Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Liberty Flames season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Liberty Previews 2018
2018 Record: 6-6 overall
Head Coach: Hugh Freeze, 1st year at Liberty
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LIBERTY OFFENSE
– The offense worked out fine last season, finishing 46th in the nation overall with a pass-heavy attack that should only be better under new head man Hugh Freeze. Veteran QB Stephen Calvert isn’t all that big, but he’s got a nice arm and he has three year of starting experience under his belt. He’s good, the air show should be fun, but …
– One of the team’s biggest strengths is at running back. Frankie Hickson is a smallish, explosive back, Peytton Pickett will bring a little more power, and Maine transfer Josh Mack – the nation’s leading FCS rusher two years ago – might just push for the starting job. They’ll work behind a line that was among the best in the nation at keeping defenses out of the backfield. Two starters have to be replaced, and the tackle situation needs to be settled.
– Start with 1,037-yard WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, and everything else about the receiving corps is gravy. A few parts are gone, but DJ Stubbs is a smallish, quick No. 2 option, and Damian King returns after missing most of last season. In all, eight of the top nine receivers are back.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LIBERTY DEFENSE
– The defense couldn’t do enough to hold serve when the offense was able to put up big numbers. The Flame defense finished 123rd in the nation in total defense. The pass defense was bad, the run D was worse, and overall, Liberty allowed 40 points or more seven times.
– For all of the problems and issues, the pass rush wasn’t all that bad. The D line has talent back on the outside to generate pressure – starting with senior Jessie Lemonier – and there’s size in the interior. However, it’s going to take the fall camp to come up with a good rotation. The starting four should be okay up front, but a slew of JUCO transfers have to beef up the twos.
– The linebackers should be able to pick up the slack for the line – at least a wee bit. Veteran MLB Solomon Ajayi tied for the team lead in tackles with good size and range. Unlike the line, there’s good depth and a few nice options with good speed on the outside.
– The secondary got hot at generating picks as the season went on, and now it gets back three starters. Elijah Benton is a tough tackler – tying for the team lead with 76 stops – and Isaac Steele is a good all-around playmaker and former corner Javon Scruggs brings the speed. Steele and CB Bejour Wilson tied for the team lead in interceptions with three each.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP LIBERTY PLAYERS
Best Liberty Offensive Player
RB Frankie Hickson, Sr.
Even though Hickson ran for 1,032 yards and 11 touchdowns and caught ten passes, he’s hardly a lock to even be the team’s best running back, much less the top offensive player. He’s a weapon, but transfer Joshua Mack has the talent to step in and take over the ground game right away, veteran QB Stephen Calvert should have a massive season, and 6-4, 220-pound Antonio Gandy-Golden is an elite receiver with NFL upside.
2. WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, Sr.
3. RB Joshua Mack, Jr.
4. QB Stephen Calvert, Sr.
5. RB Peytton Pickett, Jr.
Best Liberty Defensive Player
DE Jessie Lemonier, Sr.
The Flame defense wasn’t all that bad at being disruptive, and the best force in the bunch was and is the 6-3, 240-pound Lemonier, with ten sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss with 55 stops. The former JUCO transfer is build like a linebacker, and he brings that quickness off the ball at the end.
2. LB Solomon Ajayi, Sr.
3. S Isaac Steele, Jr.
4. S Elijah Benton, Sr.
5. CB Bejour Wilson, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Liberty Offense
The passing game needs to be more consistent. The running game will be terrific with the great backs in place, but with a four-year starting quarterback in Stephen Calvert, and with an experienced and explosive group of receivers, there’s no reason the passing game can’t be stronger and more efficient.
It only connected on 55% of the passes last season and didn’t do much of anything down the field late. The picks – 18 last year – have to slow down, and hitting 200 yards per game should be automatic. And on the other side …
Biggest Key To The Liberty Defense
Stop … the … run. The Flames were steamrolled over too often, allowing 2,662 yards and well over five yards per carry. The Flames were 4-1 when allowing fewer than 200 yards on the ground, and 2-5 when giving up more. In the six wins, the D gave up a total of five touchdown runs, and more than one just once. In the six losses? It allowed 22. That means …
Key Player To A Successful Season
DT Ralfs Rusins, Sr.
The 315-pound Rusins and seniors Vincent Elefante and Devin Pearson have to hold up on the inside. Rusins won’t be musth of an interior pass rusher, but he brings the bulk and the potential to rise up into more of an anchor. If it’s not him, then it has to be Pearson. Or Elefante. Or someone.
Key Game To The Liberty Season
at Virginia, Nov. 23
There’s a solid chance the Flames end up being good enough to get bowl eligible, but no matter what post-season game they’d get, nothing would beat coming up with a stunning win over Virginia late in the season.
The two schools are only 70 miles apart, and it would be a big, big moment for the Liberty program and for Hugh Freeze to pull this off. Both teams get a week off to prepare, but the Cavaliers will almost certainly be looking ahead to Virginia Tech.
– Liberty Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Liberty Fun Stats
– Penalties: Opponents 65 for 512 yards – Liberty 51 for 458 yards
– Liberty 3rd Quarter Scoring: 66 – 4th Quarter Scoring 101
– Average Yards Per Carry: Opponents 5.2 – Liberty 4.0
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. LIBERTY WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
Let’s not get too carried away here.
The Flames won six games in their first season at the FBS level, pulling of victories over Troy, Old Dominion and New Mexico along the way, but there were way too moments when they were outclassed.
There’s decent talent on this year’s squad – enough to get back in the six-win range – and a whole lot of experience in the starting 22. Depth is a bit of a problem, and defense is a bigger issue until it proves otherwise, but throw in the addition of head coach Hugh Freeze to go along with another easy slate, and …
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 6
The team will be just good enough to pull off another upset like the one over Troy last season, but everything will be fine as long as they make the layups.
Unlike last year, Liberty can go bowling this year with six wins, and they should get eligible with Hampton, two games against New Mexico State, Maine, and UMass to face.
Beat a team like Buffalo here, or New Mexico there, and getting to six won’t be a problem considering all of the offensive talent. However, assume losses to Syracuse, at Rutgers, at BYU and at Virginia – it might take that regular season finale against NMSU to get to hit the mark it needs.
Hope for seven wins, expect six, be mad at five.
And be massively disappointed if there isn’t a bowl game.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
