No. 19 Liberty continues to move up in the polls after the team’s win over Arkansas, 21-19, on Saturday. This week, the Flames will take on UConn in a noon kick in a game that will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Liberty is currently listed as a 14.5 point favorite over the 5-5 Huskies. On Monday, Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze held his weekly press conference, here’s everything he had to say, including audio of his press conference:
“I don’t know that I can really quantify with words kind of how we all felt about (the win). I’m sure everybody’s got their own take on it, but for us in this building and people that were on the plane ride back Saturday I think it was again very hard for us to put into words how big that win is to us here at Liberty and on the Mountain. It probably would be hard to argue that it’s not the biggest win in school history. You’re not talking about an SEC team that’s not having a winning record and they’re going to win some more games I believe. What we did on that day, out side of the 4th quarter, I thought we were the better team for three quarters. 4th quarter their size and their depth and all of that, it wore on us. You could see it in our tackling. We tackled as poor as we have all year.”
“Again, you’re playing a roster that is different than yours. I said that. It started to show when you get late in the game and it did. The grit of our football team and the belief, the faith they have in each other, the way this staff I know, I don’t know, it’s just a really good chemistry and culture for our staff. Nobody really has egos, well we do, that’s not the truth, I’ve never met a coach that doesn’t have an ego. We all have them, but we are all willing to check them for the betterment of the good.”
“To go to an SEC stadium, particularly one I’ve never had any success in period. I’ve had some good teams that we took in there. We’re not into the NIL money like that conference is. Yet, found a way to get it done. I think it’s a huge win and, obviously, it’s a what have you done for me lately world.”
“We’ll have to fight it and guard against coming off two huge, emotional wins over BYU and Arkansas. You better get your mind right and get back to work because we are going to play a very, very, very hungry football team that is extremely well coached and believing right now that they can become bowl eligible in year one. It reminds me of us here in year one. I’m very impressed with the job that Coach Mora has done. I was really, really clear with our team this morning of that and even met with the Culture Council after that to stress to them that every game counts the same. That one may feel different but they all count the same. You like your standing being ranked in the top 20, great, I do too. I love it. It’s fleeting if you don’t prepare well and play well.”
“Anyway, I’m going on a tangent. It was a huge win. I don’t think I can quantify it in words. I think probably the biggest in school history. Obviously we are thrilled to do it and do it with so many injuries, losing Dae Dae. It was a total team effort. Very, very thankful and grateful, God has blessed us this year for sure.”
HOW MUCH FUN IS IT TO TALK ABOUT THE BIGGEST WIN IN SCHOOL HISTORY SEEMINGLY EVERY WEEK?
“We’ve had four years of a lot of firsts. I’ve said I really enjoy doing things that are firsts for programs. We’ve done a lot of those, hopefully we don’t run out. I’m not sure what’s all next. I do know conference championship can be a first for football in FBS for us. I’ve got kinda my eyes set on that, being the first to do that, I would like to do that. I’d like to see these playoffs expand and see can we get in that somehow.”
“Hopefully we will get a first tomorrow night, I hope y’all can send this to the, what’s it called, the CFP Football Committee – I think our non-Power Five resume is better than any of the Group of Five. I don’t know all the rules and stuff on that, but we’ve played three Power Five teams, lost one at their place by one point and have won the other two. I don’t know, again, what we will do the rest of the season, but for this given week how we’re not talked about as being one of those Group of Five, non-Power Five teams that’s at least in the discussion of whatever that means. I don’t know, I don’t understand that, hopefully that will change and that will be a first tomorrow night that we get to see our name up there. That would be nice.”
“Anyway, there are a lot of firsts and we still have some that we have our eyes on. It’s better than the alternative of coming in here and talking about, man, we lost a tough one. I’ve been on that road too now.”
UCONN SEEMS TO HAVE A VERY GOOD DEFENSE, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN FROM THEM?
“I’m impressed, like I said. Boston College just scored a bunch of points last week against another Power Five team, I can’t remember who, I watched some of it, must have been one of the weeknight games. For them to hold them to their season low, I believe, and then held UMass, they are giving up like 13 points. I think they are playing at a high level right now. It’s not the same team that started the year. They’ve done a really nice job. I think we’re going to be really short-handed headed up there. It’s got my full attention and hopefully it has our players also.”
HOW WAS THE MRI FOR DAE DAE?
“It’s today, later this afternoon.”
ANY CONCERN OF THE WEAR AND TEAR FROM ARKANSAS GAME?
“Yeah, we’re at the end of the season. Everybody’s got wear and tear naturally, and then you look at us who had BYU and Arkansas, already are a little thin at a few spots. We changed this week’s schedule a little bit to try to make sure. We did not go on the field today, which is not normal. They had yesterday and today, really, off to hopefully get those guys, you’ve got the injured crew that obviously it is what it is, then you got the others that, ‘I’m going to play but I sure could use some recovery time.’ We’re trying to balance that the best you can and get prepared.”
HOW DO YOU THINK CALEB SNEAD PERFORMED?
“Not bad, not bad. I think this will be a big week for him. We really only asked him to handle one personnel grouping, when we were in 12 personnel. Hopefully now, this week, he can get back to running with both 12 and 11 our positive personnel, the rest of those. Hopefully he can get back in the flow of the whole thing.”
IS JOHNATHAN BENNETT YOUR GUY MOVING FORWARD?
“I thought about that this morning when I woke up. It’s going to be hard for me to not have JB as a part of it. Hopefully we will get Kaidon back also so we will be blessed to have all three. We will see how they perform in practice, which one gives us the best chance to win. Might use a few of them. I think all of them have checked their egos at the door too.”
“I would like to take this time on congratulating JB on persevering, going through the disappointments and the tough times, not playing particularly well for a lot of the snaps that he had. Now, he’s playing a lot more free. He’s accepting my coaching even when he doesn’t particularly like my emotion with it or something during the game. That was the old JB, now he’s like, ‘Yeah, I know.’ Truthfully, he missed four things this past Saturday that would have been game changing. It would have changed the game, all in the RPO world. He should get those right. In film this morning, we praised him but also said, ‘Dude, what are you doing right here?’ There’s one that we had the perfect call on, if he throws it to Demario, it’s a touchdown. On that 4th and 2 drive that we didn’t get, Demario walks in the end zone if he reads the RPO correctly. Those are still very, very frustrating to me that we’re missing those. On the other side, give him credit, he made some great throws at times to places that they needed to be, got us the lead, got to 5-0 as a starter, probably has the two biggest wins in school history. That’s the way it spins.”
“JB will definitely be in the rotation moving forward in practice. We will go from practice to the games, accordingly.”
OF ALL THE FIRSTS AND THE TALENT DISPARITY YOU’VE CITED ALL 4 YEARS, HOW MUCH DO YOU GUYS FEEL LIKE YOU’RE ALMOST A POWER FIVE SCHOOL?
“That’s a good question. I think there are a lot of aspects of our program that are – the commitment level from our administration, the commitment level to our facilities and our staff, I think is Power Five-ish, for sure. The roster isn’t quite there, so I don’t know. I think the tough test would be if we had to do that every week where we would be. In respect to that, but at the same time, if we had to do that every week because we were in the Power Five, then we would be recruiting probably a few different kids here and there which would give us a fighting chance for the physical demands that would be on that for week in week out. It’s kind of a hard question to answer obviously.”
“We’ve played the ACC and the games we’ve lost in it have been very, very marginal. That’s hard for me to answer how the consistency would measure up if you’re having to do that week in, week out right now, but we’ve certainly have found a way to compete with those schools in the Power Five.”
HOW MUCH DID THE WAKE FOREST GAME MAKE BELIEVERS OUT OF YOUR TEAM?
“I think the belief has been growing since we’ve been here based on how we go about preparing and how we go about coaching our kids and how we go about building culture. I just think all of that has been growing. Obviously, three straight bowl wins, winning a few Power Fives along the way, and being in the other games that we’ve played, even at Ole Miss last year, we were right in that game deep in the second half. I think all of those experiences grow, and then when you start building, a new team for the year this year, you take those experiences from those who have played in them and hopefully this culture would get even better within the team. I think we just had a really good chemistry and culture with this group. Their grit has shown over and over again to be able to compete and win games. All of that combines to go into the belief that you can walk into a place like Razorback Stadium and play in front of 70-80,000 or whatever it was and compete.”
DID YOU THINK YOU COULD GO TO ARKANSAS AND KEEP UP THAT PACE?
“We were pretty dang dominant for three quarters. I would guess that 50% of their yards came in the fourth quarter, that’s a guess, don’t quote me on that, you’d have to check me. I would guess that. I think there’s no secret our defensive unit has been the most consistent on our squad this year. I’ve said since I got here, my belief is we have to build this around defense and quarterback play. We’ve tried to do that. I think this has been our best defensive unit in our four years here and we were pretty good the last two years. I think this year is our best unit. I think the stats back that up. I think we held them to our lowest per yard carry of the year. I think we are one of only two teams to hold them under 200 yards rushing gained, that other being Alabama, that’s pretty good company.”
HOW INTER RELATED IS LEADING THE NATION IN SACKS AND ALSO PICKING OFF 13 PASSES?
“Very related. I think if you’re crushing the pocket some, you’re getting some tips that create some of that. Then, obviously, the hurried pressures are going to create some quarterbacks to make errant throws. I think all of that is important. That and our tackles for loss that put them behind the chains that create different throws that you have to make. It’s a lot more comfortable making a 3rd and 5 throw or a 3rd and 3 throw, getting it out a little quicker than it is those 3rd and 10s. We’ve been able to put a lot of teams in those scenarios.”
SCHEMATICALLY WITH UCONN, IS THAT WHAT HAS YOUR ATTENTION?
“Monday, for us, with our players, it’s about the truth of the game and then an introduction to what we think we’re facing this week. Then, we usually go out on the field and kind of get a jump start. We didn’t do that today, so we haven’t really talked to our kids a lot about that. To me, it’s more just the way they are competing.”
“Schematically they are good and they’re sound, they’ve had to find ways offensively with some of their injuries to try and maneuver around to score and try to win games. Defensively, they are playing at a very, very high level, that’s concerning to me because I still can’t get out of my mind some of our inconsistencies that can lead us to all of a sudden being in games that are very, very tight even when our defense is playing well. When you see that they are playing at a high level on defense under Coach Mora. He’s got a veteran DC in Spanos. It’s concerning to me, and coming off, obviously, a big win. I know there are still young men in that room that mentally every thing’s a challenge, all of your successes and your failures. How do we handle success? That’s going to be a great test for us this week.”
DID YOU GET A CHANCE TO WATCH MALIK WILLIS LAST NIGHT?
“Man, I did. My bed time is like 8:30. Man, I tried my best. I did see him throw, what I thought were two beautiful passes in one on one coverage that weren’t complete but I thought they were really, really good balls. I did not get to see the second half. Obviously, they were in the game, hopefully he will continue to improve week to week.”
