Nearly 800 miles separate the campuses of Liberty University and the University of Southern Miss, but that doesn’t mean the two football programs aren’t familiar with one another heading into their gridiron showdown Saturday at 7 p.m. EST in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
For starters, Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze earned his bachelor’s degree at Southern Miss in 1992; however, he will be coaching at M.M. Roberts Stadium for the first time in his career. Freeze has spent much of his career in his home state, though, coaching at Ole Miss and frequently returning to the state. Freeze is also very close with Southern Miss head coach Will Hall and his family.
“I just know enough about that staff and enough about that program, it’s a very proud program,” Freeze said earlier this week of Southern Miss. “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.”
Additionally, Sam Gregg, who served as Liberty’s offensive line coach for the first three years of Freeze’s tenure in Lynchburg, is now the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Golden Eagles. Liberty co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Josh Aldridge worked under Will Hall from 2014-2016 when Hall was the head coach at West Georgia. Four current Southern Miss assistant coaches were on the staff at West Georgia under Hall, as well.
The two football teams met at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia on Oct. 24, 2020 when the Flames got the upper hand in a 56-35 victory. Malik Willis set a program record with seven touchdowns in the win, six through the air and one on the ground.
Things have changed for both programs since that previous meeting. Of course, Willis is now in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, and Will Hall was not on the sidelines for the Golden Eagles in 2020.
Hall and Southern Miss had a rough go of things in his first season last year. The Golden Eagles finished the 2021 campaign with an overall record of 3-9 and 2-6 mark in Conference USA. USM was ravaged by injuries during the year though, particularly at quarterback, with as many as 10 players taking snaps at the most important position on the team. They won their last two games of the year with running backs taking the majority of the snaps at quarterback.
Now, Hall and Southern Miss have made the move to the Sun Belt Conference where they begin competing this fall, and they will do so with hopefully a healthy quarterback room. They will turn to redshirt-freshman Ty Keyes to lead the way for an offense that hopes to see massive improvement in 2022.
Keyes was an ESPN Top 300 player in the class of 2021 as he was ranked the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in the country and a four-star recruit by ESPN. He played in four games, starting three, as a true freshman last year before suffering a season ending injury. Keys finished the season completing 33 of 65 passes for 355 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions while also rushing 40 times for 55 yards. He probably had his best game of the season at No. 1 Alabama when he completed 11 of 24 passes for 131 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception while also rushing 12 times for 41 yards.
Running back Frank Gore, Jr. and wide receiver Jason Brownlee are talented skill players Hall and Keyes can rely on this season. Gore rushed for 801 yards and 5 touchdowns last season while the 6’3″ Brownlee led the team in receiving with 643 yards and 8 touchdowns on 46 receptions.
“I think this is going to be one of the more improved teams in the nation, truthfully,” said Freeze of Southern Miss. “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.”
The Golden Eagles added four defensive linemen out of the transfer portal and each of them are expected to make an impact on the team this season. Quentin Bivens joins from Ole Miss, Jalil Clemons transferred from Memphis, and Armondous Cooley and Jalen Williams came from Mississippi State and Arkansas, respectively. Additionally, Ole Miss transfer Tylan Knight is expected to play for Southern Miss in the secondary.
“Looking forward to seeing where we are,” Freeze said. “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.
PREDICTION
Liberty 28, Southern Miss 21
