1. GET WILLIS BACK ON TRACK

Malik Willis has only thrown 4 interceptions this year; however, 3 of those came last week vs NC State. Willis has had a completion percentage of 60% or higher in every game this year except for two, one of which was last week against the Wolfpack. Willis has rushed for 50 or more yards in every game this year except, you guessed it, last week in Raleigh. Willis looked off all night and was never able to establish a rhythm with his receivers. Most people already knew that Liberty owed the majority of their success to the play-making ability of Willis and last weekend proved that. If Willis is off track, Liberty’s will be off track and there is very little that the coaching staff can do to make up for that. UMASS will not present the same challenge that NC State did defensively, and Willis should be able to easily get back on track against the Minutemen while building momentum going into the end of season showdown against Coastal.

2. GET BACK TO BASICS OFFENSIVELY

Willis shouldered the blame for Saturday’s loss, but the real fault has to lie with Coach Freeze. I’m not sure what offensive scheme Liberty was running last week but it sure didn’t look like their normal offense. This season Liberty has run an offense that relied heavily on out routes and comebacks to the boundary with multiple short ins and curls to the middle of the field. Against NC State, Liberty practically abandoned its established offensive philosophy (except on the two TD drives and the missed field goal drive) and instead tried to throw the ball deep almost every single play that wasn’t a run inside. In fact, the Liberty offense looked a lot more like Gill’s offense from two seasons ago than Freeze’s revamped and creative approach. Liberty needs to get back to basics this week and reestablish themselves as the offensive nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators that they have been all season. Liberty has a huge matchup next week against their rival Coastal Carolina who (barring an unexpected loss this week) will be the first ranked team that Liberty will play this season. Liberty needs to get back on track offensively and iron out any creases in their game plan this week against the 0-3 Minutemen before it goes into the showdown of the season against the so far undefeated Chanticleers.

3. SUB EARLY

Liberty should have no issue building a big lead against UMASS who has lost all 3 of its matchups this season by a combined 104 points. As soon as Liberty is able to put the game out of reach (say a 28 or 35 point lead) they should substitute as many players on both sides of the ball as possible. Liberty has the biggest matchup of their season coming up next and Liberty will need a fully healthy squad if they are going to unseat Coastal in the polls. Additionally, Coastal runs a very aggressive offense and Liberty is likely going to need to turn to their backups throughout the game to give their starters an occasional break. If Liberty’s backups can get close to a full half of football under their belts this week they will go into the next game with momentum and Liberty will have a deep and ready bench to pull from to counter Coastal’s unique brand of the option.

SUMMARY:

Usually, I would have a key about not overlooking an opponent of UMASS’ low caliber with such a big matchup on the horizon for the Flames, but after last weeks narrow defeat I don’t think that the Flames will have any issues coming out and proving that they are still a team to be feared and respected. UMASS hopped on the schedule late as the Minutemen scrambled to put together some form of a season after deciding last minute to reverse the decision to cancel football. Liberty had a bye week available, so UMASS filled it which takes away the break the Flames were going to get before facing their rival. However, having UMASS the week before playing Coastal is better than a bye week as UMASS is not going to challenge the Flames and Liberty gets an opportunity for not only a feel-good win but also a chance to work out any rough patches in the game plan against a real opponent and not just the scout team (though in all honesty, Liberty’s scout team would probably be a tougher challenge). LU may no longer be in the running for an undefeated season, but if Liberty can handle UMASS this week they will be only one win away from 10 wins, and for a team only playing their third FBS season that would be an unbelievable accomplishment! Vegas is giving Liberty a 37 point advantage and I think that’s a bit insulting for a team of Liberty’s caliber! I think the Flames light an inferno Friday as they look to avenge their only loss of the season!

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: LIBERTY 56 VS UMASS 13

Written by Mr. Exclamation Point

*feature photo courtesy Liberty Athletics