Being awarded with a bowl game, especially the first time in program history, is a big reward for college programs. By getting to play in the Cure Bowl, Liberty has extended its season three additional weeks.
It gives seniors like Buckshot Calvert and Antonio Gandy-Golden one more chance to put on the Liberty uniform, and it also gives Hugh Freeze and the coaching staff extra practice time to get an advanced start on the 2020 football season.
The Flames will have a total of seven extra practices in preparation for the Georgia Southern game on Saturday, and within many of those practices there will be times when there are no seniors on the field. For Monday’s practice, Freeze scheduled 12 plays with no seniors as he gets his first chance to see what the 2020 version of the Liberty football team could look like.
“You’re getting those extra reps,” Freeze said. “It’s not a ton, but it’s still extra work and extra practices. It’s certainly beneficial. It’s quite different than the last two that I was able to be a part of. They were New Year’s Six games. You’ve got a lot of time, maybe too much. I kind of learned my first experience in that maybe I tried to do too much. I think there’s a great balance.”
One of the biggest question marks going into next season will be at quarterback as Auburn transfer Malik Willis and Johnathan Bennett look to battle it out to become Buckshot’s replacement. This extra time of practice, for Willis as Bennett is still recovering from a knee injury, could prove very beneficial for someone like Willis who has spent the 2019 season on the scout team.
The Flames will also be replacing several other key contributors on both sides of the ball as they move towards 2020 so any additional practice time will be beneficial, especially with Virginia Tech as the opening opponent in 2020.
College football has become a year round sport now with recruiting taking over December – February when spring practice begins. The extra few weeks of conditioning and practice could prove beneficial for 2020 as the Flames look to replace so many key contributors on both sides of the ball.
“Yes, we should celebrate,” said Freeze of this time leading up to the bowl game. “Yes, we should have joy. We also should remember there’s a lot of reasons why we got to this point. There’s a lot of things we have to be thankful for. I want all three of things (celebrating, joy, remembrance) to be a part of this week. I don’t want it to be a grind at practice without having some celebration and joy.”
