SENIOR DAY

Saturday’s game against New Mexico State marks Senior Day for the Liberty football team in 2022. There will be 21 players honored during the pregame ceremony – Aidan Alves, Michael Bollinger, Charlie Brewer, Brody Brumm, Khaleb Coleman, Daniel Darko, Micah Glaize, TJ Green, Jerome Jackson, Durrell Johnson, Cooper McCaw, Austin Mock, Dennis Osagiede, Carl Poole, Javon Scruggs, Caleb Snead, Jason Stricker, Juawan Treadwell, Naasir Watkins, and Rashad Whitehead.

“The 20 or so seniors that we have walking Saturday, it will be really bitter sweet because some of those were here when I arrived and helped us take this thing from FCS to four straight bowl games and a lot of great wins and a lot of great close losses,” said Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze. “Who would have thought we would be playing ACC teams as well as we were in Year 4 or 3 or 2, whatever it’s been. The credit goes to those guys that decided they wanted to be the core and leadership of this team and demand that we chase a certain standard. I’m going to have to say goodbye to a lot of those guys this Saturday, that will be extremely sad. Hopefully everyone is on the same page of how they deserve to be sent out.”

Freeze expanded upon what this group has meant to him and this program as the Flames have transitioned from the FCS to FBS over their career.

“You spend as much time as we do together, we try to run this as a family,” he said. “I take pride in the relationships I have with our players. Over a four year span, as opposed to year one or year two, there’s going to be some emotional goodbyes. Not goodbyes, yet, but you know it’s the last game some of them are going to play for you in Williams Stadium anyway. We will get to enjoy a bowl game, but it will be some emotional involved, I’m sure, for them and for me.”

CLOSE GAMES

Each of Liberty’s past three games have been decided by three points or fewer, continuing a trend of close games this year. The Flames have defeated Southern Miss, Gardner-Webb, and Arkansas in games decided by three points or fewer while dropping close contests to Wake Forest, UConn, and Virginia Tech. The Flames are 3-3 in such games.

Liberty’s six games decided by three points or fewer are tied for the most in a single season in program history. Liberty has had the most games decided by three points or fewer this season of any FBS member, followed by East Carolina and North Carolina with five each..

SETTLING ON ONE QB

Freeze says he wants to settle on just one quarterback entering this week’s game against the Aggies. This is different in what has happened the past two games, both losses, when the Flames went with two quarterbacks in the game plan in Johnathan Bennett and Kaidon Salter. Freeze says that Charlie Brewer is also an option to play this week.

“We’ve got to decide on one,” said Freeze on Monday. “We can play one. Then, if something happens and he doesn’t play well, we’ll obviously have to go another direction, but I don’t want to approach practice like that. We’ve got to decide on one. We plan to do that by the end of Tuesday and go with that one.”

DURRELL JOHNSON CLOSING OUT RECORD SEASON

Liberty senior defensive end Durrell Johnson has had an All-American worthy season. He has racked up 47 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 3 fumble recovers, and an interception. He currently leads the country in tackles for loss, ranks third in fumble recoveries, and No. 25 in sacks.

Johnson is currently second on Liberty’s single-season list with 21.5 tackles for loss, only trailing Jason Wells who had 25.0 in 2000. He’s also currently in 5th place on the career TFL list for the Flames with 39.0. Aaron DeBerry leads this list with 45, followed by Chima Uzowihe (44), Seth Reichart (41), and Jason Wells (40).

“He leads the nation in tackles for loss. I think he ought to be,” Freeze said of him being an All-American. “I don’t know how many different All-American teams there are. It’s certainly hard to compare with so many different conferences, Power Five, G5. Is there a G5 All-American team? He ought to be on something. I don’t know. How many teams are there, first, second, third? He ought to be on one of those.”

INJURY REPORT

LB Mike Smith, Jr. returned to action last week against Virginia Tech. He got injured in the second half of the Arkansas game, was a game time decision at UConn before being a late scratch. Quinton Reese also returned to action last week against the Hokies after being injured during warmups prior to the game in Connecticut, forcing him to miss the game.

Those who remain out with long-term injuries include RB Dae Dae Hunter, LB Kaci Seegars, OL Jacob Bodden, WR Eddie Ogle, TE Brayden Monday, and DL Marquise Brunson.