Brett McMurphy of Action Network is reporting that Liberty will play in the Lending Tree Bowl in Mobile, Alabama on Dec. 18. His report also states that the Flames will face a team from the MAC yet to be announced.
The Lending Tree Bowl will be played this season at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama Campus in Mobile. The game will be televised on ESPN at 5:45 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 18.
In McMurphy’s most updated bowl projections, he has the Flames pegged to play Eastern Michigan in the game. If that is the matchup, it will be a rematch of the Oct. 14, 1989 game when Liberty defeated Eastern Michigan, 25-24 in Ypsilanti, Michigan in the program’s first ever win over an NCAA FBS opponent. The Flames were an FCS member at the time.
Liberty finished the regular season at 7-5 under third year head coach Hugh Freeze. The Flames have lost three straight to end the regular season with losses to Ole Miss, Louisiana, Army after starting the year at 7-2. Liberty picked up four wins over teams that were bowl eligible while playing seven different opponents that qualified for a bowl game.
The Flames will be looking to improve to 3-0 all-time in bowl games following wins over Georgia Southern, 23-16, and Coastal Carolina, 37-34 in overtime, in the Cure Bowl each of the past two seasons.
