No. 23 Liberty (7-1) returns to action following the bye week as the Flames head to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks (5-3). The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. EST kick off and will be televised on SEC Network.
The Flames will put their five game win streak on the line and are 13.5 point underdogs against the Razorbacks who have won two straight. Liberty is 0-2 all-time against SEC opponents, losing to Ole Miss, 27-14, on Nov. 6 last season. The Flames also lost to Auburn, 53-0, on Nov. 17, 2018.
“The Hogs are going to be a handful for us,” said Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze. “When you are playing an SEC roster with a Group of Five school it is tough, it’s hard. You can’t even hardly make any mistakes if you want any chance to be in it.
Arkansas and Liberty defeated BYU in consecutive weeks this season, with the Razorbacks besting the Cougars in Provo, Utah, 52-35, and Liberty knocking off BYU, 41-14, in Lynchburg on Oct. 15 and 22, respectively.
Sam Pittman is in his third season as head coach of the Razorbacks. He sports a 17-14 record and led the team to a 9-4 season last year that included a win in the Outback Bowl and a final Top 25 ranking of No. 21. Pittman has been a life long assistant coach, primarily coaching the offensive line. His stops include Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Georgia.
As can be expected, the Razorbacks pride themselves on rushing the ball. They rank sixth in the country with 245.8 yards rushing per game and 13th best in the country with 492.5 yards of total offense. Running back Raheim Sanders leads the SEC in rushing with 1,041 yards. It will be a challenge for the Liberty rushing defense which enters the week ranked 37th nationally in rush defense, allowing 123.2 rushing yards per game.
QB KJ Jefferson is a dual-threat, he is 2nd on the team with 389 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns. Jefferson has also completed 67.6% of his 185 passes for 1,697 yards, 15 touchdowns, and just 1 interception. He has several different receiving options at his disposal, with six different players having at least 10 receptions so far this season. Jadon Haselwood leads the team with 36 receptions to go along with 467 yards and 3 touchdowns. Matt Landers has 29 receptions for 475 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“KJ (Jefferson), I know him well from Sardis, Mississippi,” said Freeze. “He’s as much involved in the run game as he is the pass game which is a challenge. Then, #5, that running back, he’s an SEC dude. I think he’s at the top of the SEC in rushing. Tight end, 7, is a good player. Those wide receivers, then you get to the OLine, it’s the best we’ve faced probably in the four years I’ve been here I would say. They are very seasoned, very physical. It’s going to be a tall, tall challenge.”
Defensively, the Razorbacks are led by defensive coordinator Barry Odom. He has previously held that same position at Memphis and Missouri while also being the head coach at Missouri, where he had a 25-25 record from 2016-2019. Over his career, he has become good friends with Coach Freeze, who calls Odom one of the best defensive coordinators in the game.
“They are bigger, faster, and stronger,” Freeze said of the Arkansas defense. “Barry’s got them playing a lot of multiple looks. The Pool kid I think is maybe the program’s leading tackler of all time, second in the SEC I think right now. Sacks they are up there. 50 is a man up front, very consistent player for them. Sanders, the transfer from Alabama, is a really good player too. They just got healthy in the secondary, more healthy. You’ve got Barry calling it with really good players. They also have Dominique Bowman who is one of my players that I coached. I think I’m somewhat of a mentor to him. I’ve got change, probably, some verbiage too. He played for me and we’ve talked ball a lot. It’s one of those type games.”
PREDICTION
Arkansas 31, Liberty 28
Line: Liberty +13.5
Picks results this year:
Straight-up: 8-0
ATS: 5-3
