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The Massachusetts Minutemen are 1-3 against the Liberty Flames since November of 2018, but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. UMass and Liberty will face off in an FBS Independents battle at 3:30 p.m. ET at Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The Flames will be strutting in after a win while the Minutemen will be stumbling in from a defeat.
UMass came up short against the Eastern Michigan Eagles last week, falling 20-13. Massachusetts' loss came about despite a quality game from QB Gino Campiotti, who accumulated 87 passing yards in addition to rushing for one TD and 118 yards. Campiotti hadn't helped his team much against the Temple Owls two weeks ago, so this was a nice turnaround for him.
Meanwhile, Liberty netted a 38-24 victory over the Old Dominion Monarchs last week. RB Dae Dae Hunter had a stellar game for Liberty as he rushed for two TDs and 121 yards on 15 carries in addition to snatching one receiving TD.
The Flames' defense was a presence as well, as it got past Old Dominion's offensive line to sack the quarterback four times for a total loss of 14 yards. It was a group effort with four guys contributing.
The Minutemen are the clear underdogs, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. Those who got lucky with them against the spread last week might want to hold off on placing bets this time since the team has yet to string together back-to-back wins against the spread.
UMass is now 1-4 while Liberty sits at a mirror-image 4-1. A pair of defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: UMass comes into the game boasting the 20th fewest passing yards allowed per game in the nation at 176.8. As for Liberty, they enter the contest with 17 sacks, good for eighth best in the nation.
