Game week has finally arrived and with it the first of Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze’s weekly press conference. The Flames are currently listed as a 3.5 point favorite for the season opener on the road at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EST and will be televised on ESPN+. Here’s everything Freeze had to say during his media session as he returns to his alma mater, beginning with his opening statement:

“We finished up, in my mind, what camp always ends is with that mock game go through dress rehearsal of everything. That was Friday night for us. We did a mental day Saturday and kind of let them get Saturday and Sunday to get their legs back under them, hopefully, and try to heal up some of the rooms that are beat up heading into game week. Then, this morning we kicked off our series on Crossroads, got to talk about eyes on the prize and what that looks like for us as men and as a team. Really what is a prize? I think that’s where you need to start defining that for us in society today because we can get kind of confused on that I think. It was some good discussion we had.”

“Everybody seems really excited to be in game week finally. I know I am. The older I get, the longer I coach, the more I enjoy the game weeks and the less I probably enjoy the camp time, but it’s part of the journey and you got to embrace that.”

“Looking forward to seeing where we are. I don’t think there’s anyway to judge that. People ask me everywhere I go, ‘Are you ready?’ I say I have no idea but we’re ready to see if we’re ready or not. You certainly wish it was against an easier test than what we’re going to face down in Hattiesburg on Saturday night. I think this is going to be one of the more improved teams in the nation, truthfully. If you look at how they ended the season last year, how well they played defense, how much they accomplished while dealing with quarterback injuries and the things they dealt with there. Then, obviously, to see the transfers that they brought in, at least 11 that I’ve counted. I believe 9 of them are from the SEC. That’s a scary task to prepare for because you really don’t know exactly where or who is going to be playing.”

“I just know enough about that staff and enough about that program, it’s a very proud program. One that’s had a rich history. Jeff Bowers, one of the legends in the game in my eyes, what he did there is phenomenal. Coach Hall, Will, he’s a friend but he’s also a heck of a ball coach. He’s through and through there. His dad is a dear friend of mine, Bobby, legend in that state. One of the most loyal friends I had during my tenure at Ole Miss and even after my tenure at Ole Miss. I have great respect for that family, and I know he’s going to do a great job there at Southern Miss.”

“It’s just very difficult to prepare for them because last year Will had to find a way to compete really without a quarterback due to the injuries. Now, he’s got a ton of transfers. We’ve got our hands full, there’s no question in my mind. They were still one of the top defenses in the country last year. Austin Armstrong does a really nice job there. They’ve got some great experience, returning seven starters plus, I believe of the 11 transfers I counted, eight of them are defensive players, mostly upfront. We expect them to be even more improved. Very, very difficult task. Don’t know who their quarterback is either, really. They’ve got a solid running back room led by Gore. The wide receiver, Brownlee, could play anywhere in the nation. It’s going to be a great challenge, but we are looking forward to kicking it off.”

WHERE IS THE HEALTH OF YOUR TEAM?

“I think we are in a pretty good spot. I wish it was everyone. I think there’s a couple kids that are doubtful that will be with ankles and hamstrings and things like that. I don’t think it’s anything long term, but we won’t be at full strength. I don’t know that anybody is after a fall camp, but I think that we’re going to be close enough that I don’t know, I mean I’d like to have everybody but I don’t know that it would be something that I would say, currently, is a game changer. Hopefully we have enough depth. I think, just looking at everybody this morning, I believe we are in a pretty good spot.”

DO YOU EXPECT DAE DAE TO GET MORE CARRIES?

“I mean I want to get him the ball but I also want to get it to Shedro, TJ, Demario, CJ, Caleb. I don’t know how many carries each one will get but Dae Dae’s healthy, Shedro’s healthy, Malik seems to be back good. TJ, I guess, would be the question mark for this week. We certainly want to get Dae Dae the ball.”

ARE YOU HEALTHY ON THE DEFENSIVE LINE?

“Yeah, I think so. I don’t know of anybody there that would be out at this point.”

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE STARTING WITH A TRUE ROAD TEST TO BEGIN THE YEAR?

“I don’t think you’re ever what I would call comfortable opening the year period. On the road makes it probably a little more uncomfortable especially against a good team. I’m very honest with our team. I tell them every Monday whether we’re, I think, an underdog or should win it or it’s a toss up game. This one is at least a toss up if not us being the underdog a bit, with the number of SEC transfers they’ve had and the athletes in that program. It is uncomfortable but that’s part of the journey. Dealing with that uncomfortable feeling and preparing the right way helps.”

WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU WERE ON CAMPUS THERE AT YOUR ALMA MATER?

“Heck, I can’t remember the last time I was on campus. Probably, I guess, when I was still head coach at Ole Miss and was recruiting in the state. I remember stopping there and visiting with a good friend of mine, Lloyd Lunsford, who runs the Baptist Student Union there on campus, which I was very active in while I was there. That’s my last memory of being there. So, it’s been a while.”

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH BOBBY HALL, WHEN DID THAT START?

“It started when I was an assistant at Ole Miss. Then, coming back as the head coach. The guy has won, I can’t tell you how many games in the state of Mississippi. Always had great respect for him, then we became friends. He was always a great supporter to me, encourager, loyal, understood coaching. He’s been a good friend and raised a good son in Will also.”

ARE THERE ANY EMOTIONS RETURNING TO YOUR ALMA MATER?

“No, I just want to win. I’ve got good friends there. I love my friends there. Obviously, they’ve got Sam Gregg there who we are indebted to for the job he did here while he was with us. That makes it even more uncomfortable knowing he knows so much about us. I’ve got cousins, friends there, I’ll enjoy seeing them and all that but I want to win. I don’t get caught up in the emotions of it being back home. Obviously it’s where I met Jill, so that’s special, but she nor I are really, we’re not wired that way where we’re going back to where we met. I don’t think, she doesn’t act that way to me. She just asks, where are we staying? She was just wanting to tell her family. All of her family will be there, of course. They live down that way. Mine will be also, it’s good to see all the family, but we’re going to try to win a football game and that will consume me a lot more than any feelings that I may or may not have.”

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS TEST?

“Well, a win would be nice, but ultimately this whole season is going to test us in a lot of ways and we’re going to have a lot of cross roads. That’s why our theme is that this year. Our whole series that I’m teaching is on cross roads of life. This is certainly one that we will face. It will be a hostile place against a very good football team, but we’re going to experience that a lot this year, I think. How we handle the good times and the bad times will start defining us. This is what you want to carry from it. You hope that, number one, we’re a very disciplined football team. I think most games are probably lost more than they are won. I certainly don’t want to be feeling that way after Saturday night. I would hope that would be the first test that we pass is that we were disciplined enough that we made somebody beat us.”

IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE HAD A LOT OF GOOD SUCCESS ON THE ROAD HERE, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO TO GET YOUR TEAM BETTER EQUIPPED TO PLAY ON THE ROAD?

“I think our approach is consistent. There is something special about playing at home, for sure, you’ve got to defend your home. There’s also something special feeling like it’s us against them on the road mentality. I think at the end of the day it’s just they don’t see a big difference, we just want to embrace both. Each has a different feel. Each has a different feel. Some hotels you stay in are great, some are not so great. I have no idea what this one will be like, and it really doesn’t matter. I preach that to our kids, it doesn’t matter. That stuff has nothing to do with the outcome of the game. We can’t control the weather, we can’t control the hotels, we can’t control how far the flights are, or what time’s the kickoffs are. If we had my preference we would kick everything off at 11 o’clock or 12, or whatever, but we don’t have control over any of that so don’t give it any power. What we do have control over is when they put that ball down, us executing well and playing with purpose and passion. We have control over that.”

HAVE YOU GOTTEN CLARITY ON YOUR KICKING SPOT?

“Nick’s going to get the call first. He’s kicked very well. He kicked really good in the mock game. It’s not that Brayden hadn’t, Brayden is dealing with an injury and just can’t seem to quite get totally well. We want him to take the time to get totally well. So, we are going to go with Nick on the field goals and extra points to start with.”

STRICKER ON KICKOFF?

“Stricker will be kicking off. Aidan and Max depending on what kind of punt we’re going to use.”

HOW ABOUT YOUR RETURN GAME, YOU FEEL CONFIDENT?

“I do. I like Demario and Shedro a lot. I think both those guys are weapons for us in the return game. I expect to see them get most of those opportunities.”

HAYES MAPLES, ONE OF THEIR TALENTED LB’s IS HURT, NOT SURE IF HE IS GOING TO PLAY, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN ON TAPE?

“He is a heck of a player. I also hear that, we got a list of all these transfers somewhere, I hear that the Gill kid from Ole Miss has really impressed them at linebacker. I would assume if Maples can’t go, that might be the replacement, I’m not sure if he can go or not. It’s hard for me to keep up with all that, what’s real, what’s not, but I hate it for the young man if that’s the case.”

IS IT SURPRISING TO YOU THAT SOUTHERN CAN GET OLE MISS AND MISS ST TRANSFERS?

“Not at all. Not at all. That place, I think it’s tradition, it’s location. Mississippi kid is a different kid. Their home is something to them. Very few of them get too far away from home, it has been my experience in my years of recruiting. They might venture out to a neighboring state, but they certainly don’t go far and if they do and they make a move it’s typically back home. It doesn’t shock me with Will’s ties to that state that he picked up quite a few from Ole Miss, Memphis, Mississippi State, Arkansas, seems to be where all of them came from.”

WHAT ULTIMATELY LED TO YOU CHOOSING CHARLIE BREWER AS THE STARTER?

“I think it’s probably a combination of what the stats say happened on his decision-making and accuracy. It was very close on those two categories between he and JB. I think ultimately, I was led to make the decision based off the experience he had at Baylor, in particular, and some of the anticipation throws I thought he made a little quicker. It’s not far. I wouldn’t have a problem playing JB either, or Kaidon, but it’s Charlie’s to start with and hopefully he takes it and runs with it.”

WHEN DO YOU START GETTING READY FOR YOUR SEASON OPENER?

“For me, I’m not saying it’s right, I don’t know how everybody else does it, but for me you go two full weeks of camp of install and figuring out kind of who we are. Then, that third week comes and I go about two and a half more days, or three days, with the normal camp stuff, good on good. Then, after about three days of that third week, we turn our attention to the first opponent.”