Game Day: Sam Houston
10/7/2026 2:49:00 PM | Football
Liberty (4-1, 1-0 CUSA) hosts Sam Houston (1-3, 0-0 CUSA) for the first time in three years on Thursday for a Midweek on the Mountain clash on ESPNU.
Broadcast Information:
TV: ESPNU
Game Day Information:
Location: Lynchburg, Va.
Stadium: Williams Stadium
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
"4 Downs" with Sam Houston
#1 Thursday will mark Liberty's first of four CUSA home games during its fourth season as a conference member. The Flames are 10-3 against CUSA foes at Williams Stadium since joining the league. Liberty ranks No. 1 in CUSA in rushing offense this season (208.2 ypg), while Sam Houston tops the conference in passing offense (308.0 ypg).
#2 Both previous Liberty-Sam Houston matchups have been won by the home team, and the two contests were decided by a total of seven points. The Flames scored 54 straight points during their back-to-back wins at Coastal Carolina and Delaware. They turned a 17-10 halftime deficit at Coastal into a 34-17 victory with 24 unanswered points, and then raced out to a 30-0 advantage during Friday's CUSA opener at Delaware.
#3 Liberty has only allowed one opposing QB to throw for 300 yards since the start of 2024 (Delaware's Nick Minicucci in 2025). The Flames will attempt to limit Sam Houston QB Landyn Locke, who already has three 300-yard games to his credit in 2026. Chase Reeves hit three field goals at Delaware, improving to 9-for-9 this season.
#4 The Flames are playing on Oct. 8 for the fourth time in the last five seasons, including their third straight CUSA weekday contest on this date. Liberty is attempting to rush for over 200 yards for the fourth consecutive game. The Flames are 4-0 this season and 28-4 under Jamey Chadwell when outrushing their opponents.
A LIBERTY WIN WOULD...
CUSA Success
Despite losing its last four CUSA games last season, Liberty is 27-9 all-time against Conference USA members (at time of meeting).
Each of Liberty's last four games last season saw the deciding points scored within the last minute of regulation or overtime. In total, 50 percent of CUSA games were decided by one score during 2025.
Liberty is 18-8 versus CUSA teams since joining the league in 2023. The Flames went 8-0 in conference play during their first year in CUSA and got off to a 3-0 CUSA start in 2024 before losing to Kennesaw State.
Wire to Wire
Liberty built a 30-0 lead at Delaware last Friday, leading from wire to wire for the first time since Oct. 8, 2025 at UTEP.
The Flames led the nation with eight come-from-behind wins in 2024.
Liberty is third among all FBS teams with 21 come-from-behind wins under fourth-year Head Coach Jamey Chadwell (since 2023), trailing only Georgia (22) and Missouri (22).
1,000-Mile Club
Liberty has posted a 13-2 record all-time when a team travels more than 1,000 miles to play at Williams Stadium.
Below is a summary of the Flames' home records against teams traveling 1,000+miles.
5-1 vs. New Mexico State
1-0 vs. BYU, Cal Poly, Idaho State, Montana, New Mexico, Sam Houston, Texas State and UTEP
0-1 vs. North Texas
Quick History
Liberty's first Midweek on the Mountain game came against Sam Houston, a thrilling 21-16 Flames victory over the Bearkats on Oct. 5, 2023 at Williams Stadium.
The Flames held off four straight Sam Houston plays at the three-yard line with under a minute left to seal the win.
Sam Houston edged Liberty 20-18 on Nov. 29, 2024 in Huntsville, Texas. Kaidon Salter scored a touchdown with 1:10 remaining, but the two-point attempt was thwarted, preserving the Bearkats' victory.
Broadcast Information:
TV: ESPNU
- Broadcast team: Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Jay Walker (analyst)
- Broadcast team: Alan York (play-by-play), Jason Porter (analyst) and Nick Pierce (sidelines)
Game Day Information:
Location: Lynchburg, Va.
Stadium: Williams Stadium
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
"4 Downs" with Sam Houston
#1 Thursday will mark Liberty's first of four CUSA home games during its fourth season as a conference member. The Flames are 10-3 against CUSA foes at Williams Stadium since joining the league. Liberty ranks No. 1 in CUSA in rushing offense this season (208.2 ypg), while Sam Houston tops the conference in passing offense (308.0 ypg).
#2 Both previous Liberty-Sam Houston matchups have been won by the home team, and the two contests were decided by a total of seven points. The Flames scored 54 straight points during their back-to-back wins at Coastal Carolina and Delaware. They turned a 17-10 halftime deficit at Coastal into a 34-17 victory with 24 unanswered points, and then raced out to a 30-0 advantage during Friday's CUSA opener at Delaware.
#3 Liberty has only allowed one opposing QB to throw for 300 yards since the start of 2024 (Delaware's Nick Minicucci in 2025). The Flames will attempt to limit Sam Houston QB Landyn Locke, who already has three 300-yard games to his credit in 2026. Chase Reeves hit three field goals at Delaware, improving to 9-for-9 this season.
#4 The Flames are playing on Oct. 8 for the fourth time in the last five seasons, including their third straight CUSA weekday contest on this date. Liberty is attempting to rush for over 200 yards for the fourth consecutive game. The Flames are 4-0 this season and 28-4 under Jamey Chadwell when outrushing their opponents.
A LIBERTY WIN WOULD...
- Give the Flames their first five-game winning streak since Liberty opened the 2024 season with five consecutive victories (Aug. 31-Oct. 8, 2024).
- Mark the Flames' fifth victory of the season, eclipsing their win total (4) from the 2025 campaign.
- Improve the Flames' record in CUSA home openers to 4-0.
- Boost the Flames' all-time record against CUSA foes (at time of meeting) to 28-9, including a 19-8 mark since Liberty joined the conference in 2023.
- Improve the Flames' record in October weekday contests to 9-2 under Jamey Chadwell.
- Push the Flames' all-time record when playing on Thursday to 5-3, including 2-0 this season. It would also give Jamey Chadwell a 12-1 mark when coaching Thursday contests at the Division I level.
- Send Sam Houston to its sixth consecutive CUSA road loss and drop the Bearkats' all-time record in CUSA road tilts to 4-9, including 0-2 at Williams Stadium.
CUSA Success
Despite losing its last four CUSA games last season, Liberty is 27-9 all-time against Conference USA members (at time of meeting).
Each of Liberty's last four games last season saw the deciding points scored within the last minute of regulation or overtime. In total, 50 percent of CUSA games were decided by one score during 2025.
Liberty is 18-8 versus CUSA teams since joining the league in 2023. The Flames went 8-0 in conference play during their first year in CUSA and got off to a 3-0 CUSA start in 2024 before losing to Kennesaw State.
Wire to Wire
Liberty built a 30-0 lead at Delaware last Friday, leading from wire to wire for the first time since Oct. 8, 2025 at UTEP.
The Flames led the nation with eight come-from-behind wins in 2024.
Liberty is third among all FBS teams with 21 come-from-behind wins under fourth-year Head Coach Jamey Chadwell (since 2023), trailing only Georgia (22) and Missouri (22).
1,000-Mile Club
Liberty has posted a 13-2 record all-time when a team travels more than 1,000 miles to play at Williams Stadium.
Below is a summary of the Flames' home records against teams traveling 1,000+miles.
5-1 vs. New Mexico State
1-0 vs. BYU, Cal Poly, Idaho State, Montana, New Mexico, Sam Houston, Texas State and UTEP
0-1 vs. North Texas
Quick History
Liberty's first Midweek on the Mountain game came against Sam Houston, a thrilling 21-16 Flames victory over the Bearkats on Oct. 5, 2023 at Williams Stadium.
The Flames held off four straight Sam Houston plays at the three-yard line with under a minute left to seal the win.
Sam Houston edged Liberty 20-18 on Nov. 29, 2024 in Huntsville, Texas. Kaidon Salter scored a touchdown with 1:10 remaining, but the two-point attempt was thwarted, preserving the Bearkats' victory.
Players Mentioned
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