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 8: western carolina at no. 22 liberty 2020 schedule nov. 14, 2020 / noon / williams stadium / lynchburg, va. at Western Kentucky Sept. 19 | Noon W Houchens-Smith Stadium 30-24 FIU vs. Sept. 26 | 1 p.m. W 2020 Record: ....................................7-0 2020 Record: ............... 0-0, 0-0 SoCon Williams Stadium 36-34 Head Coach: .......................Hugh Freeze Head Coach: ........................Mark Speir Record at Liberty: ........ 15-5 (2nd Year) Record at WCU: ......... 32-60 (9th Year) NORTH ALABAMA Overall Record: ..........57-37 (10th Year) Overall Record: ............................Same Oct. 3 | 1 p.m. W Williams Stadium 28-7 THE MATCHUP (WCU - 2019) Storylines LOUISIANA-MONROE 1) Ranked No. 22 in both FBS national polls, undefeated Liber- Oct. 10 | Noon W 38.0 PPG 18.1 ty (7-0) returns home on Saturday to face a Western Carolina Williams Stadium 40-7 squad making its 2020 season debut. 178 1st DOWNS 198 254.6 YPG RUSH 146.5 YPG 2) Coming off a dramatic 38-35 victory at Virginia Tech, the at Syracuse Flames are 7-0 to start a season for the fi rst time in program Oct. 17 | Noon W 216.0 YPG PASS 178.5 YPG history. They have won nine straight games overall (sec- Carrier Dome 38-21 ond-longest active streak in FBS) and nine consecutive home 470.6 YPG OFFENSE 325.0 YPG contests at Williams Stadium. 2 INT 11 SOUTHERN MISS W 3) The Flames are 3-3 all-time against Western Carolina. How- Oct. 24 | 1 p.m. 35 TDs 27 ever, the two teams have not faced off since 2008. Williams Stadium 56-35 8 FGs 10 4) Liberty QB Malik Willis has been outstanding during his fi rst 34:05 TOP 30:35 six games as a Flame, averaging 100.5 rushing yards/game at Virginia Tech W with seven rushing TDs and completing 67 percent of his pass- Nov. 7 | Noon 311.7 YPG DEFENSE 434.7 YPG es for 1,339 yards and 12 scores. He has accounted for 11 TDs Lane Stadium 38-35 6 INT 4 (nine passing, two rushing) in the last two games. WESTERN CAROLINA 17 SACKS 16 5) Willis is one of four Flames with a 100-yard rushing game this season, as Liberty ranks No. 12 nationally with 254.6 rushing Nov. 14 | Noon yards per game. The Flames are 11-0 under Hugh Freeze when Williams Stadium outrushing their opponent, including 6-0 this season. at NC State 6) The Liberty defense ranks among the nation's leaders in total yards allowed (No. 17, 311.7 yards/game). Last week, the Nov. 21 | TBA Flames limited the nation's No. 4-ranked rushing off ense (Vir- Carter-Finley Stadium ginia Tech) to a season-low 201 yards on the ground. 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 108-161, 1339 YDS 30 CATCHES 87 CARRIES 47 TACKLES 12 TD/1 INT 399 YARDS 466 YARDS 3.0 TFL 603 RUSH YDS 3 TD 2 TD 2 INT MALIK WILLIS DJ STUBBS JOSHUA MACK ANTHONY BUTLER #RiseWithUS‹ 1 › #TOUGHERTOGETHER MEDIA INFORMATION 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Walk Thru Practice No Practice Practice Practice Practice Walk Thru Practice Gameday 3:00-4:00 p.m. (Players' Day Off ) 9:00-10:55 a.m. 9:00-10:50 a.m. 10:00-11:30 a.m. 4:15-5:00 p.m. Western Carolina at Liberty No Media Interviews No Media Interviews Williams Stadium Coach Freeze Press Post Practice Post Practice Post Practice Noon Eastern Conference Interviews with Select Interviews with Select Interviews with Post Game 10:30 a.m. Off ensive Players Defensive Players Coach Freeze Coach Freeze is available 11:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Assistant Coach following the game. Players will follow after Media Availability Coach Freeze. 11:00 a.m. LIBERTY UNIVERSITY INFORMATION GAME INFORMATION - NOON EASTERN KICKOFF School . Liberty University WATCH LISTEN Location . Lynchburg, Va. Matt Warner (Play-by-Play) Alan York (Play-by-Play) Founded . 1971 Joe Jauch (Color Analyst) Paul Rutigliano (Color Analyst) Enrollment . 15,000 Emily Austen (Sidelines) Nick Pierce (Sidelines) Matt Byrd (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 CATAMOUNTS A Liberty Win Would ... W L Pct. BYU 8 0 1.000 Although Liberty and Western Carolina are • Mark the Flames' third straight win in the head-to-head Liberty 7 0 1.000 meeting for the fi rst time in 12 years, the Cata- series with Western Carolina, giving Liberty a 4-3 edge in Army 6 1 .857 mounts are the second most familiar opponent the all-time series. UMass 0 2 .000 on the Flames' 2020 schedule (following Coast- New Mexico State * 0 0 .000 1 al Carolina). Entering Saturday's matchup, the UConn * 0 0 .000 Flames have faced WCU six times. That is more • Extend the Flames' best-ever start to a season to 8-0. It * - Not playing during fall 2020 games than Liberty had played against its fi rst seven oppo- would give Liberty its 12th 8-win season in program history nents combined (four), prior to the 2020 season. and second in a row. Saturday, Oct. 3 Liberty 28, North Alabama 7 Liberty has rushed for 200+ yards in all but two • Represent the Flames' 10th consecutive win overall, dating Army 55, Abilene Christian 23 games this season. The Flames currently rank No. 12 nationally with 254.6 rushing yards per back to last season.