It is game week and we are just a few days away from Liberty football kicking off the 2020 season. It has been a long and tumultuous few months since the men’s basketball team won its second consecutive ASUN Championship at the Vines Center on March 8th. That was the last time I attended a sporting event, and I’m sure many of you are in the same category. I’m looking forward to making the trip to Bowling Green this weekend. It’s been a long time coming.
2. One of the main takeaways from Coach Freeze’s press conference last week was all the injuries, especially at receiver. DJ Stubbs, Noah Frith, and CJ Daniels were all mentioned. We also know CJ Yarbrough has missed most of camp due to injury. We should get a lot more information from Freeze’s press conference later today, but this unit is already missing Antonio Gandy-Golden. Stubbs, Frith, and Yarbrough were the three expected starters and the coaching staff has been raving about the true freshman Daniels all camp.
3. Both Liberty and Western Kentucky will be breaking in brand new quarterbacks, and both will be transfers. We should find out Liberty’s new starter later today, but Western Kentucky debuted Maryland transfer Tyrrell Pigrome on Saturday against Louisville. He completed just 10 of 23 passes for 129 yards and 1 touchdown, but Pigrome did lead the team in rushing with 17 carries for 68 yards.
4. One of the things I’m most interested in is Treshaun Clark. Entering his second year as a Flame and with Jessie Lemonier in the NFL, is Clark the next defensive end to develop into a game-wrecker? He has the potential, but he must adjust to being keyed on in opposing team’s scouting reports.
5. We haven’t talked about it much, but I am curious to see how much the team has improved since last year. Unlike a season ago, Coach Freeze has been available all training camp, and he is in his second full season with the team. He’s had a lot more time to mold this team and program how he wants it. It could take a couple games to get the kinks worked out, but this team could end up being much better than the 2019 version despite all the key personnel losses.
