After coming off a historic win against BYU at home last weekend, the Liberty Flames are celebrating more great news during their bye week.
According to an immediate press release from Liberty Athletics, the Flames have moved back into the national top 25 rankings for the first time since 2020. Liberty is now ranked number 23 in both the Associated Press and USA Today/AFCA Coaches poll as of this past week.
Following a 41-14 win against BYU, Liberty is 14-2 during the month of October under Head Coach Hugh Freeze. This includes a perfect 4–0 in this current season. Liberty’s last national ranking in 2020 followed a 10-1 record. This includes a 37-34 overtime win over No. 9 Coastal Carolina in the 2020 Cure Bowl.
A few weeks ago, Liberty secured bowl status again for their fourth consecutive year.
Liberty University announced the other day that they have extended its contract with Freeze through the 2030 season. “We are grateful for Coach Freeze’s outstanding leadership of Liberty Football and the positive influence he has on our student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Ian McCaw.
What does this mean for Liberty’s football program longevity? A lot.
Also, former Flames quarterback Malik Willis just won in his first career start 17-10 with the Titans on Sunday. There were a lot of questions surrounding Willis’ relevance because of his outstanding performance during his last season with the Flames. Freeze has been very successful in helping groom standout players, including Willis.
Keeping a coach that can prove their ability to win that has an impact on an entire organization is always a win-win situation. Being able to sit in on Coach Freeze’s post-game media interviews has been eye-opening. He has the right attitude regardless of the outcome of a game. Freeze is never satisfied. He is always looking for ways to improve on every side of the ball.
After the BYU game, I could tell he had a lot of emotions going through his mind and was just taking in the moment. He had a lot to say about the university, players, and coaches. He credited the fans who came from near and far to see the Flames compete and ultimately win against another respectable school.
I was glad to have been able to share that special moment with the Flames. I am looking forward to the next two home games. The Flames will be in Arkansas for a matchup next week.
Kickoff will start at 4:00 pm on the SEC Network.
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