Liberty head football coach Hugh Freeze met with the media on Monday following his team’s bye week as the Flames prepare for Virginia Tech. This Saturday’s game is scheduled for noon in a game that will be televised on the ACC Network. Here’s everything Freeze had to say in this week’s press conference, beginning with his opening statement.
“Had a good practice today, had three good ones last week, got to see our scout team guys compete a lot in our Super Bowl, the defensive scouts versus the offensive scouts which was exciting. Hopefully, we got some rest and some injured guys feeling better with the open week. Obviously, we changed schedules up a little bit this week to accommodate the new policy on election day. We practiced this morning and will take tomorrow off.”
“Excited about this challenge that’s ahead of us, it’s a great challenge. It’s a great opportunity. Hopefully our kids will seize it and give our best performance on Saturday. It will be a tough one. They’re an outstanding football team, well-coached, certainly have great players at the right positions that are very, very good and seems like they are getting all of their kids back from earlier COVID issues. That’s something that will be on my mind all week, obviously, with us having the open week and you’re just worried about all these COVID tests. We had our first one this morning for this week. Just keep our fingers crossed and continue to pray that those continue to be positive for us in the way the results go.”
HOW ARE WRS CJ YARBROUGH AND NOAH FRITH?
“They looked great this morning. Real excited to have both those guys back. They’re going to make us better in whatever games we play in to have both of them out there.”
HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE POSITIVITY THAT COMES WITH BEING RANKED?
“I had a whole plan this morning. I don’t go into many things without a plan. Those that know me, I’m big on show it to me, let me see it. I don’t want to talk about it I want to see it. I pretty much have one with everything. On my list of things to do to build a program this is one of them. When you do get it, here’s the next step. I put the picture up this morning in our team meeting, congratulated the team and obviously talked about the many, many people who have gone before us that have laid the vision, the foundation, the support. Then, kind of talked to them from a 51 year old’s perspective of you won’t really understand now at 18, 19, 20, I didn’t either, but this is something that you’re going to remember and sit on the rocking chair or the swing or your back porch and you’re going to tell your kids about, you’re going to tell your grandkids about. If I were you, I would take this and get it framed. You need to save this picture, it’s special. This doesn’t happen in year two of full FBS very, very often. I don’t know if it’s ever happened before. I like doing things that are first, I’ve said that. This is one of our things on our checklist. Now, how hungry are you to stay there and be relevant and be talked about?”
“No one can take away the fact that our team was voted in the top 25. No one can take away that. The second part of our season is very difficult, it’s very challenging. I have no clue how that’s going to go, none of us do. You can’t predict injuries, COVID, turnovers, whatever, plus we’re playing some really good football teams. I don’t know how that’s all going to end. I do know this, I will not let that diminish what our team did to get to this point and be voted to be top 25 in the AP poll. They can’t take that away from us irregardless of what happens in these future games. Do I expect us to compete in them? You know I do. I think our kids expect that, but yet whatever happens, man this week has been special, it’s a milestone in our program, it’s one that hopefully our kids and their families can celebrate for years to come.”
THIS HAS BEEN A YEAR WITH A LOT OF TURMOIL AT THE UNIVERSITY, CAN THE FOOTBALL TEAM BECOME A BEACON ON CAMPUS, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE NEGATIVITY SWIRLING AROUND?
“I don’t even feel like there’s negative stuff swirling around me and our program. I really don’t focus on any of that. I have zero control over very little to do on this campus other than making sure our kids, hopefully, respect each other and operate in a manner that makes the university and our mission and present that in a good light. We’re not perfect in that and we never will be, but I do hope in some way for those that are experiencing whatever negative things that could go on in life in general I would hope if they’re a Liberty fan that our football team certainly gives them something to have some joy about. I think I told Ian or somebody the other day, we’ve had a really fun good season and I wish our stadium was full so that they can get some of the enjoyment, but again that’s out of our control. As far as being some beacon, I don’t know if we’re that, but I do think we’ve played in such a way that hopefully gives the Liberty family something to be proud of and to receive some joy from.”
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU SEE FOR YOUR GUYS?
“They are bigger, faster, stronger, and deeper. When you see it in those terms as a coach you know it’s an uphill climb. Until we get a depth chart that is similar to theirs, I’ll probably always feel that way, but I’ve felt that way before too. When you play Alabamas, LSUs, Auburns, A&Ms, and you feel the same. It doesn’t mean you can’t compete and you can’t find a way to even win some of those games, but I’ve always told my kids the truth. I’m probably too transparent for some, but that is the truth of the tale of the tape. They’re bigger, faster, stronger, and deeper. Again, you’ll never hear me not think we can’t find a way to try to be in the game and compete for it. I’m excited about that and I think our kids will be also, but that’s the truth when you put the tape on. Their offensive line, their running backs, quarterbacks, they’re as good as I’ve seen even back when I was in a Power Five conference. That group measures up the right way. They’re starting to get their defensive guys back. That’s the truth of what this game that we’re facing looks like.”
DO YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT THE LAST TIME YOU FACED COACH FUENTE?
“They’re a little different now. Justin does a great job coaching. I’ve always had great respect for him and the way he does things. Offensively I think they are very, very good, they know what they’re doing. That day at Memphis, that quarterback who Denver drafted, Paxton Lynch, I mean he had a day. He didn’t miss a throw the whole day. They had really good receivers, and we didn’t play particularly well. He outcoached me that day and his kids out played ours. We played twice, the year before that and we beat them and then that day. I’ve got great respect for him. I got to know he and his wife on a Nike trip. Jill and I really kind of liked both of those people. He does a great job with his kids.”
DO YOU LOVE THIS CHALLENGE OF PLAYING AS AN UNDERDOG?
“Yeah, I’ve always loved the challenge of it. I don’t know your success rate when you’re not playing with equal parts, what that’s like in my past. I don’t know, but you are right in the fact that there’s something about that that excites me. I’m weird. Probably a little off. I’m excited about it. I’m excited about our kids and our program. It’s another chance to be on, I don’t know what you call ACC Network, is that semi-national TV or whatever it is, but it’s another chance for our kids to put a product on the field that helps us to continue to recruit and build this program.”
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE TOP 25 RANKING
“We’re honored and I will get the picture framed and mounted somewhere, but that’s old news now. We’ve got to get ready for the Hokies.”
ARE YOU GLAD YOU HAD A BYE WEEK BEFORE THIS GAME AND CAN YOU COMPARE THIS TO A PREVIOUS CHALLENGE YOU FACED?
“Having the bye week definitely helped us get healthier at some positions, but it also brings with it the fear of COVID. The reality is we live the bubble life as good as any, I think, to this point, but when you do have an open week you’re certainly not going to stay and police your kids who have been going hard for you for 11 weeks. You’re a little uptight about that. We will see how that comes out. As far as comparing it, no I can’t remember. I’ve often felt like, whether I was at Arkansas State or Lambuth or Ole Miss or here, I’ve often felt like, well, they’re better than we are, considerably, and deeper. How do we find a way to compete? I’ve often felt like that. We will dig back into some of my old game plans and try to see what makes sense to try to give our kids a chance to compete.”
DO YOU THINK THERE ARE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN YOU AND VT ON OFFENSE?
“I think they’re very similar approaches. Obviously, that tailback and quarterback are as good of athletes that we’ve seen anywhere. I think our approaches are very, very similar. They are going very tempo than maybe they have in the past and doing a heck of a job with it. The offensive line is playing very well. They are the 4th ranked offensive rushing team in the country and they’ve played ACC opponents. It’s an excellent plan, excellent athletes. Obviously, no one has stopped them yet. That will be our challenge to try to keep them out of the end zone and hold them to field goals.”
HOW HAS THOMAS SARGEANT EMERGED THIS YEAR AS A LEADER?
“Tom is one of our captains. That says it all for me. For him to be a kid our players consider to be one of the leaders. I would bounce things off of Tom if there were any issues I needed to discuss with a player on our football team, he would be one of the first I go to. His maturity level, his toughness. He is limited athletically and he knows that, but he gets the maximum out of it because he plays with passion and he cares. He cares about Liberty and Liberty football. He takes pride in the fact that the O-Line is a cohesive unit. He’s been a really great leader.”
WHAT IS EMANUEL DABNEY’S STATUS?
“Practiced this morning, looked fine.”
HOW MUCH DOES THIS STRONG START AND TOP 25 HELP IN RECRUITING?
“Obviously these are huge things that are happening for us to help us recruit. It’s our job now to figure out with the current culture and climate of the pandemic, how do you capitalize on what you’re doing to get kids across the finish line hopefully in that early signing period to come join you. That’s the biggest challenge. I talk to all our current commits every single week in Zoom calls, feel like we’re in a good position with all of those guys, but it’s still in your mind you’re always thinking how do we capitalize on being undefeated, top 25, how do we use it to help us get kids to commit here. Certainly, it’s a lot easier having those facts than it would be the other way around, particularly with kids not being able to come to campus. It will be interesting to see how the December signing period goes with kids not being able to visit campuses.”
WILLIS WAS ONCE A VT COMMIT, DOES THAT GIVE HIM ANY ADDED MOTIVATION THIS WEEK?
“I don’t think he will give one ounce of thought…I’m sure he’s thankful that he got an opportunity with Tech. I don’t think he will give an ounce of thought to that. I think he better really focus in on knowing how they are aligned defensively and how their rotations are going to be, is it 3-weak or 3-strong, or man-free. I think he will be consumed with that, I don’t think he will give one ounce of thought to the fact that they wanted him as a defensive back. I could see him being a great safety.”
HOW MUCH FUN IS THIS FOR YOU?
“Blast, having a great time. I feel fortunate, blessed, grateful, just want to make the most of each opportunity, each day that I have. It’s been great for my wife and my kids. I wish my family could be around me more because my mom and dad, brothers, uncles, aunts, they love coming to our games. I wish they could be around a little bit more. I enjoy coaching these kids. We have a great group of kids. I enjoy our staff. Our administration is incredibly supportive. People sometimes write things about this being a redemptive story, however you want to phrase that. I don’t want to make it about that entirely because that’s such a small part of it, but I do think failures are probably a very, very, very close kin to successes. I don’t know of many people that don’t experience great success without having some type of failure. The people that can handle the gut punches and the failures that you have and continue to not lose hope, to not lose joy, to not lose faith, to not lose heart, and continue to grind to climb cliffs, and fight battles and continue to win and continue to try to better yourself, make sure you learn from the times when you got it wrong. I think that is all part of this, to me personally. I’m thankful for the close friends, the encouragers I have, those that know me for who I really am. Thankful for Liberty and obviously the opportunity that the administration gave me here to be sitting in this position. I don’t know if this is selfish, I don’t think I’m a selfish individual anymore, I guess we all are to a certain extent, but in some way you’re thrilled you can make good on the faith they showed in you, if that makes sense, to give something back. I think that’s all part of it.”
ARE YOUR DAUGHTERS MORE INCLINED TO TAKE YOUR ADVICE WHEN YOU’RE 6-0 AND RANKED #25?
“One of them, probably. They’re all different. One, she wants daddy’s advice no matter what and every day. Then, you got one that I don’t know if she ever wants daddy’s advice, and then you got another one who dad’s doing well. It’s just a mixture. They’ve all enjoyed this time here, I do know that, and it was a great move for all three of my kids and my wife.”
JAIVIAN LOFTON AND JOSHUA MACK, WHAT’S THEIR STATUS THIS WEEK?
“Mack looked good today. Jaivian is doubtful.”
