2020 Football Notes
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LIBERTY FLAMES @LibertyFootball 2020 FOOTBALL GAME NOTES @LibertyFootball Todd Wetmore, Associate AD for Athletics Communications · Cell: (434) 841-8974 · Email: [email protected] GAME 7: No. 25 Liberty at virginia tech 2020 schedule nov. 7, 2020 / noon / lane stadium / blacksburg, va. at Western Kentucky Sept. 19 | Noon W Houchens-Smith Stadium 30-24 FIU at Sept. 26 | 1 p.m. W 2020 Record: ................................... 6-0 2020 Record: .................... 4-2, 4-2 ACC Williams Stadium 36-34 Head Coach: .......................Hugh Freeze Head Coach: .................... Justin Fuente Record at Liberty: ........ 14-5 (2nd Year) Record at VT: ............... 37-22 (5th Year) NORTH ALABAMA Overall Record: .........56-37 (10th Year) Overall Record: ..........63-45 (9th Year) Oct. 3 | 1 p.m. W Williams Stadium 28-7 THE MATCHUP Storylines LOUISIANA-MONROE 1) Ranked in the Top 25 for the fi rst time at the FBS level, AP Oct. 10 | Noon W 38.0 PPG 37.7 No. 25 Liberty (6-0) will travel across the Commonwealth on Williams Stadium 40-7 Saturday to square off with Virginia Tech (4-2, 4-2 ACC). 149 1st DOWNS 144 255.5 YPG RUSH 290.2 YPG 2) Liberty will att empt to start a season 7-0 for the fi rst time at Syracuse in program history. The Flames have won eight straight games Oct. 17 | Noon W 215.8 YPG PASS 182.7 YPG overall, dating back to 2019. That ranks as the nation's sec- Carrier Dome 38-21 ond-longest active winning streak (Notre Dame - 12). 471.3 YPG OFFENSE 472.8 YPG 2 INT 4 3) The Flames are 0-1 versus the Hokies and 1-8 all-time against SOUTHERN MISS W ACC opponents. However, that lone victory came at Syracuse Oct. 24 | 1 p.m. 30 TDs 27 (38-21) on Oct. 17. Williams Stadium 56-35 7 FGs 12 4) Liberty QB Malik Willis has been outstanding during his fi rst 33:31 TOP 31:25 fi ve games as a Flame, averaging 99.0 rushing yards/game at Virginia Tech (tops among FBS QBs) with six rushing TDs and completing 67 Nov. 7 | Noon 294.0 YPG DEFENSE 459.8 YPG percent of his passes for 1,122 yards and nine scores. He posted Lane Stadium 6 INT 8 a program-record seven TDs (six passing, one rushing) during Liberty's 56-35 win over Southern Miss on Oct. 24. 17 SACKS 21 WESTERN CAROLINA 5) Willis is one of four Flames with a 100-yard rushing game Nov. 14 | Noon this season, as Liberty ranks No. 6 nationally with 255.5 rushing Williams Stadium yards per game. The Flames racked up 338 yards on the ground during their fi rst ACC meeting of the season at Syracuse. They at NC State are 10-0 under Hugh Freeze when outrushing their opponent. Nov. 21 | TBA 6) The Liberty defense ranks among the nation's leaders in to- Carter-Finley Stadium tal yards allowed (No. 10, 294.0 yards/game). The Flames have recorded eight takeaways in the last four games. UMASS Nov. 27 | Noon Williams Stadium at Coastal Carolina Dec. 5 | TBA Brooks Stadium. 24 | 2 HOW TO FOLLOW THE FLAMES this week PASSING RECEIVING RUSHING DEFENSE TV RADIO 88-131, 1122 YDS. 27 CATCHES 68 CARRIES 41 TACKLES 9 TD/1 INT 375 YARDS 376 YARDS 3.0 TFL 495 RUSH YDS. 3 TD 2 TD 2 INT MALIK WILLIS DJ STUBBS JOSHUA MACK ANTHONY BUTLER #RiseWithUS‹ 1 › #TOUGHERTOGETHER MEDIA INFORMATION 1234567 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Walk Thru Practice Practice No Practice Practice Practice Walk Thru Practice Gameday 3:00-4:00 p.m. 9:00-11:10 a.m. (Players' Day Off ) 9:00-11:00 a.m. 10:00-11:30 a.m. 4:15-5:00 p.m. Liberty at Virginia Tech No Media Interviews No Media Interviews Lane Stadium Coach Freeze Press Post Practice Post Practice Noon Eastern Conference Interviews with Interviews with Post Game 11:35 a.m. Select Players Coach Freeze Coach Freeze is available 11:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Assistant Coach following the game. Players will follow after Media Availability Coach Freeze. Noon LIBERTY UNIVERSITY INFORMATION GAME INFORMATION - NOON EASTERN KICKOFF School . Liberty University WATCH LISTEN Location . Lynchburg, Va. Chris Cott er (Play-by-Play) Alan York (Play-by-Play) Founded . 1971 Mark Herzlich (Color Analyst) Paul Rutigliano (Color Analyst) Enrollment . 15,000 Taylor Davis (Sidelines) Nick Pierce (Sidelines) Aaron Owens (Producer) Acting President . .Dr. Jerry Prevo Director of Athletics . Ian McCaw Founder . Dr. Jerry Falwell Affi liation . NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Nickname . Flames MEDIA INFORMATION The Liberty Athletics Department is served by an athletics communications offi ce staff that works diligently to promote Mascot . Sparky the individual and team accomplishments of student-athletes, coaches, and staff . The offi ce members handle all sport and Colors . .Red, White, & Blue department communications and media relations needs and work to serve the working media. Conference . Independent Athletics Website . LibertyFlames.com Credentials Due to space limitations in the Williams Stadium East Tower press box because of social distancing requirements, Offi cial Athletics Twitt er . @LibertyFlames credential requests will be handled on a game-by-game basis during the 2020 season. Priority seating in the press box will Off cial Athletics Facebook . LibertyFlamesAthletics be given to the primary media that covers Liberty Athletics on a regular basis. All approved media credentials will be left at Offi cial Athletics Instagram . @LibertyFlames the Media Will Call window at the East Tower Ticket Booth. Offi cial Football Twitt er . @LibertyFootball Work-Related Equipment Bags Offi cial Football Instagram . @LibertyFootball Members of the media will be allowed to bring work-related equipment bags (laptop computers, radio/TV broadcast equipment, still and video cameras, etc.) through the Media entrance near the East Ticket Booth. Work-related equipment LIBERTY FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF bags will be searched by Williams Stadium security. Hugh Freeze . Head Coach Postgame Interviews Kent Austin . Co-Off ensive Coordinator/QB All postgame interviews will be conducted by Microsoft Teams virtual calls during the 2020 season. No media will have Maurice Harris . .Co-Off ensive Coordinator/WR access to the sidelines or the Liberty Football Center this season. Todd Wetmore, Liberty Associate AD for Communications, Ben Aigamaua . .Assistant Coach/TE will ask for requests during the fourth quarter of the contest and the link to the virtual postgame press conference will be provided on game day. Bruce Johnson . Assistant Coach/RB Sam Gregg . .Assistant Coach/OL Parking Scott Symons . Defensive Coordinator/LB Liberty University has designated the Yellow Lot on University Blvd. (Speakman Lot near the Liberty University Bookstore) as reserved media parking for home football contests. Please contact the Liberty Athletics Communications Offi ce to obtain Josh Aldridge . .Assistant Coach/DL a parking pass and information on how to access the lot on game day. Rickey Hunley . Assistant Coach/CB Corey Batoon . Assistant Coach/S Photographers Tanner Burns . .Special Teams Coordinator Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and new sideline restrictions determined by the NCAA, no external media groups will have Dominic Studzinski . Strength and Conditioning Coach access to the Williams Stadium sidelines during the 2020 season. The sidelines at Williams Stadium will be reserved for the two teams and game offi cials, who are following proper COVID-19 testing policies, as well as Liberty University staff Darry Marshall . Assistant AD/Chief of Staff members that meet COVID-19 testing or screening protocols. Liberty Athletics will station multiple photographers and SJ Tuohy . .Assistant AD/Director of Football Ops video team members on the sidelines who will capture photos and video throughout each home game. Liberty Athletics will Kyle DeArmon . Off ensive Quality Control provide links to download both photo and video content prior to each game. Any external media outlet that has a specifi c photo/video request should direct your requests to Todd Wetmore, Liberty Associate AD for Communications, on game day. RJ Fleming. Off ensive Quality Control Jordan Cantrell . Defensive Quality Control CollegePressbox.com Eric Ponio . Defensive Quality Control CollegePressBox.com is the offi cial media website for Division I football. Access and download weekly game notes, quotes, statistics, media guides, headshots, logos, and more for each conference and its member schools. Register for access at CollegePressBox.com/register. #RiseWithUS‹ 2 › #TOUGHERTOGETHER MATCHUP NOTES FBS INDEPENDENTS “4 DOWNS” WITH THE HOKIES A Liberty Win Would ... W L Pct. BYU 7 0 1.000 Liberty is ranked No. 25 in this week's AP Poll, • Mark the Flames' fi rst-ever victory over Virginia Tech. Liberty 6 0 1.000 marking the Flames' fi rst FBS Top 25 appear- Army 6 1 .857 ance. Liberty and Virginia Tech have met once • Give the Flames their best-ever start to a season at 7-0. UMass 0 1 .000 previously, a 36-13 win for the Hokies, Sept. 3, New Mexico State * 0 0 .000 1 2016 in Blacksburg. The game marked Justin UConn * 0 0 .000 Fuente's debut as Virginia Tech head coach. • Give the Flames a 2-0 record versus ACC opponents this * - Not playing during fall 2020 Only one current Flame (CB Jimmy Faulks) appeared in that season, enabling them to join the winner of the Clemson/ game. Faulks made one solo tackle in his collegiate debut. Notre Dame game as the only team who has faced multiple Friday, Oct. 2 ACC foes in 2020 and maintained an unbeaten record. BYU 45, Louisiana Tech 14 Saturday's game will match up two of the top six rushing teams in FBS football. Virginia Tech Saturday, Oct.