As Liberty moves towards the end of training camp and into game week preparation as the season opener at Western Kentucky approaches, head football coach Hugh Freeze joined the media for a virtual press conference following a Monday morning practice. Here’s everything Coach Freeze had to say in his meeting with the media, beginning with his opening statement.
“Obviously getting to a point where we’re excited. You kind of see the carrot at the end of all the work. I debated a thousand times of kind of what the schedule should look like beginning back in early August knowing that the season was going to be delayed until the 19th. When we started we weren’t sure if it was going to be the 12th or the 19th. So you’re uncertain. The one thing I do know, the first day you go out and put any type of pads on with coaching staff and equipment in people’s minds, coaches and players, that clock has started. The typical clock is a 4-week clock where you have three hard weeks and then it’s game time. I think we sensed a little of that last week. A little of just the mental fatigue of oh my goodness we’re on week 4 right now and we’re still 2 weeks out from playing a game.”
“I think we kind of went through that lull, even as coaches would admit, that was probably the toughest week. Hopefully this week…this morning was just walk thru, weights, and meetings… hopefully this week it will pick back up. I think you go through in those difficult weeks, like last week, every hurt is a little bit magnified, every injury is a little magnified, the energy is a little down. We did finish with a very physical scrimmage at the end of last week. I saw a lot of positive things in, obviously some things we’ve got to hopefully get corrected in the next two weeks time.”
“We will turn our attention starting Wednesday to Western Kentucky and hopefully get ready to go play that. We’ve been very blessed with our COVID testing protocol. It’s been awesome, the results, hopefully that will continue. We’re testing three times this week, three times next week, so hopefully we will continue getting the same results.”
Do you prefer afternoon kick offs?
“I’ve been asked this a lot. You can’t kick off early enough for me. I don’t like sitting around the hotel all day. In typical times, which we’re not in, when you’re starting games in the month of early September, the heat can be issue. It’s definitely better for fans at night. Us starting later in the year and the fact that as of right now we’re limited to the number of fans you can have in our stadium. I think that makes sense for the visiting team to get back home. Obviously, more rest time for us also, on the turnaround time for the next week. I’m a fan of it, but I do also understand in normal times there’s definitely merit to having some night kicks also.”
How much have you addressed Black Lives Matter marches going on around campus?
“I openly talk to our players constantly, every day, about the issues we face in life. Nothing is off limits. Hopefully they feel the same way to communicate with me and our staff in the same manner. Anything that is planned or will be planned, my prerequisite is always this, whatever our message is can we do it that honors God first, honors our University and our football team and be unified in it. If anything like that is occurring or going to occur, hopefully it will go under those three things as we continue to talk through things today, but it’s something that I think all of us here bringing awareness to the social injustices that in our world today. They’re everywhere. It’s not just a Liberty issue. This is as good a place as any I’ve coached at at treating others with respect. Can we all improve? Absolutely. Can we help bring awareness to that in support of our kids as long as it, again, honors God and our University and our team and we can be unified on it, we will seek anyway we can to do that.”
Have you had any players that have opted out?
“Elisha Mitchell and Isaac Steele.”
How’s the quarterback battle going?
“It’s getting close. I think, I’m not sure when our next media get together is, but we’re getting close. I would think it would be probably middle to late of this week where a decision will be made. It’s been a great competition, I think both have strengths and both still need to be consistent in some areas. Hopefully we will see what our instincts tell us right now, we hope to get confirmation of that this week and then make that decision.”
How is the kicker battle?
“Feel comfortable with Aidan and our snapper in Austin. Kickoffs have been solid. Field goals, man we’re battling. One day it looks good and one day it doesn’t. We’ve got a good battle going on there. We definitely need more consistency in that or we will be going for it on 4th down a lot.”
How will your players adjust to fan experience this season?
“It will be very odd. Obviously I’ve never coached games in scenarios like we’re going to face at different places. Obviously at different places there are different amounts of fans that are allowed to witness the game. I certainly hate it for our home because I thought we had a great home field advantage. I thought our students were incredible last year in making it difficult to play here. We lose an advantage playing at home with the current restrictions we’re under, so it will definitely be odd. We’ve talked about, all of camp and we will really start talking about it this week, we create our own atmosphere. We control that, and then hopefully the mindset becomes it doesn’t matter what the environment is like, we control our own energy. We don’t have to depend upon a crowd to give it to us even though it’s nice when you play at home and you have some help with that. We’ve got to have a mindset that we create it, wherever we are, home or away.”
How is the injury report will anyone miss week 1?
“Unfortunately we have had a rash the last week and a half. All are kind of different on the time frame. Let’s start in the receiver room, DJ Stubbs has an ankle, Noah Frith a foot, that same foot, they were both out last week. Expect both of them to be back hopefully for the first game, believe they will. CJ Daniels had a sprained MCL last week. He’s having a really good camp too. I think he will be back also. I think those guys will be back in that room.”
“We’ve been blessed at O-Line. Tight end, Trevor Hobbs tore his PCL, so he’s going to be out for a while. Running back Frank Boyd has a foot, but I think he will take a little time but I don’t know if he will be ready for the first game.”
“Defensively, D-Line’s pretty good. Secondary, Emanuel Dabney, Hunter Goetz, Tim Kidd-Glass, Scruggs, all of those have missed some time last week, and just hopeful we can get those guys back and ready to go. Receivers and the DBs have really been the hardest hit. Don’t anticipate any of those being season ending, that’s a good thing, just hopefully get them back into practice towards the end of this week or early next week.”
So not expecting anyone to miss the first game hopefully?
“If I were to ask Barry that, which I will probably in a couple days, I think there’s several of them on that list that are questionable, for sure.”
You add grad transfer Cedric Stone and DL Matt Terrell, do you see them contributing at all?
“Yes and yes, I do. I think both, they are both grad transfers, I think both will play. Matt’s going to be on all the special teams for sure. He plays hard and he will have a backup role as well in the linebacker room. Ced, we just needed some depth in the secondary. He’s giving us some of that, some depth there. Both will hopefully be ready to play.”
Are any of those on scholarship?
“Ced, yes.”
You’re looking to replace AGG’s production, do you anticipate any of the incoming recruits filling in there?
“I would say of the three guys we signed – Jaivian, Ahmad and CJ – all three I think are talented. They are at different stages and have different skillsets. I definitely would expect them to help our production along with the guys we have returning like Stubbs and Shaa, Demario, CJ Yarbrough who has also been injured but his was back in the summer. He’s getting closed to getting released. I think it’s going to be a combination of committee approach to replace the numbers that AGG put up, but the newcomers I do feel good about. CJ was having an incredible camp before his injury, hopefully he will be able to bounce back and continue to do what he was doing.”
Did you get a chance to watch any of the games this weekend and does that give you confidence that you could actually play this season?
“I think you got it pegged pretty good. I think all of us still have these lingering doubts, are we really going to get to do it, are we really going to get to do it? And then, when you see people doing it, it starts to feel real. I did get to watch a little, I Tivo’d some. They start too late for me, some nights, I hope this one tonight starts a little earlier. I’d like to watch it. I did Tivo some and watch a few games. It does make it feel a lot more real.”
Western Kentucky plays this Saturday, Southern Miss has played, how much do you enjoy watching them?
“The only one that plays a factor in is probably the Western game. By the time we play Southern Miss we would have both played some games. You certainly hopefully not the same team when you played week 1. I think it could go one of two ways, we could be more rested and more prepared, but also there’s some advantages to actually having played a game and getting some of the kinks out and seeing who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are. Western will have that advantage that they’ve done it for real before they play us. We on the other hand will have had a little more time to prep and to hopefully be healthy. Which one is the better of the two, it’s hard for me to say.”
With Dabney’s injury at corner, how are some of those other guys?
“Avery’s another one I left off the injury list, he missed last week too. We’re very thin there. Quinton Reese is everything we thought he would be, great signee, he’s going to play as a freshman. Obviously Jimmy, Megginson has come on and played solid, Kimani Donaldson has gotten some reps, and then we’re rotating Haskins over there too. He’s learning both safety and corner.”
With the NCAA ruling this is a free year in terms of eligibility, does that give you more freedom to play these freshmen more than 4 games?
“Certainly. There’s no need, if they can help you and help rest some people in areas that we are definitely thin at. You wouldn’t hesitate to play them. You should play everybody that can help you win. There’s obviously some issues on the back end of this that are going to create coaches some angst and some worry when they ask you to get back to the 85 in a timeframe that’s not going to be the easiest thing probably, but you will have to see how many of your kids choose to stay that were seniors and compete for another year. Yes, we will play everybody that can help us. Some games on the road we will be restricted with travel squad limits, but home games you will try to keep as many kids fresh as you can.”
Do you have any idea what percentage of positive tests will keep you from playing a game?
“I’ve talked to my SEC friends, they have an SEC policy that is cut and dry. Their’s is pretty clear. With us being an Independent, that’s something I probably need to visit with Ian to see if we’re going by the conference that we’re playing and their set standards and what could constitute you not having to play a game. I’m hopeful and prayerful that we won’t ever have to consider that, but it’s certainly something that needs to be discussed and I really haven’t sat down and talked to Ian about it at this point.”
What has impressed you about the QBs and what will decide it?
“Some have had really good days and at the time the other may not have the best day, and that’s gone both ways. JB has inserted himself into it. You look at the production chart from the big scrimmages we’ve had or the live periods where you’re putting the ball down on a set of chains and you’re having to function and move our offense into scoring positions hopefully, we chart all of that out and see where you are. There’s definitely strengths – Chris is a more solid pocket passer, Malik it’s not that he’s not able to, he’s been probably a little bit more inconsistent with that, but then he adds great value also in what happens when the play does break down or if you want to call quarterback runs. It’s gone back and forth. It’s healthy. They’re both good leaders. They both care. They both want to do well. JB, I wouldn’t be afraid to put him in a game either. I think we’re blessed with some good options, but no question we’ve got to get more consistent. I think as we turn our attention to a single game plan instead of us in a practice trying to get everything in and you don’t know what defense you’re going to see because you’re not worried about it you’re just trying to run a set of plays. Now, as we’re trying to get a game plan in at the middle of this week, hopefully kind of what my gut says will be validated.”
Do you envision any chance you could have two quarterbacks playing in a game?
“I don’t think so. I have always, I shouldn’t say always, but many years have had two that would play in a given game, but it was pretty clear to our football team who we felt like the guy was for the scenario at the end of the game. I would not be afraid to play either. Early games, I could see, if one is not playing consistent, letting him sit a series or two and letting the other…I do believe this, I believe wholeheartedly there are some guys who are just better on game day. I really do. I wasn’t very good as a high school player, I was probably average at best, but I was a lot better on game day than I was at practice. I’ve just seen it. I’ve seen it over and over again. Bo Wallace, who I love, if you would come to practice, you would say, ‘Coach Freeze, there’s no chance you’re going to win this league with this guy.’ Then, you turn the lights on and you get in the game and the guy is a gamer. He plays. I believe that. Should we get into a game and we’re sputtering and playing inconsistent at that position I would not hesitate to, early in the season, say, ‘let’s give this other guy a shot and see what he does when it’s real.’ I don’t know that I would have a certain play, but I would be ready to pull that trigger if we need to get a spark by somebody else.”
How have the QB grades looked during camp and how confident is JB off his injury?
“He’s probably as confident as anybody with our system because he’s had more reps, more snaps. He’s confident, doesn’t seem like he’s favoring his injury at all. The grades are similar. The completion percentages, production chart, turnovers, they’re all very, very similar. One day it’s up on this one some and the next day it’s this one of the three. They’re very similar. I think Kent and I probably, we really haven’t just set down and had this conversation, but I think as we watch film, I think organically, our gut is probably leaning in the same direction as to who will get the starting nod and hopefully he will produce and do well. That will probably come at the middle to end of this week. I’d say at the end of this week.
With classes starting and online options, how has that affected your players schedules?
“It’s definitely a different schedule for us. We’re fortunate that our school has the capability of doing virtual class. Our academic support system has been incredible to work with us on that to help us through that. We’re trying our beset to maintain a bubble type approach as we’re trying our best to be able to play our games that are on our schedule. Fortunately, our school is very blessed to have the capability of doing that and that’s what our kids are doing, for the most part. Obviously, there are some that maybe they can’t do virtually, a lab here or a lab there or something. For the most part, we are trying hard and just appreciate our nutritionist and the training table, the academics, everybody that’s probably sacrificing to help us try to be healthy to play in the first game, but it’s definitely been different. We’re practicing in the mornings now, which is new for me in the season. I like it so far. We’ll see how I feel going into week 8 after getting up every morning as early as we get up. I don’t know about the players but they seem to like it thus far.”
How do you think your guys have handled all the students moving on campus? How is virtual learning going?
“Well, on the virtual learning, every indication is that it’s going well, but it’s so early they really don’t have any grades yet so I don’t have any tangible other than just talking to the academic support system. They feel it’s going good thus far, but really have had no real grade reports yet for us to look at. We live together – whether it’s two kids in the dorm or four in the quads or in an apartment off campus. Our team lives together. We try to keep them together all day long and then pray and hope they make great choices when they leave here. So far, we have been blessed the last few weeks to have great results in our testing protocols and hopefully that will continue as we pick it up to doing multiple per week.”
*photo courtesy Liberty Athletics
