Game Day: Sam Houston

Liberty (8-2, 5-2 CUSA) will play at Sam Houston (8-3, 5-2 CUSA) in Friday's regular-season finale, needing a win to return to the CUSA Championship Game for the second year in a row.

"4 Downs" with Sam Houston

#1 Friday's regular-season finale at Sam Houston will mark Liberty's first-ever visit to Bowers Stadium. It is the only stadium the Flames are playing in for the first time in 2024. Only one CUSA team has scored 30 points against Sam Houston this season (WKU - 31). Liberty is 19-0 under Jamey Chadwell when tallying 30+ points but only 2-3 when scoring 29 or fewer.

#2 Second-year CUSA member Jax State has clinched the right to host the Dec. 6 CUSA Championship Game. Fellow second-year members Liberty and Sam Houston are both in the running to face the Gamecocks. The Flames' scenario is the simplest. Win Friday and return to the title game for the second year in a row. Liberty has climbed to No. 2 nationally in rushing yards per game (266.7) after ranking No. 1 a year ago at 293.3.

#3 Liberty is riding a three-game win streak, having rushed for 300+ yards in all three victories. If the Flames can do so on Friday, it would mark the first time in program history they have recorded four straight 300-yard efforts. All three of Liberty's losses under Jamey Chadwell came after the Flames scored first. Liberty is 12-0 under Chadwell when the opponent scores first.

#4 After rushing for a season-high 419 yards against WKU on Saturday, Liberty will attempt to do so in back-to-back games for the first time in program history. No FBS team has recorded consecutive 400-yard rushing games in 2024. Liberty closed the 2023 regular season in Texas (at UTEP), rushing for 441 yards (No. 2 in program history).

A LIBERTY WIN WOULD...

Make the Flames the first team to compete in the CUSA Championship Game during each of its first two seasons as a conference member.
Give the Flames a program-record two-year total of 22 wins, breaking the current mark of 21 wins between 2022 and 2023.
Give the Flames back-to-back seasons with nine or more wins for the first time in program history and mark their seventh 9+ win campaign all-time.
Boost the Flames' winning streak to four games, marking the first season since 1997 Liberty has posted two separate winning streaks of four or more contests.
Improve the Flames' all-time record vs. CUSA opponents (at time of meeting) to 24-3.
Make Flames' November record under Jamey Chadwell 8-0.
Represent the Flames' fifth straight win when facing an opponent from Texas, improving the team's all-time record against Lone Star State foes to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in Texas.

Texas Two-Step
Liberty is 7-2 all-time against teams from the state of Texas and 4-1 when playing in the Longhorn State.

The Flames won at Texas State (17-14, Sept. 18, 1993), at Baylor (48-45, Sept. 2, 2017), at North Texas (35-26, Oct. 23, 2021) and at UTEP (42-28, Nov. 25, 2023). Liberty's only loss in Texas was Sept. 17, 2016, when the Flames fell 29-14 at SMU.

Liberty has won each of its last four meetings with teams from Texas since a 47-7 home loss to North Texas on Sept. 22, 2018.

Comeback Kids
Liberty has trailed at some point in all 10 games so far this year. The Flames have overcome deficits of 17 (Sept. 21 versus East Carolina), 14 (Sept. 7 at New Mexico State) and 13 points (Nov. 16 at UMass), in wins.

This is the first time in program history that Liberty has earned three wins in a season when overcoming deficits of 13 points or more in each game.

CUSA Success
Liberty went 8-0 in conference play last year, its first season in Conference USA. The Flames were the first CUSA team to win their first 11 regular-season Conference USA games as conference members prior to their loss to Kennesaw State, Oct. 23.

Overall, Liberty is 23-3 all-time against teams who were members of CUSA at time of meeting.

Championship Scenario
Liberty would qualify for the Conference USA Championship Game with a win on Saturday at Sam Houston.

In the Championship Game era (since 2005), 10 times has a team made the Conference USA Championship Game with two losses, last North Texas in 2022.

A two-loss team is 3-7 all-time in Conference USA Championship Game history, with Southern Miss (2011), East Carolina (2008) and Tulsa (2005) all going on the road to win the title game.

Player Connections
Liberty junior QB Kaidon Salter and junior CB Amarian Williams, Sam Houston redshirt junior K/P Jadon Cardell and redshirt junior DL Matthew Aribisala all played at Cedar Hill High School.

Liberty senior CB Charles Yates, Jr. (2022) and Sam Houston graduate QB Grant Gunnell (2019-20) and junior OL Luke Eckardt (2021) all went to Arizona. However, none of the three overlapped at Arizona.

Liberty sophomore RB Victor Venn and sophomore CB Joshua Wiggins, Sam Houston redshirt junior TE Austin Smith and junior OL Luke Eckardt went to Colorado.

Liberty junior S Eldric Griffin and Sam Houston redshirt junior OL Graceson Jackson-Smith both played at Tyler Junior College.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Eldric Griffin

Kaidon Salter

Victor Venn

Joshua Wiggins

Amarian Williams

Charles Yates, Jr.