Liberty has started the season at 5-0 for a second year in a row, but the Flames have taken a different route in 2024 compared to 2023.
Last year, Liberty trailed in two of the team’s first five games and won those contests with an 18.2-point differential. So far this season, the Flames have trailed in all five contests and boast an 11.8-point differential. To say it has been more challenging would be putting it lightly.
The team has not been playing at its optimal level consistently. There have been lapses. There was the 17-3 deficit at New Mexico State, the 17-0 hole against East Carolina, and the overtime game against FIU.
Part of it has probably been with the pressure that has been on the team all season coming off last year’s success when the Flames went 13-1, coasted to the CUSA Championship, and made an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl. Every team has had Liberty circled on its calendar and is aiming to make their season with an upset of the Flames.
“It’s been more challenging this year to get the best out of them, that’s on me,” said head coach Jamey Chadwell. “I’ve got to do a better job. I gotta be hungrier. That all reflects on me. We’ve shown we could be pretty good, but we haven’t shown that consistently enough. That’s where I’ve got to do a better job.”
The Flames have been playing with fire at certain times this season, and it has nearly bit them. If they continue to play with fire, the team will likely get burned. As we see all over the country in college football, the better team on paper loses games each and every week. Liberty has been fortunate it hasn’t happened to them yet this season as they’ve found a way to win, but they must improve and play more consistent in the last half of the year to avoid that setback.
With the cancellation of the game at Appalachian State due to the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene, the Flames are currently in the midst of playing only one game in 32 days. That streak ends when Liberty returns to action Wednesday night at Kennesaw State.
This extended layoff and time in between games has been like a mini-training camp for the Flames at the midpoint of the season. It’s given them a chance to reset, self-scout, and look ahead to the stretch run.
“I think anytime you get a break like that, there’s a reset,” said Chadwell. “You get chances to look internally. As a coach, what have I not done a good job of, as far as getting the team ready to play their best? And then as players, as offense, defense, special teams you look at all those things. It does give you a chance to pause and reflect a little bit and say alright, are we doing too much? Also, it gives a chance for our players to look internally because there’s a lot of challenges that they are going through as well. I do think it came at a good time. You’re disappointed on all the things that have happened, missing the (App) game and all the different things, but I think it came at a good time for what our team needed. We needed a mental opportunity to get away and review some things. I’m excited about us going forward.”
Chadwell hopes this time away has allowed the team to galvanize themselves and attack the rest of the season. Three of Liberty’s next four opponents have a combined record of 3-17. So, the Flames are likely to be heavy favorites for the majority of the next month.
“I think the time away was probably good, a little bit just to give us a chance as coaches to self-scout, see what you are, what you’re doing well, what you’re struggling with. Give your players a chance to do the same, and hopefully for this stretch right here, these next six, be ready from a physical standpoint, more importantly, a mental standpoint.”
Liberty is currently tied atop the CUSA Standings with Western Kentucky at 3-0. Jacksonville State is just behind at 2-0. Every game matters when it comes to the race for the conference title game and potentially hosting that contest.
“This is an opportunity to get another win in conference,” Chadwell said of Wednesday’s game against the Owls. “As all these conference games are going through October, the path’s started laying out, right? Teams are playing each other, so you can see where you fit. We’ve got to go play well. We can’t just assume that we’re better than somebody because the record doesn’t say that. As soon as you do that, you get beat. There’s too many good coaches, too many good players, and they have a lot of pride in their program. If we go down there with a bad attitude like we’re just going to show up, then we can come off with a loss. I expect our team to be hungry and ready to play against a quality opponent.”
Having lost the 12th game on the calendar to events out of the team’s control, the Flames have talked a lot about having the opportunity to earn a game back. One more win and Liberty will be bowl eligible and get to play in a 12th contest. The Flames are also focusing on earning a spot in the CUSA Championship Game to play at least 13 contests.
“I expect our team to be more hungry than theirs,” Chadwell said of Wednesday’s game against Kennesaw State. “We haven’t played (in a while). When we have played, we’ve been up and down a little bit. I expect us consistently now, going forward, after having a chance to look internally, I expect us to play our best football going forward. I really believe that.”
