Tag: Liberty Flames

Sooners overcome early deficit, slam past Liberty in Regionals opener

The Sooners opened Regionals with a massive 16-3 win over Liberty

After the disappointment of not getting to host a Regional after winning the Big 12 Tournament, the Sooners flew off into SEC country to play the Liberty Flames in Gainesville. After trailing early 3-0, the Sooners scored 16 unanswered runs and will move on to the second round.

After allowing three runs to open the ballgame in the top of the first, Sooners pitcher Jake Bennett weathered the storm and didn’t allow another run. Bennett struck out seven batters and walked two through 5.2 innings.

OU threatened in the first with two singles but wasn’t able to bring anyone home to immediately respond to Liberty’s big first inning.

That changed in the second.

After an RBI single from Wallace Clark to get OU on the board, the hits just kept on coming from an OU squad looking to make it to Omaha for the first time since 2012.

John Spikerman and Peyton Graham both had four RBIs. Not wanting to be outdone by their softball counterparts, Graham hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth, leading to this phenomenal world play from the OU Baseball Twitter account.

The job is nowhere near finished for this team. It’s only going to get more difficult from here.

They will play the winner of Central Michigan and no. 13 Florida on Saturday. The Gators are the host of this NCAA Regional and will have a strong home crowd should they defeat the Chippewas later today.

Since losing the final game of the regular season to Texas Tech and just barely missing out on the Big 12 Regular Season title, the Sooners have won five straight.

Liberty Flames Top 10 Players: College Football Preview 2022

Who are the top 10 Liberty players going into the 2022 college football season?

Liberty Flames Preview 2022: Who are the top 10 players going into the season?

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Liberty Flames Preview
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen | Liberty Schedule

Liberty head coach doesn’t list Lions among teams asking him about QB Malik Willis

Flames coach Hugh Freeze listed off several teams that have asked him about Willis but the Lions weren’t one of them

One of the tried and true ways to find out an NFL team’s interest in a draft prospect is to talk to the player’s collegiate head coach. That coach is invariably an indispensable resource for information on the player, and teams routinely talk to the coach to find out whatever they need to know.

So it raises an eyebrow when Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze leaves out the Detroit Lions when listing off teams he’s talked with about his standout QB, Malik Willis. Freeze did just that in a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show when asked about what teams were showing interest in Willis.

Freeze kicks off the segment by admitting, “I have no clue on this one (Willis’ draft stock)”. He then gets into the teams he recalls being in-depth with about Willis.

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“I know the teams that have spent an enormous amount of time visiting with me, whether it’s Carolina or Pittsburgh or Atlanta,” Freeze told Eisen. “All of those have spent — the Seahawks — a lot of time with us, but it’s hard for me to keep up.”

He then noted Willis’ upcoming pre-draft visit tour, prominently mentioning the Philadelphia Eagles

For all the speculation about the Lions possibly taking Willis with the No. 2 overall pick, Freeze’s admission casts more doubt on the connection many have made in the draft cycle. When paired with head coach Dan Campbell’s statement that the No. 2 pick needs to be an immediate starter, it’s looking less and less like the Willis-to-Detroit dreams many Lions fans harbor will come true.

However (said in a Stephen A. Smith voice), Freeze did acknowledge that he spoke to “everybody” about Willis at Liberty’s recent pro day, which the Lions sent director of player personnel Lance Newmark to attend. And the Lions have a distinct advantage in knowing about Willis after coaching him for a week at the Senior Bowl, so probing the coach for information on what the Lions themselves saw firsthand in Mobile might be overkill. It could also be part of an elaborate smokescreen by Lions GM Brad Holmes to keep the team’s intentions unknown and drive up potential trade interest.

 

2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: QB Malik Willis, Liberty

Malik Willis is ready to run onto fantasy rosters even as a rookie.

As a high school senior in Atlanta, Malik Willis threw for 2,562 yards, rushed for 1,033 yards and scored 37 total touchdowns. He signed with Auburn and played behind Jarrett Stidham for two seasons with appearances in 11 games but transferred to Liberty College in 2020, where he became a starter for the next two years.

Granted, he traded SEC opponents for those on independent Liberty’s schedule – Troy, Middle Tennessee State, North Texas, Army, and the like. But Willis became one of the most electric dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. He was the leading passer and rusher for the Liberty Flames the last two seasons and led them to a 10-1 record in 2020 as the No. 17 team in the AP rankings.

Height: 6-0
Weight: 219 pounds
40 time: 4.4 (estimated – did not run at combine)

He enters the NFL with both elite skills and areas of concern. Willis was a star at the NFL combine, displaying his arm strength and deep ball touch. Better yet, he impressed in interviews and left teams comfortable with his maturity, intelligence, and ambition. He did not run since he had nothing to prove. He has elite speed.

Table: Malik Willis NCAA stats (2018-2021)

Year Team Games Runs Yards TD Pass Complete Yards Avg. TD Int
2018 Auburn 7 16 221 1 7 6 45 9.3 1 0
2019 Auburn 5 12 88 1 7 5 24 3.4 0 0
2020 Liberty 10 141 944 14 265 170 2250 9.0 20 6
2021 Liberty 13 197 878 13 339 207 2857 8.4 27 12

Pros

  • Tremendous dual-threat potential
  • Dangerous running in the open field
  • Elite RPO skills in the right offense
  • Cannon arm but can drop deep rainbow passes into a basket
  • Good vision on scrambles and roll-outs
  • By all accounts a leader and high character individual that teammates will rally behind
  • Raw tools are elite
  • Speed to burn any defender when in the open

Cons

  • Takes unnecessary sacks when pressed
  • Footwork in the pocket needs work
  • Accuracy issues when scrambling
  • Can throw too hot to shallow receivers
  • Tends to look for big play rather than settle for lesser gains or throwaways
  • Worked against lesser competition and in simpler offense at Liberty
  • Shorter stature may impact seeing over the line

Fantasy outlook

He’s compared to recent running quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and particularly Jalen Hurts, who led the NFL in  quarterback rushing yards last year. There is no doubt that Willis can fit into the NFL and his run ability will be fantasy-relevant even as a rookie. He may be the first quarterback taken in the NFL draft.

There’s plenty to love about Willis.  Elite rushing skills, cannon arm that can make any throw, highly competitive. While his rushing ability and deep-ball skills are already formidable, he’ll need to continue to work on his intermediate passing, where he needs to improve at reading defenses, adjust ball velocity on shorter passes, and be more accurate. He was only a two-year starter at a smaller college and needs continued development as a pocket passer. If he can master that intermediate game as he has deep throws and rushing, then Willis will be one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.

One of the qualities that he brings, unlike so many other college quarterbacks, is leadership, maturity, intelligence and willingness to learn. He’s well-liked and respected by teammates.

His rushing ability will always make him fantasy-relevant. How quickly he can learn to be a better passer will limit or propel his fantasy value.

Kevin O’Sullivan frustrated with Florida baseball’s slow season start

Pat Dooley gives his report from Florida Ballpark this weekend.

The frustration was evident in Kevin O’Sullivan’s voice after Florida baseball finished its opening weekend of the 2022 season with a losing record.

“I certainly didn’t expect that out of some of our older hitters,” said the Florida baseball coach.

He was referring to a scenario that looked a lot like Florida at its worst last season when the approach at the plate was less than ideal.

On Sunday, it was the Gators striking out 11 times making it 31 for the weekend. As a result, they only scored in one inning and lost the rubber game to the Liberty Flames, 5-3.

After the game, UF did not make players available because they were having a team meeting. Presumably, the penchant for striking out was a part of that meeting.

“The offense needs to take pressure off the younger arms,” O’Sullivan said. “We had a good two-strike approach in the preseason. Maybe the game sped up on them.”

It was the second straight season that Florida has lost the opening weekend series. Last year, it was against Miami. This time, it was a Liberty team that was throwing relievers out there with 97 mph fastballs.

The Flames were NCAA Regional finalists a year ago and you could see why. They were almost flawless in the field all weekend and worked Florida’s pitchers on two-strike counts at the plate.

Certainly, that was the case on Sunday when freshman Pierce Coppola sailed into the fifth inning with a shutout. But he got beat by Gray Betts on a two-strike ground-rule double down the left-field line to put a runner in scoring position.

Adam Anderson then launched a 2-0 pitch over the fence in left to make it a 3-2 game. The eventual winning run scored an inning later after a two-strike walk.

“They were the difference in the game,” O’Sullivan said.

Florida had taken the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Josh Rivera doubled home Wyatt Langford, who had walked. BT Riopelle followed with a long homer to right after narrowly missing one two pitches earlier.

But that was it for the Gators, which is part of the reason O’Sullivan was so frustrated. Florida only had two hits the rest of the game, a single by Rivera and a bunt single by Colby Halter.

There was also this – Florida was finally able to host a series without restrictions for attendance and the fans showed up. The announced attendance for the three games was 18,190 or 6,063 per game.

“They’re a good team,” O’Sullivan said of Liberty. “They’re pitchers attacked us the entire weekend. There’s never anything positive about a loss and you don’t want to be down 1-2 after the first weekend. But when you play good teams, you’re going to have an idea where you are at.

“If we play nobody and we go 3-0, I have no idea where we are.”

Where Florida is at right now is kind of where they were much of last year. One week into the season, Florida is hitting .186 as a team.

The one good thing was the defense, which played errorless ball.

“It’s a long season,” O’Sullivan said. “We have veteran hitters and young pitchers. We must take the pressure off those young pitchers by expanding leads.”

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Liberty shocks Florida baseball to tie season-opening series

Looks like all of the Gator mojo was spent on the Auburn game this afternoon.

The Liberty Flames stunned the Orange and Blue Saturday, knocking them off 6-4 at Florida Ballpark to tie the series heading into the rubber match Sunday. The Gators struggled mightily on the mound as their pitchers allowed six walks and hit five batters, which led to six runs.

It was a sour performance after ace Hunter Barco threw six hitless innings and a career-high 11 strikeouts while his bullpen only allowed two runs. Their performance kept the pressure off the Gators’ bats as they exploded toward a 7-2 victory.

Earlier this week, coach Kevin O’Sullivan caught a lot of Florida fans and media members by surprise when he named left-hander Timmy Manning, who held a 6.6 ERA in 15 innings pitched last season, the Saturday starter over the right-handed Brandon Sproat. His decision didn’t pay off as he only lasted three innings while allowing four earned runs, five hits, two walks and a hit by pitch.

But Sproat didn’t fare much better with his command, either, after he replaced Manning. He gave up two walks and an earned run in only two innings.

Florida found a way to shorten Liberty’s lead in the third. Second baseman Colby Halter sent a double down the right-field line that scored catcher BT Riopelle to make it 4-1.

The Gators quickly filled the bases again the following inning. Third baseman Deric Fabian earned the walk that scored designated hitter Khris Armstrong. Then center fielder Jud Fabian tied the game when he drilled the ball off the right-center-field wall, scoring Riopelle and his little brother.

Liberty reclaimed the lead immediately in the top of the fifth. Second baseman Cameron Foster doubled down the right-field line and drove in his teammate Stephen Hill who reached base via a lead-off walk.

In the eighth, the Flames increased their lead once more to 6-4 after a hit by pitch and a walk via a sacrifice fly

Florida attempted one last rally when Deric led off the ninth inning with a hit by pitch, but the lineup behind him couldn’t keep the momentum going, leading to a 6-4 loss.

Jud led the way offensively, going 1-5 with a double and two RBIs. Halter also added a double and an RBI while Armstrong tallied another two-bagger.

The Gators will try to take the series Sunday when the two teams play one more time at noon and can be seen on SEC Network+.

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Florida baseball starts 2022 with victory over Liberty

Florida baseball started off 2022 with a bang. Sterlin Thompson blasted two home runs on opening night, including a grand salami.

Florida Gators baseball started the 2022 season with a 7-2 victory over the Liberty Flames on Friday.

Left-handed sophomore Hunter Barco pitched six strong innings for the Gators on opening night, allowing the offense to take a 3-0 lead before turning things over to the bullpen. Barco’s first inning set the tone for the evening. He needed only 11 pitches to get each of the first three batters to strike out swinging.

Barco finished the night with a career-high 11 strikeouts and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. His only walk of the evening also came in the sixth. Expected to be the ace of the team this season, Barco certainly looks like it in his first outing of the year.

Right fielder Sterlin Thompson provided most of the offense with two home runs, including a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh. Those four insurance runs proved to be crucial after redshirt freshman Nick Ficarrotta surrendered two runs in the eighth inning.

Closing the game out became a two-man effort when freshman Phillip Abner loaded the bases with back-to-back walks. Ryan Slater came in to secure the final two outs of the ball game.

Although Thompson was the big bat of the night, several other Gators hit well in the win. Left fielder Wyatt Langford put the Gators up 2-0 with a solo homer in the second inning, and third baseman Deric Fabian got his first hit as a Gator.

Jud Fabian finished the evening 0-2, but he scored in the first after being hit by a pitch and was robbed of an extra-base hit by Liberty centerfielder Derek Orndorff in one of the better defensive plays of the night. While Fabian was able to avoid the strikeout bug, shortstop Josh Rivera fanned three times against the Flames.

Florida’s opening night win was a good way to kick off the season after a rather disappointing end to 2021. Barco looks ready to be at the top of the rotation, and the offense is picking right back up where it left off after losing some key starters.

The Gators are back at it on Saturday against the Flames at 4 p.m. EST. Left-handed pitcher Timmy Manning is on the bump for Florida.

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Series Preview: Florida baseball kicks off 2022 against Liberty Flames

Baseball is back! The Florida Gators kick off the 2022 season with a weekend series against Liberty.

College baseball finally returns on Friday as the Florida Gators host the Liberty Flames for the first weekend series of the season.

Florida entered 2021 as the No. 1 team in the country, but it didn’t finish the season anywhere near the top. The Gators went 38-22 and were bounced from the Gainesville regional after two quick losses. Expectations are lower this season, but Florida does return six positional starters in 2022.

Those veterans will need to balance out a rather young pitching staff that’s led by sophomore Hunter Barco, Friday’s starter. Brandon Sproat is not in the rotation this weekend, which comes as a bit of a surprise, and Kevin O’Sullivan has decided to go with an all-lefty rotation for the first time while at Florida.

Last year’s starting left fielder Jacob Young is now in the pros and there’s no clear answer just yet on who his everyday replacement should be. Sophomore Wyatt Langford will get the opening day start, but Sully said that multiple players could see time at the position over the season.

Catcher is another position with a bit of a question mark around it. Sophomore Mac Guscette will be behind the plate on Friday, but Coastal Carolina transfer BT Riopelle should get some playtime this weekend as well.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see different lineups thrown out early in the season in an attempt to figure out Florida’s best group before SEC play. O’Sullivan needs to be cautious, though, as last year’s season started off rocky dropping two of three games to Miami.

Former QB Malik Willis calls himself ‘so immature’ during Auburn stint

Malik Willis calls himself “immature” when remembering his time on the plains.

Before he was one of the hottest names at quarterback when it comes to the NFL draft, Liberty quarterback Malik Willis was on the Auburn roster.

Rated as the nation’s No. 21 athlete in the 2017 recruiting class, Willis signed to play football for Gus Malzahn with the Tigers. He would appear in just 12 games over two seasons, throwing 14 passes for 69 yards and one touchdown. Willis added 309 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground.

Following the 2018 Music City Bowl game where Auburn throttled Purdue 63-14, Willis wouldn’t play another snap for the Tigers. He would become the quarterback at Liberty under former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze. He transferred in 2019 after not winning the starting job.

Willis now finds himself closer and closer to hearing his name called on the stage for the NFL draft. However, when remembering his time at Auburn, he said “I was so immature.” Willis wasn’t in consideration for the starting job and former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn didn’t have to tell him the exact reason.

Malzahn didn’t specifically say Willis’ lack of commitment in the film room was the reason, but …

“He didn’t have to. I knew,” Willis said. “I was so immature. I had just played really well in the spring game, but I learned the hard way that the spring game doesn’t matter. I decided after that meeting that I had to be better, but I needed to find somewhere else to play and find someone to help me get where I needed to go.” – via Chase Goodbread, NFL

This happened to be one of those situations where the transfer was all for the best. Willis needed a wake-up call and a coach to take him under his wing. He found that at Liberty.

SKOL search: Is Malik Willis the next Josh Allen?

There are clearly some similarities between Willis and Allen.

This Sunday evening, we were witnesses to one of the most remarkable football games of our lifetime. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes were on another planet with both players amassing an EPA/play over 0.500,  combining for seven touchdowns, zero interceptions and only six punts.

Sunday’s game—and the weekend in general—epitomized the seismic shift that we have been seeing in the NFL over the last decade. If your quarterback is playing at a superb level, you can overcome a subpar defense.

These two quarterbacks exemplify the ultimate victory when you bet on a player with sky-high traits. Neither were polished college players or even considered successful starters for their respective programs. There were major accuracy issues with Allen and questions about Mahomes’ decision-making abilities, including whether the Air Raid would translate to the NFL.

But there are two things both players possessed that has shown an immaculate ability to translate: outside of structure play and immense arm talent.

The NFL is largely a reactionary and copycat league. We have seen it time and time again that one organization shows some progressive thinking, the rest of the league will copy that process to produce their own levels of success. The most recent examples are teams starting to utilize RPOs, the massive expansion of wide zone and focus on rotating defensive lineman. The next trend is becoming glaringly obvious: high upside quarterbacks with elite arm talent.

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