As the schedule turns towards late September and into October, the Flames face several very winnable games, maybe even must-win games, if Coach Freeze is able to deliver on his promise of wanting to get Liberty to its first ever bowl game. It can happen in 2019, but a home game against New Mexico needs to be a win.
New Mexico Lobos
Recommended Blog/Message Board: The Lobo Lair
Conference: Mountain West
Coach: Bob Davie enters his 8th season as head coach at New Mexico. The former Notre Dame head coach got the Lobos to consecutive bowl games in 2015 and 2016, but they have followed that up with back-to-back 3-9 campaigns as Davie finds himself firmly on the hot seat entering 2019.
2018 Record: 3-9, 1-7
Last Season: The Lobos opened the season at 2-1 and 3-2 before 7 straight losses derailed their season for a 2nd consecutive year, finishing 3-9 and failing once again to make a bowl game. Injuries at key positions, including quarterback, hindered the progress of the team as it hit a patch of 3 straight games where UNM failed to score 20 points in the game.
While the offense was inconsistent, the defense has been reliably bad for several years. That unit ranked near the bottom in all of FBS football in 2018, surrendering 40 or more points in 5 games including 52 against Liberty and 61 to Utah State.
With pitiful attendance, a suspension for violating the ethical-conduct clause in his contract, it came as some surprise that Davie was asked to return as head coach for the 2019 season.
2019 Outlook: Davie brought in two new coordinators, hiring the familiar face Joe Dailey on offense and Jordan Peterson to guide the defense. UNM also brought in 15 JUCO players to help rejuvenate the lifeless program.
Dailey, who had a successful run as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Liberty under Coach Gill, takes over a New Mexico offensive unit that returns some talent, with 7 starters returning. The biggest question for Dailey will be who is the quarterback. The Lobos have four signal-callers vying for the starting job. We’re all familiar with the name Tevaka Tuioti who started the game against Liberty before injuries forced him to miss most of the season. Sheriron Jones came in his relief against the Flames and had success moving the ball, throwing for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Lobos nearly made a dramatic come back in their homecoming game. Redshirt-freshman Trae Hall and JUCO transfer Brandt Hughes are also in the mix. A starter is not expected to be named until late in fall camp.
The defense lost 10 starters, as the entire secondary and linebacker corps are virtually gone, forcing Peterson to turn to a mix of underclassmen and those JUCO transfers for 2019. The top pass rushers and play makers are gone, but the defense allowed 36 points and nearly 500 yards of offense per game last season.
New Mexico will attempt to guide a tough Mountain West and a non-conference schedule that includes a trip to South Bend to face the Irish of Notre Dame.
Liberty Game Date: Saturday, September 28
Location: Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, VA
Odds of Liberty Victory: 59 percent
Very Early Outlook: After jumping out to a 42-10 lead in the first meeting between the two programs last year, Liberty was able to hang on to a 52-43 win in New Mexico in a game where the teams combined for over 1,100 yards. This deep into the season, Liberty’s offense should be finding its groove, and, as we all saw last season, the Flames shouldn’t have too much difficulty moving the ball against the Lobos. Buckshot and AGG had a field day last year – Buckshot threw for 417 yards while Antonio Gandy-Golden hauled in 11 passes for 245 yards. If they come anywhere close to those numbers again, this game won’t even be close.
