Liberty (3-0, 2-0 CUSA) steps out of conference play to take on the East Carolina Pirates (2-1, 0-0 American) on Saturday. Kickoff from Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+.
The Flames have never faced ECU on the gridiron and are seeking their first-ever victory over an AAC opponent. Liberty has only faced one AAC opponent previously, a 29-14 loss at SMU in 2016. That game was played when the Flames were an FCS member and SMU has now moved to the ACC.
Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell and current East Carolina head coach Mike Houston have met as head coaches four times before. Chadwell’s Charleston Southern Buccaneers topped Houston’s The Citadel Bulldogs three times head-to-head in 2014 and 2015. That included a 14-6 CSU win over The Citadel in the 2015 FCS Playoffs. They also met when each were head coaches at Division II stops in 2011.
“They’ve been well established,” Chadwell said of East Carolina. “Coach Houston has done a great job there, and they’ve won a lot of big games. If you think about college football in the region here, they’re one that always comes up. They’re extremely talented.”
The Pirates are 2-1 on the season, following wins over Norfolk State (42-3) and Old Dominion (20-14). They are coming off a 21-19 against Appalachian State in a game in which they led 16-0 in the first quarter before surrendering 21 unanswered points.
The two wins matches the amount of wins ECU had last season in a very disappointing 2-10 season. This year, the Pirates expect to get back to a bowl game and could challenge in the American.
John David Baker is in his first season as East Carolina’s offensive coordinator. He comes to Greenville after three years at Ole Miss where he served as the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, working under Lane Kiffin.
A former four-star recruit, Jake Garcia is at ECU after beginning his career at Miami and then transferring to Missouri. He has completed 66 of 102 passes for 817 yards, 5 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. His 8 picks are the most thrown by not just any player but any team in the country. Garcia is not much of a dual-threat option. He has 24 rushes in three games this season but has only run for 23 yards.
Garcia has had three primary targets in Anthony Smith, Winston Wright, Jr., and Casey Kelly. Smith, a transfer from NC State, leads the team with 15 receptions and 212 yards to go along with 1 touchdown in his first three games at ECU.
Wright transferred to ECU from Florida State prior to this season, he has 13 catches for 162 yards and a score in three games.
Kelly, also a transfer, came to the Pirates from Oregon where he spent the 2023 season following four years at Ole Miss. He played in four games with the Ducks and played 33 snaps in the Fiesta Bowl against Liberty. The tight end has 11 receptions for 98 yards and a score for ECU so far this season.
Another tight end, Desirrio Riles leads the team with 2 touchdown receptions. He has 3 catches for 57 yards so far this year.
Rahjai Harris is the do-everything running back for East Carolina. He has 50 carries in three games for 242 yards and two touchdowns with a long of 63. He also has three receptions for nine yards. He led the team in rushing last year with 485 yards on 129 carries with five touchdowns.
The defense will present a big challenge to the Liberty offense. The Pirates have kept their opponents to 21 points or fewer in each contest so far this year, as Appalachian State reached that mark this past Saturday.
East Carolina has been really good against the run this year, holding all three opponents under 100 yards rushing while only allowing 1.8 yard per rush. They’ve also been very good on third down, giving up third down conversions only 25% of the time through the first three games.
“It’s obviously the biggest challenge we’ve had to in my two seasons, (at Liberty),” Chadwell said of this week’s game. “They’re the most talented team that’s come in to Lynchburg, by far, in all three phases. They’re big and they’re fast. They play with unbelievable effort, and they play disciplined.”
PREDICTION
Liberty 27, East Carolina 23
Line: Liberty -7
Picks results this year:
Straight-up: 3-0
ATS: 3-0
