S Chris Megginson on playing in front of his home town – “It’s truly a blessing. A lot of people don’t have this opportunity. For me, to continue to play in front of my friends and family is definitely great. I try not to take it for granted, and try to be a role model for young kids here and show them they can do this also.”

CB Kei’Trel Clark on the pass interference call he got against Buffalo – “I didn’t really even think about it. I just thought about the penalty. I was just worried about letting my team down about the 15 yard penalty.”

PREDICTION

Liberty 45, Hampton 10

The Flames will take care of business early and often against the Pirates to even the season record at 2-2.