# 2022 Liberty Flames football team

The 2022 Liberty Flames football team represented Liberty University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Flames played their home games at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia, and competed as an FBS independent. They were led by fourth-year head coach Hugh Freeze, who left before the bowl game leading to intern head coach Josh Aldridge.
The 2022 season was the program's last season as an independent as the Flames joined Conference USA in 2023.

## Schedule

Liberty hosted six home games and travelled to six away games.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 7:00 p.m. | at Southern Miss | M. M. Roberts StadiumHattiesburg, MS | ESPN+ | W 29–27 $^{4OT}$ | 24,051 |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m. | UAB | Williams StadiumLynchburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 21–14 | 18,892 |
| September 17 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 19 Wake Forest | Truist Field at Wake ForestWinston-Salem, NC | ACCN | L 36–37 | 32,891 |
| September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Akron | Williams StadiumLynchburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 21–12 | 20,004 |
| October 1 | 6:00 p.m. | at Old Dominion | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPN+ | W 38–24 | 18,368 |
| October 8 | 3:30 p.m. | at UMass | Warren McGuirk Alumni StadiumHadley, MA | ESPN+ | W 42–24 | 11,217 |
| October 15 | 3:30 p.m. | Gardner–Webb | Williams StadiumLynchburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 21–20 | 20,924 |
| October 22 | 3:30 p.m. | BYU | Williams StadiumLynchburg, VA | ESPNU | W 41–14 | 24,012 |
| November 5 | 4:00 p.m. | at Arkansas | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | SECN | W 21–19 | 70,072 |
| November 12 | 12:00 p.m. | at UConn | Rentschler FieldEast Hartford, CT | CBSSN | L 33–36 | 15,107 |
| November 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Virginia Tech | Williams StadiumLynchburg, VA | ESPN+ | L 22–23 | 23,055 |
| November 26 | 12:00 p.m. | New Mexico State | Williams StadiumLynchburg, VA | ESPN+ | L 14–49 | 18,837 |
| December 20 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Toledo | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL (Boca Raton Bowl) | ESPN | L 19–21 | 20,622 |
| HomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Coaching staff

| Name | Title |
| Hugh Freeze | Head coach |
| Kent Austin | Co-offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach |
| Maurice Harris | Co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach |
| Josh Aldridge | Co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach intern head coach in the Boca Raton Bowl |
| Jack Curtis | Co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach |
| Chris Klenakis | Offensive line coach |
| Jeremy Garrett | Defensive line coach |
| Darius Eubanks | Defensive backs coach |
| Tanner Burns | Special Teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach |
| Ben Aigamaua | Tight ends coach |
| Bruce Johnson | Running backs coach |
| Robert Bala | Defensive analyst |

## Game summaries
### At Southern Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | 3OT | 4OT | Total |
| Flames | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 29 |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
Statistics
| Statistics | LIB | USM |
| First downs | 23 | 19 |
| Total yards | 447 | 389 |
| Rushing yards | 244 | 252 |
| Passing yards | 203 | 137 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 5 |
| Time of possession | 29:06 | 30:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Liberty | Passing | Kaidon Salter | 8/13, 148 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Liberty | Rushing | Kaidon Salter | 9 rushes, 65 yards |
| Liberty | Receiving | Demario Douglas | 5 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD |
| Southern Miss | Passing | Ty Keyes | 4/8, 89 yards, 2 INT |
| Southern Miss | Rushing | Frank Gore Jr. | 32 rushes, 178 yards, 2 TD |
| Southern Miss | Receiving | Jakarius Caston | 2 receptions, 54 yards |

### UAB

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Flames | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Statistics | UAB | LIB |
| First downs | 15 | 18 |
| Total yards | 355 | 390 |
| Rushing yards | 241 | 188 |
| Passing yards | 114 | 202 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:29 | 28:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Dylan Hopkins | 10/15, 114 yards, TD |
| UAB | Rushing | DeWayne McBride | 20 rushes, 177 yards, TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Trea Shropshire | 1 reception, 56 yards |
| Liberty | Passing | Kaidon Salter | 13/25, 202 yards |
| Liberty | Rushing | Kaidon Salter | 14 rushes, 79 yards, TD |
| Liberty | Receiving | Noah Frith | 2 receptions, 75 yards |

### At No. 19 Wake Forest

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Flames | 0 | 8 | 15 | 13 | 36 |
| No. 19 Demon Deacons | 3 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 37 |
Statistics
| Statistics | LIB | WFU |
| First downs | 22 | 16 |
| Total yards | 427 | 346 |
| Rushing yards | 171 | 21 |
| Passing yards | 256 | 325 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 35:28 | 24:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Liberty | Passing | Kaidon Salter | 19/34, 256 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Liberty | Rushing | Dae Dae Hunter | 17 rushes, 89 yards, TD |
| Liberty | Receiving | Demario Douglas | 7 receptions, 124 yards, TD |
| Wake Forest | Passing | Sam Hartman | 26/44, 325 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Wake Forest | Rushing | Sam Hartman | 8 rushes, 11 yards |
| Wake Forest | Receiving | Keshawn Williams | 5 receptions, 129 yards |

### Akron

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Flames | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |

### At Old Dominion

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Flames | 14 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
| Monarchs | 14 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
Statistics
| Statistics | LIB | ODU |
| First downs | 23 | 20 |
| Total yards | 478 | 415 |
| Rushing yards | 210 | 118 |
| Passing yards | 268 | 297 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:57 | 31:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Liberty | Passing | Kaidon Salter | 10/19, 170 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Liberty | Rushing | Dae Dae Hunter | 15 rushes, 121 yards, 2 TD |
| Liberty | Receiving | CJ Yarbrough | 4 receptions, 94 yards, TD |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 27/46, 297 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 15 rushes, 80 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ali Jennings III | 8 receptions, 129 yards, TD |

### At UMass

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Flames | 0 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| Minutemen | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 24 |

### Gardner-Webb

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Runnin' Bulldogs | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Flames | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |

### BYU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Flames | 3 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 41 |

### At Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Flames | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Razorbacks | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 19 |
at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, Arkansas
* Date: Saturday, November 5, 2022
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: 10 mph SW
* Game attendance: 70,072
* Referee: Scott Walker
* TV announcers (SEC Network): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline)
* Pregame line: Arkansas by 14.5 • FPI odds to win: Arkansas 75.5% • Game summary: ESPN
| Statistics | LIB | ARK |
| First downs | 17 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 63–315 | 79–428 |
| Rushes–yards | 38–91 | 42–144 |
| Passing yards | 224 | 284 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–25–1 | 23–37–2 |
| Time of possession | 30:38 | 29:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Liberty | Passing | Johnathan Bennett | 15–25, 224 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Liberty | Rushing | Shedro Louis | 15 carries, 57 yards |
| Liberty | Receiving | Demario Douglas | 7 receptions, 145 yards, 1 TD |
| Arkansas | Passing | KJ Jefferson | 23–37, 284 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Arkansas | Rushing | Raheim Sanders | 17 carries, 60 yards |
| Arkansas | Receiving | Matt Landers | 6 receptions, 119 yards |

### At UConn

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Flames | 3 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 33 |
| Huskies | 14 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 36 |
at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Connecticut
* Date: November 12
* Game time: 12:02 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 15,107
* Referee: Marcus Woods
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Meghan McPeak (play-by-play), Christian Fauria (color analyst), and Justin Walters (sideline)
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
CONN – Victor Rosa 16 yd run (Noe Ruelas kick), 10:28. Huskies 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, TOP 04:27
LU – Nick Brown 38-yard field goal, 7:31. Huskies 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, TOP 02:57
CONN – Jackson Mitchell 31 yd fumble recovery (Noe Ruelas kick), 1:47. Huskies 14–3.
Second quarter
LU – CJ Yarbrough 3 yd pass from Johnathan Bennett (Nick Brown kick), 13:00. Huskies 14–10. Drive: 4 plays, 49 yards, TOP 01:13
CONN – Robert Burns 1 yd run (Noe Ruelas kick), 5:16. Huskies 21–10. Drive: 8 plays, 94 yards, TOP 04:08
LU – Malik Caper 1 yd run (Nick Brown kick), 00:35. Huskies 21–17. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, TOP 01:36
Third quarter
LU – TJ Green 1 yd run (Nick Brown kick), 12:33. Flames 24–21. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:21
LU – Nick Brown 34-yard field goal, 4:24. Flames 27–21. Drive: 17 plays, 59 yards, TOP 06:12
Fourth quarter
CONN – Victor Rosa 27 yd run (Noe Ruelas kick), 14:52. Huskies 28–27. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:32
LU – Demario Douglas 75 yd run (2 pt conv no good), 14:39. Flames 33–28. Drive: 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:13
CONN – Kevens Clercius 30 yd pass from Zion Turner (Keelan Marion pass good), 5:43. Huskies 36–33. Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, TOP 02:57
Top passers
CONN – Zion Turner – 15/21, 102 yards, 1 TD
LU – Johnathan Bennett – 23/37, 201 yards, 1 TD
Top rushers
CONN – Robert Burns – 11 rushes, 104 yards, 1 TD
LU – TJ Green – 24 rushes, 119 yards, 1 TD
Top receivers
CONN – Aaron Turner – 10 receptions, 65 yards
LU – Demario Douglas – 8 receptions, 70 yards
Top defense
CONN – Ian Swenson – 11 tackles
LU – Javon Scruggs – 8 tackles :
| Statistics | UConn | Liberty |
| First downs | 15 | 29 |
| Total yards | 318 | 474 |
| Rushing yards | 209 | 267 |
| Passing yards | 109 | 207 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 32:18 | 27:42 |

### Virginia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hokies | 7 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
| Flames | 7 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 22 |

### New Mexico State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 7 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
| Flames | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |

### Vs. Toledo (Boca Raton Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Flames | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 19 |
| Rockets | 0 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 21 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | 23 | 19 | RV | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 19 | RV | RV | — | — | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |