The Liberty Flames (5-3) and UMass Minutemen (1-7) are set to resume their brand new rivalry following last season’s UMass win, 62-59, in triple overtime. That was the FBS Independents first ever meeting, but it won’t be the last as they are scheduled to meet every year through 2025.

Both are breaking in first-year head coaches this season as the Flames are now led by Hugh Freeze and Walt Bell is in his first season as head coach at UMass. It has been a bumpy road for Bell and the Minutemen in 2019 as they opened the season with four straight losses including a 45-20 loss in their home opener to FCS Southern Illinois. Their only win came against winless Akron, 37-29.

On offense, UMass is averaging 22.4 points per game in Bell’s new offense, which is eerily similar to what Liberty runs. They’ve rotated through three different quarterbacks this season, as Andrew Brito, Randall West, and Michael Curtis have all started at least two games. This trio has combined to throw for 1,416 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Redshirt-sophomore Andrew Brito played the entire game last week against UConn, and the Flames’ are preparing for him to get the call again this week.

Bilal Ally is leading the way at running back, as he has rushed for 628 yards and 6 touchdowns. A number of receivers have made impacts this year with seven different playmakers hauling in 11 or more receptions. Jermaine Johnson and Zak Simon are the top two receivers, each with just over 250 receiving yards.

“They’re definitely a lot bigger than we are in their o-line,” Freeze said earlier this week. “Their tackles are 6’8″, 6’7″. They are really big. Their guards are 6’1″, 6’5″, one’s 6’3″. Their offensive line is going to be quite a bit bigger than our defensive line. Most offensive lines are bigger than our defensive line right now, and we’ve seemed to manage ok up front. The good thing is we will be able to present to our defense exactly what they will see because it’s a mirror image of who we are. It’s identical, same RPOs, same runs, same sets. They may go a little bit more 2-by-2 spread than we do, but that’s typically when they’ve gotten behind a bit. If they can stay in the game, they stay in their comfort zone which is the RPO world.”

To say UMass has been bad on defense would be an understatement. They are dead last in scoring defense, allowing over 50 points per game to opponents. The Minutemen are also dead last in total defense, surrendering over 550 yards per game, and last in rushing defense. UMass has given up 44 or more points in every one of their losses, only holding Akron below that mark in a UMass win.

Louisiana Tech scored 69 points on UMass, a mark that could have been much higher as they had 42 points early in the 2nd quarter and 52 points at halftime. Coastal Carolina also eclipsed the 60 point, scoring 62 in their win over UMass on September 21st.

NOTABLES

  • UMass is allowing 50.6 points per game this season.
  • In Liberty’s loss at UMass a season ago, Buckshot Calvert threw four interceptions. He has just three interceptions through eight games this season.
  • In that crazy game last year, the Minutemen racked up 777 yards of offense while WR Andy Isabella had a career game, finishing with 9 receptions for 303 yards and 2 touchdowns.
  • Liberty WR Antonio Gandy-Golden is 2nd in the country in receiving yards with 945. He only trails Arkansas State’s Omar Bayless who has 1,070.
  • The Flames have lost 13 straight contests north of the Mason-Dixon Line with the last win coming against Ball State on September 11, 2010.

QUOTABLES

QB Buckshot Calvert on his film study helping him reduce his turnovers – “It helps me a lot. Coach Austin does a really good job, and Coach DeArmon does a really good job breaking down the stats and coverage-wise percentage of all the coverages they run, down and distance, what’s their main coverages. We learn to attack those coverages on certain situations and definitely gives me a way better picture to see when it comes to game time.”

RB Joshua Mack on the team’s mindset this week – “I think (the loss to Rutgers) left a bad taste in our mouth that we want to get back this week. It’s a one game season.”

PREDICTION

Liberty 46, UMass 35

The Flames get back to their winning ways and stay on track to become bowl eligible.