Liberty tight end Michael Bollinger suffered a fractured leg Saturday against Buffalo and will miss the rest of the 2019 season.
“The worst part of coaching is seeing kids work so hard and then have injuries,” Freeze said. “Bollinger was coming on for us. He really was doing some neat things and was probably the most physical guy we have in our short yardage and our 12 personnel package. He had put himself in a position where he was in that starting group, just hate that for him. We’ll miss him. We’re thin, and then you lose a kid like that that can do some things for us that are really helping us. It’s disappointing. I hate it. He’s having surgery today to put a plate in, disappointed for him and his family.”
Bollinger caught a 19-yard touchdown pass on Liberty’s opening drive against the Bulls to give the Flames a 7-0 lead. It was his 2nd career reception, both going for touchdowns, as he caught an 18 yard touchdown in the 2018 season finale against Norfolk State.
He began his Liberty career as a fullback, joining the program in 2017, playing in six games as a true freshman. Last year, he played in all 12 games, finishing the season with 3 tackles and 3 kickoff returns for 34 yards. As Freeze doesn’t use a fullback in his offense, Bollinger was moved to tight end during the offseason.
Bollinger has played in 21 games in his career, including all three this season, while also making one start. The junior still has a redshirt season available. Liberty will turn to Johnny Huntley, Chris Barrett, and Zac Foutz at tight end in Bollinger’s absence.
