Liberty was more than a two touchdown underdog to open the season at Western Kentucky a week ago, and the Flames won the game outright, 30-24. And, if you look at the stats or watched the game, the game could have been more much of a lopsided final score.

Riding high from that win, Liberty returns home this week to begin a three game home stand on Saturday against Florida International, a team that went 6-7 a year ago and must replace several key pieces. The Flames opened as a 6.5 point favorite at home, but Hugh Freeze has a warning for his team.

That’s a quote Freeze got from his friend and Alabama head coach Nick Saban who said his players were paying too much attention to the media who were praising his team. Freeze doesn’t want that to happen to the Flames going up against an FIU team that is looking for the upset.

“We will find out a lot about our team, for sure,” Freeze said of the pending challenge. “My approach and our staff’s approach, I assure you, they won’t sense any let down from us. Hopefully we have some maturity that understands win, lose, or draw, the game is over when we put it in the trash after I shared with them the truth of the game. That game is over.”

The Panthers aren’t going to be a cake walk. They are led by veteran and former NFL and Power Five head coach Butch Davis, who have guided them to three straight bowl games.

“We won’t let our kids, they won’t overlook anyone, I don’t think, I think we are mature enough in year two to understand that and they certainly shouldn’t,” said Freeze. “FIU has better athletes, probably, across the board than we have. So, there’s no way you should overlook it.”