For the first time in his coaching career, Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze lost his starting quarterback to a serious injury in the first game of the season. Now, Freeze and the Flames are sorting through the next three quarterbacks on their roster to determine who will be the starter going forward.

“Excited to work with JB, Kaidon, Nate, and Kent (Austin) to try and figure it all out as to what gives us the best chance to win football games, that’s what this week has been about offensively,” Freeze said after Thursday’s practice. “I’ve got a game plan for all three. I’ve got a game plan for Nate, game plan for JB, game plan for Kaidon. We’re still working through exactly what that might look like.”

Charlie Brewer suffered a fractured right hand in the first quarter of Liberty’s season opener at Southern Miss. He had surgery on Tuesday to insert pins into the portion of his hand right below his thumb. He is expected to be out at least six weeks.

When Brewer went to the sideline with the injury this past Saturday night in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the backup quarterback, Johnathan Bennett, entered the game in the second quarter and led the offense until early in the 4th quarter. Bennett and the offense struggled, especially in the third quarter, and he was replaced by Kaidon Salter when the Flames were trailing, 17-10. Salter would lead the team on two game-tying touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, including one with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, to send the game into overtime where Salter and the Flames would ultimately win the game.

Bennett finished the season opener completing just 7 of 18 passes for 37 yards and 2 interceptions. He also rushed 11 times for 46 yards and a touchdown. Salter completed 8 of 13 passes for 148 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception while leading the team in rushing with 65 yards on 9 carries.

“Kaidon is extremely talented, looking forward to the future he has,” said Freeze of the redshirt-freshman. “Understanding everything, the complexities of a UAB defense right now, what our protection should be, and all the movements that we might or might not have, it takes a little time. Some people it takes longer. He is trying hard. He’s had a good week, but I do have a plan. It wouldn’t shock me if you see all three, truthfully.”

Hampton is also a redshirt-freshman that did not see any game action in the season opener in Mississippi. After Charlie Brewer was named the starting quarterback late in fall camp, Hampton became the scout team quarterback, helping the defense get prepared for that week’s opponent. This week, Hampton was back with the offense working with the first and second team units, preparing for Liberty’s season opener.

Freeze says it may come down to his gut during the game on Saturday as to who gets the start and who looks to carry the Flames to a second straight win to open the 2022 campaign.

“Everything for me in a game is my gut, usually,” he said. “I take a lot of criticism for that. I really don’t care anymore. I’m going to go with my gut. It’s usually right. Same thing with the quarterbacks and 4th downs. I try to play to our strengths and make sure we have a quarterback in there that really understands the full spectrum of what we’re trying to get accomplished on a given play against all the different things that they could do. I don’t like living in a world where I’m trying to control all of that from the sideline. I’ve done it before, but the new age of defense, they pick up on that if I’m making the calls from the sideline.”