Well the 2019 season came to a close last Saturday and what finish it was. Stephen Calvert finished his final game in a Liberty uniform with 270 yards and 2 touchdowns, Frankie Hickson finished with 125 yards and became the first Liberty back since Rashad Jennings with back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons and the Liberty defense held one of the top rushing offenses in the country to 154 net yards rushing and one touchdown to win the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl 23-16 in Orlando, Florida.
This put a bow on a season that exceeded expectations. Liberty ended a string of six-win seasons, won the first bowl game in school history, and saw a number of records broken.
The season began with the first ever Power 5 team to come to Lynchburg in Syracuse, and Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze battling an infection that left him in a hospital bed coaching from the press box and a 24-0 Liberty loss, the first shutout against the Flames since 2005. After another loss to Louisiana down on the bayou, the Flames ripped off seven wins in the next 10 games, Freeze returned to the sidelines and thanks to Memphis (who lost in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl 53039 to Penn State as I write this), qualified for the first bowl in school history.
I said on the A Sea of Red Forums, that this is a special time and Liberty is a special place, and this has a chance to be a great program that can become a cornerstone of athletic success for everyone to build on. Liberty will have to replace major players on offense in Calvert, record setting favorite target Antonio Gandy-Golden and Hickson, but there are very talented players looking to be the "next man up" at all three areas and I look forward to seeing the Flames in spring ball and as we head toward the 2020 opener at Virginia Tech.
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Fan the Flames Bowl Game Preview: FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl
The Liberty Flames become the fifth team to play in a bowl game in their first year of bowl eligibility today as they take the field for the final game of year one of the Hugh Freeze era down in Orlando Florida...
Liberty (7-5, FBS Independent)
vs.
Georgia Southern (7-5, 5-3 Sun Belt)
Liberty joins Appalachian State, and today's opponent among those five teams. Georgia Southern was one of the blue blood 1-AA/FCS programs when they relaunched their football program in 1981, winning six national championships before making the move to FBS following the 2012 season along with Appalachian State (who is playing in the New Orleans Bowl later this evening). The Eagles have rebounded nicely in the second full season under Chad Lunsford after winning only five total games under Tyson Summers after winning the GoDaddy Bowl in 2015. Liberty 's story has been well documented under first year head coach Hugh Freeze, who took two years off following his ouster at Ole Miss. The Flames won exactly six games four straight seasons under former head coach Turner Gill, and five of his seven seasons at the helm ended with exactly 6 wins. Hugh Freeze improved the record from the previous year at each of his previous stops in the first season (though the vast majority of his victories at Ole Miss have since been vacated by the NCAA as a result of violations) and improved it at Liberty as well (albeit by one victory).
Let's take a look at the game itself
Matchup
Location:Exploria Stadium Orlando, FL
Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m.
Radio: The Journey FM Radio Network/Liberty Flames Sports Network (Liberty) Alan York play-by-play; Georgia Southern Sports Network, Danny Reed play-by-play
Television: CBS Sports Network, Carter Blackburn play-by-play
Coaches: Hugh Freeze (First season at Liberty 7-5 record) , Chad Lunsford (2nd* season at GSU 19-12 record
Last Week: Liberty d. New Mexico State 49-28, Georgia Southern d. Georgia State 38-10
If there is one thing that the Eagles are known for, especially post-Paul Johnson, it is the triple option. Georgia Southern finished 8th in the nation in rushing with 261.5 yards per game and six different players rushing for 100 or more yards at least once in a game, including quarterback Shai Werts. Liberty finished the regular season 100th in FBS in rushing yards allowed at 192.5 yards per game. Liberty's strength is the passing game, finishing 21st in the regular year with just south of 291 yards passing per game, with Stephen Calvert resetting the passing annals in school history after finishing with 3,393 yards in his senior campaign.
This has been an interesting one to handicap for me. My heart wants me to go with Liberty, since it is my alma mater, but they will be facing a well-oiled machine in the Georgia Southern triple option and I expect Werts as well as top running back Wesley Kennedy to get quite a bit of activity against the Flames' front seven.
Liberty 28
Georgia Southern 37
If there is one thing that the Eagles are known for, especially post-Paul Johnson, it is the triple option. Georgia Southern finished 8th in the nation in rushing with 261.5 yards per game and six different players rushing for 100 or more yards at least once in a game, including quarterback Shai Werts. Liberty finished the regular season 100th in FBS in rushing yards allowed at 192.5 yards per game. Liberty's strength is the passing game, finishing 21st in the regular year with just south of 291 yards passing per game, with Stephen Calvert resetting the passing annals in school history after finishing with 3,393 yards in his senior campaign.
This has been an interesting one to handicap for me. My heart wants me to go with Liberty, since it is my alma mater, but they will be facing a well-oiled machine in the Georgia Southern triple option and I expect Werts as well as top running back Wesley Kennedy to get quite a bit of activity against the Flames' front seven.
Liberty 28
Georgia Southern 37
Sunday, December 8, 2019
THE FLAMES ARE GOING BOWLING!!!
The Liberty Flames made history today as they accepted an invitation to the Cure Bowl in Orlando Florida Sunday afternoon
Liberty finished the 2019 regular season with a 41-7 win over New Mexico State in Lynchburg to become bowl eligible, but had to wait until Memphis defeated Cincinnati in the American Conference championship game to earn a New Year's Six invitation to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium December 28.
Liberty will face old FCS foe Georgia Southern, now a member of the Sun Belt Conference, at Exploria Stadium in Orlando December 21 at 2:30 p.m. The game will air on CBS Sports Network.
LIBERTY is going bowling for the first time in school history as the Flames accept an invite to the Cure Bowl, will face Georgia Southern. More here:https://t.co/rgNiBjLnML pic.twitter.com/mRwzaEs8pj— A Sea of Red (@ASeaofRed) December 8, 2019
Making history. #RiseWithUs #TougherTogether— Liberty Football (@LibertyFootball) December 8, 2019
🎟: https://t.co/GuUBTNh403 pic.twitter.com/qwWeVg0Kdg
Liberty finished the 2019 regular season with a 41-7 win over New Mexico State in Lynchburg to become bowl eligible, but had to wait until Memphis defeated Cincinnati in the American Conference championship game to earn a New Year's Six invitation to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium December 28.
Liberty will face old FCS foe Georgia Southern, now a member of the Sun Belt Conference, at Exploria Stadium in Orlando December 21 at 2:30 p.m. The game will air on CBS Sports Network.
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