Year four of the Hugh Freeze era gets underway with a road trip to Southern Miss on Sept. 3. Today, we continue our early look at Liberty’s 2022 schedule with the home opener in Lynchburg against UAB.
WHO: UAB (9-4, 6-2 CUSA)
WHEN: Sept. 10, 6 pm, ESPN+
WHERE: Williams Stadium (25,000)
SERIES: Liberty leads 1-0
WHAT’S NEW: After seven very successful seasons, head coach Bill Clark stepped down from his post this summer due to health concerns. Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent was promoted and named interim head coach shortly thereafter. Vincent inherits a very talented team that returns eight starters on both sides of the ball and have their eyes set on another conference championship.
WHO TO WATCH, OFFENSE: Quarterback Dylan Hopkins, running backs DeWayne McBride and Jermaine Brown, and wide receiver Trea Shropshire all return to lead a talented group on the offensive side of the ball.
WHO TO WATCH, DEFENSE: Under Coach Clark, the Blazers built their core on defense. That staple should continue to lead the team during this year of transition. Noah Wilder and Keondre Swoopes are returning starters on defense and are first-team all conference type players, as is safety Will Boler.
OUTLOOK: There may be a new coach at the helm, but the expectations will continue to be high for the UAB Blazers. In their last year in Conference USA, UAB will look to win the conference championship and are expected to compete for that crown once again. Many project the Blazers to once again be one of the top Group of Five teams in the country ahead of their move to the American Athletic Conference.
After opening the season at home on a Thursday night against FCS Alabama A&M, UAB will come to Lynchburg looking for a bit of revenge after the Flames spoiled their opener in their brand new home stadium. If the Blazers can get through that speed bump, it should set them up for a very successful season heading into the back half of the season.
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