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The Liberty Flames are on the road again on Saturday and play against the North Texas Mean Green at 4 p.m. ET Oct. 23 at Apogee Stadium. Liberty is expected to win again but is hoping to meet expectations this time.
It was close but no cigar for the Flames as they fell 31-28 to the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks last week. Liberty was up 14 to nothing at the end of the half but couldn't hold on to the lead. A silver lining for them was the play of QB Malik Willis, who passed for one TD and 135 yards on 28 attempts in addition to rushing for two TDs and 157 yards. Willis put himself on the highlight reel with a 53-yard TD scramble in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, North Texas might not have won anyway, but with 130 yards lost due to penalties, they really shot themselves in the foot last Friday. Things couldn't have gone much worse for them as they lost 49-21 to the Marshall Thundering Herd. North Texas was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 42-7. The losing side was boosted by RB DeAndre Torrey, who rushed for two TDs and 179 yards on 20 carries. One of the most memorable plays of the matchup was Torrey's 75-yard touchdown rush in the second quarter.
This next game looks promising for Liberty, who are favored by a full 21.5 points. Those burned by picking them against the spread last week might want to keep in mind that the team has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
The losses put the Flames at 5-2 and the Mean Green at 1-5. A couple numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Liberty is stumbling into the contest with the 194th most thrown interceptions in the nation, having thrown six on the season. North Texas has experienced some struggles of their own as they are 232nd worst in the nation in thrown interceptions, having thrown nine on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
