2020 Football Notes
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@LibertyFootball liberty flames @LibertyFootball 2020 football GAME NOTES Todd Wetmore, Associate AD for Athletics Communications · Cell: (434) 841-8974 · Email: [email protected] GAME 1: liberty at western kentucky 2020 schedule sept. 19, 2020 / noon EDT / houchens-smith stadium / bowling green, ky. at Western Kentucky Sept. 19 | Noon Houchens-Smith Stadium FIU at Sept. 26 | 1 p.m. 2020 Record: ................................... 0-0 2020 Record: ................ 0-1, 0-0 C-USA Williams Stadium Head Coach: .......................Hugh Freeze Head Coach: ..................... Tyson Helton Record at Liberty: ..........8-5 (2nd Year) Record at WKU: ............. 9-5 (2nd Year) NORTH ALABAMA Overall Record: .........50-37 (10th Year) Overall Record: ............................Same Oct. 3 | 1 p.m. Williams Stadium THE MATCHUP (LU - 2019 stats) Storylines LOUISIANA-MONROE 1) Liberty (0-0) will kick off its 48th football season Saturday Oct. 10 | 1 p.m. 32.8 PPG 21.0 at Western Kentucky (0-1, 0-0 C-USA), the Flames' fi rst of two Williams Stadium straight Conference USA opponents to start the year (also 289 1st DOWNS 12 Sept. 26 vs. FIU). 150.5 YPG RUSH 119.0 YPG at Syracuse 2) Both Liberty and Western Kentucky won bowl games under Oct. 17 | TBA 288.9 YPG PASS 129.0 YPG the direction of fi rst-year head coaches in 2019. Hugh Freeze Carrier Dome led the Flames to a Cure Bowl victory, while Tyson Helton 439.4 YPG OFFENSE 248.0 YPG coached the Hilltoppers to a win in the First Responder Bowl. 8 INT 0 SOUTHERN MISS 3) Liberty begins its third FBS campaign looking to continue Oct. 24 | 1 p.m. 56 TDs 3 making history. The 2018 Flames became the ninth team ever Williams Stadium 13 FGs 0 to win 6+ games in their FBS debut season. The 2019 Flames were the third team to win a bowl game during their fi rst sea- 27:36 TOP 27:27 son of bowl eligibility. at Virginia Tech Nov. 7 | TBA 409.2 YPG DEFENSE 487.0 YPG 4) The Flames are 2-0 all-time versus WKU, but the two teams Lane Stadium 12 INT 1 have not met since Oct. 19, 1996. WESTERN CAROLINA 35 SACKS 1 5) Liberty, LSU and Oklahoma are the only FBS teams who have to replace a 3,000-yard passer (Stephen Calvert), a 1,000-yard Nov. 14 | 1 p.m. rusher (Frankie Hickson) and a 1,000-yard receiver (current Williams Stadium Washington Football Team WR Antonio Gandy-Golden) this season. at NC State 6) One of two transfers is expected to make his starting QB de- Nov. 21 | TBA but for the Flames on Saturday, including Malik Willis (Auburn) Carter-Finley Stadium and Chris Ferguson (Maine). See page 4 for a list of Liberty's top performances by QBs in their Flames starting debuts. at Coastal Carolina Dec. 5 | TBA Brooks Stadium - Home - Away All Times Listed Are Eastern HOW TO FOLLOW THE FLAMES this week TV RADIO PASSING RECEIVING RUSHING DEFENSE 32 CATCHES 136 CARRIES 58 TACKLES 401 YARDS 792 YARDS 4.5 TFL 3 TD 7 TD 2 INT MALIK WILLIS DJ STUBBS JOSHUA MACK JAVON SCRUGGS #RiseWithUS‹ 1 › #TOUGHERTOGETHER MEDIA INFORMATION 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 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. Liberty at No Media Interviews No Media Interviews Western Kentucky Coach Freeze Press Post Practice Post Practice Post Practice Houchens-Smith Stadium Conference Interviews with Select Interviews with Select Interviews with Noon Eastern 10:30 a.m. Off ensive Players Defensive Players Coach Freeze Post Game 11:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Assistant Coach Coach Freeze is available following the game. Players Media Availability will follow after Coach 11:00 a.m. Freeze. LIBERTY UNIVERSITY INFORMATION GAME INFORMATION - NOON EASTERN KICKOFF School . Liberty University WATCH LISTEN Location . Lynchburg, Va. Clay Matvick (Play-by-Play) Alan York (Play-by-Play) Founded . 1971 Rocky Boiman (Color Analyst) Paul Rutigliano (Color Analyst) Enrollment . 15,000 Mike Moore (Producer) Nick Pierce (Sidelines) 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 HILLTOPPERS A Liberty Win Would ... Overall Records W L Pct. Liberty and Western Kentucky are meeting • Boost the Flames' all-time record in season openers to 23- Army 2 0 1.000 for the fi rst time in 24 years. The Hilltoppers 25. BYU 1 0 1.000 are the fi fth diff erent opponent in the last two Liberty 0 0 .000 seasons the Flames are facing for the fi rst time • Mark the Flames' second straight victory in a season open- 1 in 20 or more seasons. Hugh Freeze's fi rst Divi- New Mexico State * 0 0 .000 er played on the road, following their 48-45 triumph at UConn * 0 0 .000 sion I conference game saw his Arkansas State UMass * 0 0 .000 squad post a 26-22 Sun Belt victory at Western Kentucky on Baylor on Sept. 2, 2017. * - Not playing during fall 2020 Oct. 1, 2011. • Improve the Flames' all-time record against Western Ken- Saturday, Sept. 5 Liberty at Western Kentucky and Navy at Tulane tucky to 3-0. Army 42, Middle Tennesse State 0 are the only two games this weekend matching up two bowl champions from last season. The Monday, Sept. 7 2 Flames are opening the 2020 season versus a • Give Hugh Freeze a 2-0 record when coaching against the BYU 55, Navy 3 pair of Conference USA foes (WKU and FIU). Hilltoppers. His Arkansas State squad won 26-22 at WKU This is the fi rst time since 2014 Liberty will have on Oct.