Game Day Central: SMU
9/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Liberty Football Game Notes:
Liberty vs. SMU
Game Time:
7 p.m. (EST)
Official Kickoff:
7 p.m. (EST)
TV Coverage:
ESPN3
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Brett Dolan
Color Commentator: Chad Brown
Sideline Reporter: None
Radio Coverage:
Liberty Flames Sports Network – Radio
LFSN Radio Network Affiliates List
• Pregame: 5:30 p.m. (EST)
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Alan York
Color Commentator: Paul Rutigliano
Sidelines: Kevin Keys
Pregame: Alan York, Kevin Keys and Gabe Henderson
First and 10 – Saturday's Top Storylines
1. Liberty (1-1) will play its second FBS opponent of the season on Saturday, when the Flames travel to SMU (1-1) for their first-ever gridirion matchup with the Mustangs and their first-ever meeting against an American Athletic Conference opponent.
2. Liberty will be playing a game in Texas for the first time since 1993 and for just the second time in program history. See page 3 for more on the Flames' history against Texas-based opponents.
3. Liberty Head Coach Turner Gill is a native of Fort Worth, Texas, while two of his assistants and nine of his players also hail from the Lone Star State. See page 3 of the game notes for more on the Flames' Texas flavor.
4. Liberty will be playing west of the Mississippi River for just the ninth time in the program's 44 seasons all-time. See page 3 of the game notes for a list of the Flames' previous contests played west of the Mississippi.
5. The Flames are seeking a victory over an FBS opponent for the third straight season. See page 4 of the game notes for more on what a Liberty win would mean, as well as information on the Flames' previous FBS wins.
6. Liberty will aim to record its first-ever win on Sept. 17, as the Flames are 0-6 on Constitution Day. See page 4 of the game notes for Liberty's previous Sept. 17 results.
7. The Flames rank No. 2 nationally with eight turnovers forced through the first two games of the season. See page 5 of the game notes for more early-season statistical notes and trends.
8. After rushing for a career-high 128 yards against Jacksonville, RB Todd Macon was named Big South Player of the Week. See page 6 of the game notes for more information on Macon and the rest of the Flames' offense.
9. Liberty also boasts the reigning Big South Defensive Player of the Week, thanks to S Solomon McGinty's eight tackles (two for a loss), two forced fumbles and interception versus Jacksonville. See page 7 of the game notes for more information on the Flames' defense and special teams performers.
10. Last week, the Flames had two 100-yard rushers (Macon and Frankie Hickson) in the same game for the first time since 2012. See page 19 of the game notes for more on The Last Time ...
"4 Downs" with the Mustangs
1 - Saturday's game will be Liberty's first-ever matchup with SMU and its first meeting with an American Athletic Conference foe. However, the Flames have played 16 previous games against current American members, prior to the formation of the conference. Liberty is 0-1 all-time against Connecticut, 3-8 versus UCF and 0-4 against USF.
2 - SMU, under second-year head coach Chad Morris, is already halfway to its win total from 2015, when the Mustangs went 2-10. SMU opened its 2016 campaign with a 34-21 win at North Texas before losing a 40-13 decision to nationally-ranked Baylor. The Mustangs' golden era came in the early 1980s, when "Pony Express" running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James led SMU to a 21-1-1 record in 1981 and 1982.
3 - SMU is the last of three straight first-time opponents Liberty is facing to start the 2016 season, following Virginia Tech and Jacksonville. Saturday's game will be the Flames' third all-time matchup with a Texas opponent, with both previous meetings coming against Texas State.
4 - SMU will not leave the state of Texas for the first four weeks of the season, including road trips to North Texas and Baylor and home matchups with the Flames and TCU. Conversely, Liberty is making its first trip west of the Mississippi in four years, since a 2012 visit to Montana.
Milestone Watch
1 - After recovering his fifth career fumble during the season opener at Virginia Tech, Erwin Dessources' next fumble recovery will move him into a tie for second place on Liberty's all-time list.
4 - Dexter Robbins is four tackles shy of 100 for his career. He would become the third active Flame with 100+ career stops, joining Nick Newman (179) and Wesley Scott (108).
7 - Dante' Shells is seven receiving yards away from 1,500 for his career.
100 - If either Todd Macon or Frankie Hickson rushes for 100 yards on Saturday, he would become the first Flame with back-to-back 100-yard games since D.J. Abnar had three in a row spanning Oct. 4-25, 2014. If Hickson accomplishes the feat, he would be the first Liberty freshman running back with consecutive 100-yard games since Aldreakis Allen on Oct. 3 and 17, 2009.
A Liberty Win Would ...
• Give the Flames their fifth all-time victory over an FBS opponent and extend their streak to three consecutive seasons with an FBS win.
• Boost the Flames' record against FBS opponents to 3-5 under head coach Turner Gill.
• Give Liberty a victory over a member of a third different FBS conference all-time, joining the MAC and Sun Belt.
• Improve the Flames' all-time record against Texas-based opponents to 3-0, including 2-0 in the Lone Star State.
• Give Liberty its first win west of the Mississippi since a 27-19 victory at Missouri State on Oct. 15, 1994 and improve the Flames' all-time record west of the Mississippi to 4-4.
• Snap the team's four-game road losing streak, giving Liberty its first victory away from home since Oct. 3, 2015 at
Georgia State.
• Give the Flames a 2-1 record to start the season for the fourth consecutive year.
• Mark the second straight year an FCS squad from Virginia has been victorious at Ford Stadium, following James Madison's 48-45 triumph.
