Game #1 - at #22 Liberty Flames

With the postponement of SoCon football conference games until the spring of 2021, this will be the first of 3 "fall" games for the Cats as they travel to Lynchburg, VA to face FBS independent and nationally 22nd ranked, Liberty Flames.

The Cats have won three of the six games against the Flames, first played in Lynchburg back in 1996. Liberty and Western Carolina are meeting for the first time in 12 years.

Game #1 - No. 22 - Liberty Flames  

When: Saturday, November 14, 2020 

Time: 12:00 noon
Where: Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, VA  (25k)
Turf: AstroTurf
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
Talent:  Gary Ayers (PxP), Daniel Hooker (Color), Greg McLamb (Sideline)

TV/video: ESPN3U

Talent:  Matt Warner (PxP), Joe Jauch (Color)
Conference: FBS Independent
Nickname:  Flames
Mascot:  Sparky

Message Board:  A Sea Of Red (ASOR)

Game Notes:  Western Carolina   -   Liberty   -  Southern Conference
Depth Roster:  Western Carolina

The Series: The two teams are currently tied, 3-3 in a series that kicked off in 1996. The Flames currently boast a two-game win streak into the series.  Coach Speir has not played Liberty in his time as head coach of WCU.  The Catamounts are 2-1 when playing at Williams Stadium. However, Speir has coached against Liberty three times. On Sept. 7, 1996, Speir was an assistant coach at Western Carolina when the Catamounts defeated the Flames 20-10 at Williams Stadium. While assisting at Elon, the Phoenix picked up home wins over Liberty in 2000 and 2002. 

The last game played vs. Liberty: September 13, 2008 - Western Carolina Drops Heartbreaker, 19-16, to No. 25 Liberty Flames  Cullowhee, N.C. - Trailing by a dozen entering the fourth quarter, Western Carolina scored nine unanswered points in the final frame - including a 78-yard touchdown pass from senior Andy Horn to Marquel Pittman and the first career field goal from junior Blake Bostic. But it was not enough as the 25th-ranked Liberty Flames escaped with a three-point, 19-16 victory Saturday night at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

Last Season's Record (Liberty) - 2019:  8-5 overall, 5-1 home, 2-4 away  

This Season's Record (Liberty) - 2020:  7-0 overall, 4-0 home, 3-0 away.  

Coming off a 38-35 victory at Virginia Tech, the Flames are now 7-0 for the first time in program history. The Flames have won nine straight games overall (second-longest active streak in FBS) and nine consecutive home contests at Williams Stadium. 

Liberty quarterback Malik Willis has been outstanding during his first six games for the Flames, averaging 100.5 rushing yards/game and seven rushing TDs. He's completed 67% of his passes for 1,339 yards and 12 scores. He has accounted for 11 TDs (nine passing, two rushing) in the last two games. Willis is one of four Liberty players with a 100-yard rushing game this season, ranks 12th nationally with 254.6 rushing yards per game.

Defensively, last week, the Flames limited the nation's No. 4-ranked rushing offense (Virginia Tech) to a season-low 201 yards on the ground.  Liberty is ranked 13th in the nation in total defense, yielding just 311.7 yards per game. Liberty has held three out of its seven opponents this season below 100 rushing yards, doing so in three straight games (North Alabama, ULM, Syracuse).

No. 22 Liberty will be the second straight FBS Top 25 team the Catamounts have faced. They closed out the 2019 season at No. 5 Alabama

2020 Liberty Statistics  (through 7 games)
Rushing Offense: 1782 yards
Yards per game: 254.6
Yards per rush: 5.6 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 100
TDs rushing: 16
Passing Offense: 1512 yards or 216.0 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 12.0 yards
Passing 1st downs: 64
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 126-191-2
TDs Passing: 16
Total Offense: 3294 yards or 479.6 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 13-6
3d Down Conversions: 42 of 94 (45%)
4th Down Conversions: 14 of 16 (88%)
Field goal attempts: 8 of 12
PAT-Attempts: 32 of 34
On-side kicks: 0-1
Red Zone Scores: 29 of 37 (78%)
Red Zone Touchdowns: 23 of 37 (62%)
Punts - Yards: 19 - 751 - Avg per punt: 41.7

Game predictions:  Per the Massey Ratings, the Cats have only a 10% probability of winning (17-41) over the Flames. 

--------------------------------------