College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Liberty Flames season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Liberty Schedule Analysis
– Liberty Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018
2020 Record: 10-1 overall
Head Coach: Hugh Freeze, 2nd year, 18-6
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 11
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 112
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 65
Liberty College Football Preview 2021: Offense
– It’s almost all coming back. Liberty got Hugh Freeze’s offense going, averaging 483 yards and 38 points per game – and that’s with a few battles against the ACC. If you liked that, you’re going to love what’s coming.
It all starts with one of the nation’s best dual-threat playmakers and a high-riser in NFL Draft circles – QB Malik Willis. He’s not all that big and isn’t exactly a pro-style passer, but he was good enough last year, is careful with the ball, and he was dangerous enough to lead the team with 944 rushing yards and 14 scores.
– Of course Willis is still going to be Willis and run the O the way he’s been doing it over the last few years, but Liberty has a great back in former FCS star Joshua Mack back after running for close to 800 yards and four scores. Losing backup RB Peytton Pickett to Jackson State would hurt if Utah transfer TJ Green wasn’t on his way in to be Mack’s likely backup.
They’ll all work behind a terrific veteran line with all five starters expected back. The rushing attack averaged over 250 yards per game and the pass protection was good enough to give Willis a half-click more time to operate.
– WR CJ Yarbrough has moved on from college football. He’s the only missing part. He was the team’s fourth-best receiver last year, but everyone else among the top nine receivers are back including the tight ends. DJ Stubbs and Kevin Shaa return for the super-senior seasons, and Demario Davis is a volume target coming off a strong freshman year.
– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Liberty Schedule Analysis
NEXT: Liberty College Football Preview 2021: Defense
4. Liberty College Football Preview 2021: Defense
– The defense was great at getting into the backfield and was strong against the run. It finished 11th in the nation overall, 16th in scoring D, and now – like the offense – almost everyone who mattered last year is back, and it starts with a defensive line that has size inside and the pass rushers on the outside.
– The linebacker-sized combination of Durrell Johnson and TreShaun Clark came up with 14 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss, and there’s more pass rushing quickness behind them. They’re the stars, and they get the help from the rocks on the inside – 300-pound Elijah James and 325-pound Ralfs Rusins – who returned for their super-senior seasons.
– The line is set, and so is most of the back seven starting with leading tackler Javon Scruggs back at rover – making 69 stops – and Aaron Pierre at one outside linebacker spot. The already good corner situation – sophomore Chris Megginson is set at one spot – got even better with a few transfers coming in to throw into the rotation. There are a whole lot of pieces to play around with at all five defensive back jobs.
Anthony Butler is gone from the middle of the linebacking corps after finishing second on the team with 67 tackles, but ULM transfer Rashaad Harding should be able to step in and be fine.
NEXT: Liberty College Football Preview 2021: Top Players
Liberty College Football Preview 2021: Top Players
Best Liberty Offensive Player
QB Malik Willis, Jr.
A terrific recruit for Auburn, Willis got in a little work as a dangerous change-of-pace option rushing for 309 yards and a few touchdowns, but he wasn’t going to get the full-time gig behind Jarrett Stidham and with Bo Nix coming in. He transferred to Liberty to play under Hugh Freeze, and … kaboom.
The 6-1, 215-pounder did everything right, hitting 64% of his passes with 2,250 yards and 20 touchdowns with six picks, and he ran for 944 yards and 14 scores. Now it’s about doing even more with the passing game to rise up in the NFL Draft ranks and be the type of dangerous playmaker who can change around a franchise. First, though, he has to lead the great Flame offense again.
2. RB Joshua Mack, Sr.
3. WR DJ Stubbs, Sr.
4. OT Tristan Schultz, Sr.
5. WR Kevin Shaa, Sr.
Best Liberty Defensive Player
DE Durrell Johnson, Jr.
Take your pick of several veteran Liberty defenders for the honor of being the Best Defensive Player, but Johnson stands out with his pass rushing and disruptive ability. He and fellow end TreShaun Clark are killers behind the line, with the 6-4, 235-pound Johnson leading the team with 8.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss with 37 tackles and a pick after coming over from the JUCO ranks.
2. S Javon Scruggs, Jr.
3. DE TreShaun Clark, Soph.
4. LB Aaron Pierre, Jr.
5. DT Ralfs Rusins, Sr.
Top Incoming Liberty Transfer
LB Rashaad Harding, Sr.
The Flames are bringing in a slew of interesting transfers who’ll play roles for the depth right away, but the 6-1, 225-pound Harding will likely make the biggest early impact if – as expected – he takes over for Anthony Butler at middle linebacker. He made 126 tackles with 4.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in his three years with the Warhawks – he’s ready right out of the box to step in and produce.
– What You Need To Know: Offense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Liberty Schedule Analysis
NEXT: Liberty College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
Liberty College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
Liberty Biggest Key: Offense
Score whenever there’s a chance. Liberty didn’t have too many problems putting points up on the board – doing a better job of holding on to the ball, though, is a big deal – but five of its games were decided by six points or fewer, winning five of them. The Flames can’t afford a bunch of missed opportunities, and there were too many of those in the red zone.
Even with a great kicker in Alex Barbir and an attack that knew how to make big things happen, the O failed to come up with points on 13 trips inside the 20. The blowout win over Southern Miss was the only time the team was perfect in the red zone.
Liberty Biggest Key: Defense
It would be nice if there were more tackles for loss. The Flames have no issues getting to the quarterback and applying pressure – they have the ends and the ability from several spots to get behind the line – but they weren’t nearly consistent enough at generating tackles for loss.
That’s a wee bit by design. The run defense was fine, and coming up with third down stops wasn’t an issue, but 24 of the 60 tackles for loss came in three games against a few of the weakest teams on the slate.
Liberty Key Player To A Successful Season
RB Joshua Mack, Sr.
He’s got the resumé, and he’s going to get the carries. Now he needs even more work to help take the heat off of QB Malik Willis and it would be nice if he became even more of a workhorse.
Willis is the team’s most dangerous runner, but Mack was able to hit 100 yards five times when he was able to generate a few big bursts. However, he only ran over 20 times once. Get him into a lather, let Willis be even more of a passer, and the offense should be even more dangerous.
Liberty Key Game To The 2021 Season
at Syracuse, Sept. 24
Campbell, at Troy, Old Dominion. Liberty should be able to start 3-0 without too much of a problem, but if it wants the big attention and to be a big thing, it has to get the job done at Syracuse for the second year in a row.
It rolled the Orange 38-21 last year, becoming the moment when the program arrived on the national scene. Win this, and the date at Ole Miss will be the most dangerous barrier left to an unbeaten year.
2020 Liberty Fun Stats
– 1st Quarter Scoring: Liberty 108 – Opponents 31
– Time of Possession: Liberty 32:57 – Opponents 27:03
– Fumbles: Liberty 18 (lost 9) – Opponents 13 (lost 5)
NEXT: Liberty College Football Preview 2021: What Will Happen, Season Prediction
Liberty College Football Preview 2021: What Will Happen, Season Prediction
Everyone is back.
There’s one starting receiver missing here, and one good linebacker gone there, but for the most part, all of the main guys who led the way to a 10-1 season – and a blocked field goal away from being unbeaten – return.
Three years into the FBS world, and the program is about to be in the national spotlight as one of the big teams of 2021.
The Flames will be good – made better by a schedule that’s actually lighter than the 2020 version – and the attention on QB Malik Willis will be great as a possible top NFL draft prospect.
Even with all of the returning experience, the expectations, and the solid schedule, it still seems crazy that the projection of a ten-win regular season might seem a bit light.
Set The Liberty Regular Season Win Total At … 10
There’s the fascinating game at Ole Miss – Hugh Freeze returns to Oxford – in early November, and there’s a rematch of last year’s dominant Liberty win at Syracuse, but that’s about it.
The dangerous games against Louisiana and Army are in Lynchburg, the date at UAB will be pesky, but everything else should be a layup.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Liberty Schedule Analysis
