Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images Liberty redshirt junior quarterback Malik Willis
The Liberty Flames (5-1) take one of the nation’s top ten defenses on the road to face the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (2-3, 1-2 Sun Belt) on Saturday in Monroe, Louisiana.
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The game (7 p.m. ET start time) isn’t on TV anywhere, but anyone in the US can watch Liberty vs UL Monroe live on ESPN+:
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Liberty vs UL Monroe Preview
The Liberty Flames and Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks meet for only the second time ever this Saturday at Malone Stadium in Monroe, Louisiana.
The Flames, who come into the game with the fifth-ranked defense in the nation for yards allowed (266.2 yards per game), will look to achieve a similar result from last season when they defeated the Warhawks 40-7 in their first and only meeting.
Liberty’s defensive unit has been stout through their first six contests, ranking No. 6 for points allowed (14.3 points per game) and No. 11 with 3.33 sacks per game.
The Flames rolled past Middle Tennessee last Saturday, 41-13, during Homecoming Weekend, outgaining MTSU 449-265 in total yards of offense en route to their 14th consecutive home win.
The dynamic redshirt junior quarterback Malik Willis has thrown for 1,327 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also rushing for 498 yards and seven scores through the Flames’ first six games.
Liberty middle linebacker Rashaad Harding will be returning to his old stomping grounds on Saturday when he faces the team he suited up for from 2017-19. Harding recorded 132 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks during his three-year ULM career.
The Warhawks will be looking to stabilize a season that has gone off the rails over the last two games, in which they’ve been outscored 114-27.
Last week, Louisiana-Monroe jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, but then gave up 35 unanswered points to Georgia State. The Warhawks allowed 326 rushing yards in the 55-21 loss at home.
“We’re not going to jump off the cliff,” ULM coach Terry Bowden said in regards to last week’s performance. “Anybody that’s been in this business as long as I have, you have to respond to things like that. We will. We figured there may be some stumbles in this journey and that was a stumble right there.”
The Warhawks will look to get after Willis on Saturday and take the ball away. ULM comes into the week ranked 11th in turnover margin (+1.0 per game), with five fumble recoveries and three interceptions recorded in their first five games.
One of the leaders on defense for the Warhawks is super senior Ty Shelby, who was added to the Watch List for the Ted Hendricks Award (presented to the nation’s top defensive end). Through five contests, Shelby has five sacks, including a sack for a safety, six tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
A win this week would make Liberty bowl eligible for a third straight season and would mark the 16th consecutive season with six or more wins for the program. Head coach Hugh Freeze is in his third season for the Flames, where he has an overall record of 23-7, including wins in 17 of the last 19 games.