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2020 Liberty

10–⁠1, coached by Hugh Freeze, finished No. 17 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Liberty in 2020, game by game: won at Western Kentucky 30–24; won vs. Florida International 36–34; won vs. North Alabama 28–7; won vs. UL Monroe 40–7; won at Syracuse 38–21; won vs. Southern Miss 56–35; won at Virginia Tech 38–35; won vs. Western Carolina 58–14; lost at NC State 14–15; won vs. Massachusetts 45–0; won vs. No. 9 Coastal Carolina 37–34+45−1Won 30–24 at Western Kentucky+6Western KentuckyWon 36–34 vs. Florida International+2Florida Interna…Won 28–7 vs. North Alabama+21North AlabamaWon 40–7 vs. UL Monroe+33UL MonroeWon 38–21 at Syracuse+17SyracuseWon 56–35 vs. Southern Miss+21Southern MissWon 38–35 at Virginia Tech+3Virginia TechWon 58–14 vs. Western Carolina+44Western CarolinaLost 14–15 at NC State-1NC StateWon 45–0 vs. Massachusetts+45MassachusettsWon 37–34 vs. No. 9 Coastal Carolina+3No. 9 Coastal Carolina
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 19atWestern KentuckyW 30–⁠2438%
Sep 26vsFlorida InternationalW 36–⁠3464%
Oct 3vsNorth AlabamaW 28–⁠787%
Oct 10vsUL MonroeW 40–⁠781%
Oct 17atSyracuseW 38–⁠2154%
Oct 24vsSouthern MissW 56–⁠3574%
Nov 7atVirginia TechW 38–⁠3541%
Nov 14vsWestern CarolinaW 58–⁠1493%
Nov 21atNC StateL 14–⁠1557%
Nov 27vsMassachusettsW 45–⁠090%
Dec 26Bowls & playoffvs9Coastal CarolinaCure BowlW 37–⁠3441%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Coastal Carolina 37–⁠34 in the Cure Bowl; No. 17 in the final AP poll.

In program history: The 2nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 32 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 10: 25
  2. Wk 11: 22
  3. Wk 12: 21
  4. Wk 14: 25
  5. Wk 15: 22
  6. Wk 16: 22
  7. Final: 17
Record
10–⁠1
Conference
—
AP final
No. 17 peak No. 17
Points
420–⁠226
Coach
Hugh Freeze
Elo
1618 +130 this season
SP+ rating
6.5 No. 38 of 130; offense No. 26, defense No. 64
SRS
1.7 No. 37 of 77 in FBS
Returning
32% of last season’s EPA, No. 113 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 95 roster talent No. 125 in FBS
Offensive coordinators
Kent Austin and Maurice Harris
Defensive coordinator
Scott Symons
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense15th of 127
  • Defense59th of 127
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted17th of 127
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted83rd of 127
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.2649%1.2815th of 127
Defense0.1042%1.2859th of 127
Opponent-adjusted0.20 off
0.14 def		47% off
44% def		—17th off
83rd def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.7own 3116% allowed
Defense3.0own 2817% caused

CORE rating 4.2, 51st of 127 (offense 8.9, defense 4.7).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsMalik Willis QB2,252 yds
Passing touchdownsMalik Willis QB20 TD
Rushing yardsMalik Willis QB944 yds
Rushing touchdownsMalik Willis QB14 TD
Receiving yardsD.J. Stubbs WR523 yds
Receiving touchdownsKevin Shaa WR4 TD
TacklesJavon Scruggs S69 tkl
SacksDurrell Johnson DE8.5 sacks
InterceptionsAnthony Butler LB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2020 class

Da’Qon Stewart WR★★★No. 659
Stephen Sings V WDE★★★No. 855
Rashad Whitehead SDE★★★No. 1063
Brian Hannibal OG★★★No. 1189
Ahmad Jackson WR★★★No. 1627

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2020 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks22.00.779
Receivers53.00.831
Offensive line52.40.796
Defensive line43.00.831
Linebackers23.00.808
Defensive backs52.60.809
Athletes and specialists12.00.797
Whole class242.70.812

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 111

The 2020 roster

111 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 64 have a stat line. See the roster