The Liberty Flames play host to the Akron Zips in a non-conference showdown from Williams Stadium. The Zips hit the road having one win on the season and struggling to get much of anything going on either side of the ball with a challenging non-conference schedule. For the Flames, there was bound to be some dropoff from all the success of the last few seasons, though with their only loss being by one point o Wake Forest, this team could be on their way to another bowl game. Liberty should come out on top in this one but it'll be interesting to see if the dropoff in the schedule helps the Zips.
Coming into the season as one of the worst teams in FBS football, things haven't changed over the first three weeks of the season. Their lone win was against an FCS foe, which came in overtime, while the last two weeks saw them drop games to Michigan State and Tennessee by a combined score of 115-6. Now they head on the road for the third straight week and considering the quality of Liberty's roster, it's expected for them to catch another ugly loss before setting their eyes on MAC play.
The Zips don't have any injuries to worry about coming into this one, which is certainly good news. With their struggles already well documented, this group can't afford to be missing any players. Depth could be the one spot where they have an advantage in this one.
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??? Step At A Time“The Battle of Life is fought Uphill. If there were no Difficulties, there would be no Success. If there were no Struggles, nothing Great could ever be Achieved.”
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— Akron Football (@ZipsFB) September 19, 2022
On the offensive front, only scoring six points in their last two games, even regardless of the opponents, is a concern. They rank 117th nationally in total offense while ranking even worse in scoring and rushing. Without the ability to control the clock and give their own defense some rest, it's a revolving door of struggles for this team. DJ irons have seen most of the reps under center and he's at least been strong when it comes to not turning the ball over, which is the least this team can do to try to find some success.
Defensively, this group is right near the bottom of Division 1 when it comes to yards allowed per game and scoring defense. Not only do they struggle to stop the pass, but the run also, which will be a challenge considering Liberty's insistence on that aspect of the game. One player to keep an eye on though is Bubba Arslanian (27 tackles). As the leader in the center of the defense, the more he's inv ovled in plays and his name is heard, the better chance Akron will have.