The Flames will look to bounce back from a crushing defeat to Coastal this week, as they take on Charleston Southern in a Big South Conference match up. The game kicks off at 3:30 Saturday from Williams Stadium. While Liberty’s playoff hopes took a huge hit last week, the Flames still remain alive in the hunt for the Big South title, but will need to win out and get some help. Charleston Southern comes in having won 3 games in a row, and 4 of their last 5. Liberty will need to slow down an increasingly confident Buccaneers team and execute well to come away with the victory on Saturday. With that, let’s take a closer look at the upcoming match up.
History
This will be the 20th meeting between these two conference foes, with Liberty having dominated the series at 17-2 all time. The Flames come into this game on a 6 game winning streak against the Bucs, with the last loss coming in Ken Karcher’s final season of 2005. Last season’s meeting ended with a 38-16 road win for the Flames.
What You Need To Know
Much like this isn’t the Liberty team we have become accustomed to seeing over the past several years, this isn’t the Charleston Southern of the past either. Coming in with a record of 4-4 overall, as well as 2-1 in Big South play, the Bucs look to be much improved over last season’s 0-11 campaign. CSU comes in sporting the Big South’s #1 pass defense, which is 8th nationally, as well as the #21 rushing attack in the country. Expect a healthy dose of option style offense from Charleston Southern, and a renewed belief that this Liberty team is beatable. The injury plagued Flames will need to limit mistakes such as penalties and turnovers, as well as play disciplined defense if they want to come out of this one with the win.
Key Players
#15 Malcolm Dixon
Junior
Quarterback
6’0″ 195 Lbs.
Leads team in rushing attempts, averaging 4.2 yards per carry, with 4 rushing TD’s on the season. He as thrown 7 TD’s, and 4 INT’s as well, averaging 87.5 passing yards per game.
#4 Teddy Allen
Junior
Running Back
5’11” 230 Lbs.
CSU’s top rusher, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, and 54.4 yards per game. He comes in with 7 TD’s on the season, playing in all but one contest for the Bucs.
Key Matchup
Coming off his toughest outing of the season, Liberty Quarterback Josh Woodrum will once again be tested against a challenging CSU pass defense. His ability to read the Bucs’ coverage schemes and find open receivers will be key to Liberty’s success on Saturday. Without a prominent deep threat at WR, it will be important for Josh to take what the defense gives him, get in a rhythm early, and avoid the turnovers that have been so costly for the Flames this season.
The Long and Short of It
It’s pretty much desperation time for Liberty. If they are to have any hope of winning a 5th Big South championship and making their way to the playoffs for the first time, they have to take care of business here at home. The key to this one will be setting the tone early, coming out with confidence, and proving to Charleston Southern that Liberty is still a force in the Big South.
Prediction
Liberty rides home field advantage and guts out a must win.
