It happens every year. Football teams lose games that they had no business dropping, getting upset in the proverbial trap game. Liberty has not been immune to this over the years either. Just last season, the Flames lost to Louisiana-Monroe despite being a 32.5 point favorite entering the contest.
As we prepare for the upcoming 2022 football season, here are three games that Liberty must not overlook or they could become a trap game.
AKRON
Liberty opens the season with three very challenging games – @ Southern Miss, UAB, @ Wake Forest. The Flames could drop any or all of those games, but following that season opening stretch, it is the fourth game on the schedule that is the first of our potential trap games.
The Flames play host to Akron in late September a week after playing at Wake Forest and a week before the in-state rivalry game with Old Dominion. The Zips were 2-10 last season, but entering the 2022 campaign with a brand new head coach in Joe Moorhead the former offensive coordinator at Oregon and Mississippi State head coach.
UCONN
Two of the most highly anticipated games on the 2022 schedule for the Flames are Arkansas and Virginia Tech. Well, there is one game sandwiched in between those two games against UConn. The Huskies were just 1-11 last season and haven’t won more than three games in a season since 2015. UConn is entering their first year under new head coach Jim Mora who will be looking to place his stamp on the FBS Independent program.
NEW MEXICO STATE
Following a tough stretch of games late in the year and just one week after the home date against Virginia Tech, the Flames play host to future Conference USA opponent New Mexico State. If Liberty has already clinched its bowl eligibility then the regular season finale could easily become a trap game. The Aggies were just 2-10 in 2021 and will be led this coming year by former Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill.
