The Liberty Flames will kick off their 2022 season in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where they will clash against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
On September 3rd, the Flames will make their first visit to the Eagles’ MM Roberts Stadium, known by many as “The Rock.” The Rock was built in 2008 and can hold up to a crowd of 36,000, though it averages about 28,000 per game. In 2015 the Rock exceeded capacity in a record attendance of 36,641 fans when the Eagles hosted Mississippi State.
The Flames and Eagles football teams have only met once before when the Eagles visited Liberty Mountain in October of 2020. In that matchup, the Flames successfully defended the Mountain with a 56-35 victory.
In January of this year, Will Hall, the Eagles’ head coach, announced that the team was expecting to add 26 players to the roster for the 2022 season. The added players include two new quarterbacks, a position Southern Miss desperately needs to improve for the 2022 season.
It is important to note that Southern Miss is Hugh Freeze’s alma mater. Freeze graduated from Southern Miss in 1992. Southern Miss also hired former Flames offensive line coach Sam Gregg as their offensive coordinator/offensive line coach for the 2022 season.
Southern Miss plays in the Sun Belt West Division with teams like Louisiana and Arkansas State. Last season, the Eagles featured a 2-6 conference record and a 3-9 record overall.
The Eagles’ last bowl game appearance was in January of 2020 at the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. The last time the Eagles were ranked in the AP poll was week 16 of the 2011 season.
Coach Hall is going into his second full season with the team. Hall began his journey as head coach with the Eagles after the previous head coach (Jay Hopson) resigned after the first game of the 2020 season.
During the 1999 and 2000 seasons, Hall played quarterback for the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers. Hall has since continued his career in college football performing various coaching jobs for a few different schools. Hall’s first head coaching job was for the University of West Alabama (2011-2013). He also was the head coach for the University of West Georgia during the 2014-2016 seasons.
Three Players to Watch For
WR #17 Jason Brownlee started in all 12 games last season and led the team with 46 catches, 643 yards, and 8 touchdown catches.
RB #3 Frank Gore Jr. had 179 attempts, 801 yards, and 5 touchdowns last season. Gore also showcased an ability to precisely throw the ball when he was forced to play emergency quarterback against LA Tech in 2021.
CB #18 Natrone Brooks is a fast defensive back who had 18 individual tackles and 1 pick-six last season. Brooks is a leader for the defense who does not shy away from contact.
Upcoming Games
Sept. 3 – Southern Miss vs. Liberty
Sept. 10 – Southern Miss @ #16 Miami FL
Sept. 17 – Southern Miss vs. Northwestern State
