The Liberty Flames (5-1) hit the road once again for the first of two straight games away from Williams Stadium. This week, the Flames are in Louisiana to take on UL-Monroe (2-3). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST on ESPN+ from Malone Stadium in Monroe, Louisiana.

The Flames and Warhawks met last season on Oct. 10 in Lynchburg with Liberty coming out on top 40-7 thanks to three special teams touchdowns in the first ever meeting between the two teams. The Flames scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone by Treon Sibley who also blocked a punt that was recovered by Chance Smith in the end zone. Demario Douglas also had a punt return for a score. Liberty had a shutout going until late in the fourth quarter when ULM scored with 3:34 to play.

Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze is 2-0 all-time versus ULM, including a 24-19 win by Arkansas State over the Warhawks during the 2011 season. This year’s ULM team is guided by first hear head coach Terry Bowden. The former Auburn head coach has taken over a program that has struggled in the Sun Belt. He has also tasked for West Virginia, Michigan, and Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez as his offensive coordinator.

“I have great respect for Terry Bowden, Tommy Bowden, and obviously that whole family,” said Freeze. “You know he knows how to win football games and prepare a team. Then, Rich Rod is a guy I have had respect for for a long time that’s one of the best offensive minds.”

Louisiana-Monroe began the season with a 45-10 loss at Kentucky before winning their home opener over Jackson State, 12-7. The Warhawks then sprung a surprise upset over Troy, 29-16. The past two weeks have been tough for Coach Bowden and his team, falling at Coastal Carolina, 59-6, and at home against Georgia State last week, 55-21.

On offense, ULM has struggled this season. The Warhawks currently average just 15.6 points per game and are averaging just 237.8 yards of offense each contest. Rich Rod’s son, Rhett Rodriguez began the season as the starting quarterback before suffering from a collapsed lung which caused a brief hospital stay following the Troy game. Chandler Rogers has taken over as the signal caller for Monroe following Rodriguez’s injury.

Rogers, who has played in all five games this season and started the past two, has completed 28 of 50 passes this season for 365 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He leads the team with 52 rushing attempts and is second on the team with 171 rushing yards.

“Chandler throws a good ball, too,” Liberty defensive coordinator Scott Symons said of the ULM quarterback. “I don’t think he gets a lot of credit. They are running him a bunch, but you watch him and he hit Troy throwing vertical seem balls multiple times. He’s a guy that is a younger quarterback. He is extremely athletic. There are a lot of things he can do from a plus one run standpoint that was probably a natural process, but I think he’s evolving into being able to run the whole offense like Rodriguez did when you watch them on film.”

Andrew Henry leads ULM’s running backs with 51 carries for 203 yards and a touchdown. At receiver, Boogie Knight leads the team with 21 receptions for 261 yards. Zach Jackson has 13 receptions for 192 yards and a team leading two touchdowns, and Jared Sparks has 14 catches for 133 yards.

“Every week is a challenge, whether it’s the injuries or COVID or whether it’s travel or whether it’s all that combined with a good opponent,” said Freeze. “This team is extremely athletic. Good gracious do they bring pressure. Probably a higher percentage, I thought Middle was really high, this team is even higher. We struggle some with that. They held Kentucky to 130 yards rushing, which was impressive. Beating Troy was shocking to me because I thought Troy was really, really good on defense. Obviously, a difficult loss to Georgia State last week, Coastal is a really good team.”

NOTABLES

  • The Flames’ defense ranks No. 5 nationally for yards allowed (266.2 ypg), No. 6 for points allowed (14.3 ppg) and No. 11 for sacks (3.33/game). Dating back to last season, Liberty has held eight of its last 10 opponents to 20 points or fewer.
  • Liberty QB Malik Willis has accounted for 20 TDs (13 passing/7 rushing) during the season’s first six games. He and Matt Corral of Ole Miss are the only two QBs ranked among the top 30 nationally for both rushing TDs and passing TDs in 2021.
  • The Flames’ 21-13 victory at Troy on Sept. 11 marked Liberty’s fourth consecutive win over a Sun Belt opponent. The Flames are 7-1 all-time versus Sun Belt opposition, including victories in each of the last two Cure Bowls (vs. Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina).
  • Liberty will look for its first-ever win in the state of Louisiana. The Flames are 1-1 all-time against teams from Louisiana, including a 35-14 loss at Louisiana on Sept. 7, 2019 and a 40-7 home win over ULM on Oct. 10, 2020.
  • Rashaad Harding will play against his former team, ULM, on Saturday. Harding did not play in Liberty’s 40-7 win over ULM on Oct. 10, 2020, as he finished up his three-season Warhawk career in 2019.
  • Liberty will be looking to claim its sixth win of the season on Saturday and become bowl eligible for the third consecutive year. Additionally, the Flames are looking to extend their streak of consecutive seasons with at least six wins to 16 years, one of only eight Division I teams with at least six wins every year since 2006.

QUOTABLES

Hugh Freeze – “I think playing at Monroe is a tougher task than a lot of places. Our kids will be hearing and listening to you should win, you’re this, you’re that. To me, this game signifies a possible sixth win to get bowl eligible in our third straight season which is a goal of mine every year. It is really, really important. We should prepare accordingly to go be tested by a very athletic and veteran coaching staff.”

DC Scott Symons on ULM – “I think they’ve got some good players. It’s going to be a big test. They beat Troy at home, that was a good football team as we know. I think that speaks to what they’re capable of, for sure.”

Rashad Harding on ULM QB Chandler Rogers – “He’s a plus one run quarterback, so he can run the ball at will. We’re going to have to keep him contained and make him a thrower because he can get out and go. We definitely have to contain him.”

Malik Willis on ULM – “I think they are totally different (than last year). They have new coaches, a new staff, some new players. I think they are a new team. They are hungry. We’re going out there and they’re going to try to put a whippin’ on us.”

PREDICTION

Liberty 40, ULM 12

The Flames will look to keep their momentum going this week on the road as Liberty is a 32-point favorite. ULM has had difficulty scoring points and have had trouble slowing their opponents down.