Liberty has built momentum fast, and that is why the Flames are drawing the edge in Thursday night’s Sam Houston vs Liberty matchup at 7:00 p.m. ET. After opening the season with a loss at James Madison, Liberty has won four straight games, and three of those victories came by at least 16 points.
That run has been fueled by production on both sides of the ball. Liberty is averaging 30.4 points and 416.8 total yards per game while allowing 17.8 points and 301.4 yards. The Flames are also generating 208.2 rushing yards per game, a number that stands out against a Sam Houston State defense that has surrendered 190.2 rushing yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry.
Kam Davis offered the latest reminder of what Liberty can do on the ground when he ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries against Delaware. Liberty won that game 30-14 after beating Coastal Carolina 34-17 the week before, a stretch that has made the Flames look increasingly difficult to slow once they get ahead.
Sam Houston brings a different kind of challenge. Its offense is averaging 308.0 passing yards per game, which gives this game a real strength-on-strength feel, but that has to be weighed against a Liberty defense allowing only 173.4 passing yards per game and intercepting five passes. Opponents are completing just 49.0% of their throws against Liberty, so the passing lane Sam Houston wants to lean on is not an easy one to attack.
That is the part of the matchup that makes the number interesting. Sam Houston can move the ball through the air, but Liberty’s balance has been better, and its defense has been far stingier. If the Flames control the run game again, the same formula that powered their recent surge should keep them in command when the teams meet Thursday night. The next checkpoint arrives at kickoff, when Liberty tries to extend its four-game winning streak and Sam Houston tries to make its passing offense count against one of the sturdier defenses on the slate.
