The Conference USA schedule doesn’t slow down for anyone. Just six days after opening league play with a 30-14 win at Delaware, Liberty returns to Williams Stadium Thursday night to host Sam Houston in another conference matchup.
The Flames enter the game 4-1 overall and 1-0 in CUSA, riding a four-game winning streak after putting together their most complete stretch of football of the season. Sam Houston enters at 1-3, but the Bearkats have been more competitive than their record suggests. They opened the season with a pair of one-score losses, losing 24-21 at Troy and 23-17 to Tulsa before dominating Nicholls 59-0. Sam Houston then faced No. 11 Texas Tech on the road and fell 49-14.
Now the Bearkats get a fresh start. While Liberty has been preparing for Thursday on a short week, Sam Houston has had a bye week to recover, regroup and prepare for the Flames. That makes Thursday night’s game another important test for a Liberty team with its sights set on returning to the CUSA Championship Game after a two-year absence.
Analyzing the Bearkats
Sam Houston enters its second season under head coach Phil Longo, who also serves as the team’s offensive play caller. The Bearkats struggled in Longo’s first season, finishing last in CUSA in both scoring offense and scoring defense. But the program made significant changes during the offseason, including adding a large transfer class on defense and settling on Landyn Locke as its starting quarterback.
The results have been mixed so far.
The Bearkats’ 59-0 victory over Nicholls showed what the team is capable of when everything clicks, while the narrow losses at Troy and against Tulsa demonstrated that this isn’t a team that can simply be overlooked because of its 1-3 record.
The biggest development has been Locke. The sophomore quarterback has already thrown for 1,168 yards and 11 touchdowns through four games while completing 66.2 percent of his passes. He has thrown only three interceptions. Locke has also shown an ability to generate explosive plays through the air. He threw for 335 yards and three touchdowns against Troy, 316 yards and two touchdowns against Tulsa and 322 yards with four touchdowns in the win over Nicholls. For a Liberty defense that has been playing at a high level, containing Locke will be one of the biggest challenges of the night.
Liberty ranks No. 1 in CUSA in rushing offense this season (208.2 ypg), while Sam Houston tops the conference in passing offense (308.0 ypg) in a game that will feature a pair of teams with contrasting styles.
Positions, Players to Watch
Landyn Locke, QB, Sam Houston
Locke is the player who can change this game. After starting the final three games of the 2025 season, the sophomore entered 2026 as the unquestioned starter and has quickly become the focal point of the Bearkats offense. He has already surpassed 1,100 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and has demonstrated the ability to attack defenses vertically. Liberty’s pass rush and secondary will have to prevent Locke from getting comfortable.
Chris Reed, WR, Sam Houston
Reed returns as one of Sam Houston’s most proven offensive weapons. He led the Bearkats with 460 receiving yards and five touchdowns last season and is part of a receiving group that returned its top four pass catchers from 2025. Reed gives Locke a reliable target on the outside and will challenge Liberty’s secondary to limit explosive plays.
Landan “CoCo” Brown, RB, Sam Houston
Brown is part of a veteran Sam Houston running back room that also includes Alton McCaskill and Ah’Marion Gaines-Smith. Brown and McCaskill combined for 858 rushing yards and six touchdowns last season, giving Longo multiple options in the backfield. If Sam Houston can establish the run, it could keep Liberty from turning the game into a pass-rush-heavy matchup.
Deshawn Purdie, QB, Liberty
Purdie enters Thursday playing some of his best football of the season. Through five games, he has completed 60-of-100 passes for 936 yards and seven touchdowns without throwing an interception. He has also continued to show improved command of Liberty’s offense as the season has progressed. The short week will test his ability to prepare quickly for a defense that has had considerably more time to prepare for him.
Kam Davis, RB, Liberty
Davis has become a major part of Liberty’s offensive identity. The Flames enter the matchup averaging 208.2 rushing yards per game, while Davis provides the physical downhill element that has helped Liberty consistently move the football on the ground. Against a Sam Houston defense that has added significant transfer talent, Liberty’s ability to establish the run could be crucial.
The Matchups
Liberty’s offense vs. Sam Houston’s revamped defense
This is a much different Sam Houston defense than the one Liberty saw in 2024. The Bearkats added 16 defensive transfers during the offseason after finishing last in CUSA in scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense and passing defense in 2025. That group will be challenged by a Liberty offense that has averaged 416.8 total yards per game through five games. The Flames have also shown more balance than they did at times last season, averaging 208.6 passing yards and 208.2 rushing yards per game. If Liberty can control the line of scrimmage and avoid negative plays, it should put Purdie in favorable situations.
Liberty’s secondary vs. Landyn Locke
This may be the matchup that determines whether Sam Houston can make Thursday interesting. Locke has already demonstrated that he can throw for big numbers. The Bearkats averaged more than 300 passing yards in each of their first three games before Texas Tech held them to 195 yards through the air. Liberty’s defense has allowed just 173.4 passing yards per game and has intercepted five passes while allowing only five passing touchdowns through five games. The Flames need to make Locke uncomfortable. If Liberty can create pressure and force Sam Houston into obvious passing situations, the matchup becomes much more favorable.
Liberty has only allowed one opposing QB to throw for 300 yards since the start of 2024 (Delaware’s Nick Minicucci in 2025). The Flames will attempt to limit Sam Houston QB Landyn Locke, who already has three 300-yard games to his credit in 2026.
The short week
This is the unusual part of Thursday night. Liberty played Friday night at Delaware, meaning the Flames have just six days between games. Instead of having a full week to recover and prepare, Liberty had to travel home from Delaware, turn around and immediately begin preparing for another CUSA opponent.
Sam Houston has had a very different week. The Bearkats played Texas Tech on Sept. 26 and then had their bye before traveling to Lynchburg. The extra time gives Sam Houston nearly two full weeks between games to prepare for Liberty. That advantage shouldn’t be ignored.
Liberty will have to balance physical recovery with preparation, while Sam Houston has had time to study the Flames and design a game plan specifically for Thursday night.
A Series of Close Calls
If Liberty fans remember anything about the first two meetings with Sam Houston, it should be this:
These games have not been easy.
The Flames and Bearkats have played twice since the two each joined Conference USA prior to the 2023 season, and the series is tied 1-1.
Liberty won the first meeting 21-16 on Oct. 5, 2023, but the final score doesn’t adequately describe how close the game was. Sam Houston entered Williams Stadium 0-4 but gave the undefeated Flames everything they could handle. The Bearkats drove 96 yards in the final minutes and reached Liberty’s 3-yard line with a chance to take the lead. The Flames held off four straight Sam Houston plays at the three-yard line with under a minute left to seal the win. On fourth-and-3, Liberty cornerback Kobe Singleton made the decisive play, breaking up Keegan Shoemaker’s pass in the end zone to keep the Flames undefeated.
One year later, the Bearkats got their revenge. The 2024 meeting came down to another late Liberty rally, with the Flames scoring twice during the final eight minutes. Kaidon Salter’s 33-yard touchdown run with 1:10 remaining cut the deficit to two, but Liberty failed to convert the ensuing two-point attempt. Sam Houston held on for a 20-18 victory. The Bearkats held Liberty to just 262 total yards, including 179 rushing, and the loss ended the Flames’ hopes of defending their 2023 CUSA championship.
Two games. Two incredibly tight finishes. And a 1-1 series.
Midweek on the Mountain
Thursday’s game is another edition of Liberty’s “Midweek on the Mountain.” The Flames have plenty of experience playing under the Thursday night lights, but this one comes with a different challenge. It’s not simply a standalone midweek game. It’s Liberty’s second CUSA game in six days.
And Sam Houston has been sitting at home preparing for it. Liberty will need to overcome the scheduling disadvantage and avoid the type of slow start that allowed Sam Houston to hang around in the previous meetings.
The good news for the Flames is that this year’s team is playing with a considerable amount of momentum. Liberty has won four straight, including consecutive victories over Ball State, Coastal Carolina and Delaware by a combined 115-46. The defense has allowed just 17.8 points per game through five contests, while the offense has topped 30 points three times. Now the Flames have to carry that momentum into another midweek conference test.
What’s at Stake?
For Liberty, Thursday is about more than simply improving to 2-0 in conference play. The Flames entered the season with expectations of competing for another CUSA championship, and every conference game carries significant weight in a league without divisions. A win would move Liberty to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play while keeping the Flames firmly in the early CUSA race.
For Sam Houston, this is an opportunity to completely reset its season. The Bearkats are 1-3, but their first two losses came by a combined nine points. A road win over Liberty would immediately change the perception of Sam Houston’s season and put the Bearkats into the conference race at 1-0.
That’s what makes Thursday dangerous for Liberty. Sam Houston doesn’t need to be the better team over the course of the entire season. It just needs to be better for four quarters.
The Bottom Line
Liberty has momentum. Sam Houston has rest. Liberty has the home-field advantage. Sam Houston has nearly two weeks of preparation.
And history suggests this matchup is going to be closer than the records might indicate. The Bearkats have already pushed Liberty to the final play once and defeated the Flames the last time these teams met. Now, with both programs entering a new chapter of their CUSA seasons, the Flames have a chance to take the lead in the all-time series and start 2-0 in conference play.
But they’ll have to do it on a short week against a team that has had plenty of time to prepare. The last two meetings came down to the wire. Don’t expect Thursday night to be any different.
