Arkansas football vs. Liberty: Scouting report, score prediction
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football is familiar with Liberty coach Hugh Freeze, whom it beat three times in Freeze's five seasons at Ole Miss. On Saturday, however, the Razorbacks will meet the Flames for the first time in program history.
Liberty (7-1) did not appear in the first College Football Playoff top 25 released Tuesday, but the Flames come in at No. 23 in both the AP and AFCA coaches poll rankings.
"Defensively, they will hit you, they can tackle you," Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. "Offensively, they’re going to have something that you haven’t seen. They are a well-oiled machine, they are physical and they’re a very disciplined team."
Here's what to know before Arkansas (5-3, 2-3 SEC) faces Liberty on Saturday (3 p.m. CT, SECN).
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Liberty QB: Charlie Brewer or Johnathan Bennett?
Liberty has been mostly without its preferred quarterback, Charlie Brewer, since Week 1. Brewer suffered a broken hand in the Flames' season opener. He entered the Week 8 game against BYU briefly, but did not attempt a pass.
Liberty is Brewer's third school. He played four seasons and 44 games at Baylor before transferring to Utah, then finding his way to Freeze. He has a career completion percentage of 63.4%.
Brewer has been cleared to play against Arkansas, but Freeze hasn't said publicly whether he will start. The Flames might opt for Johnathan Bennett, who has started the last three games.
Bennett has thrown for 939 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in seven games this season, but Freeze said Thursday the redshirt junior has the flu and didn't have a full week of practice.
Pittman said the Razorbacks are preparing for either quarterback, and he doesn't expect the defense to change much depending on who starts for the Flames.
"They both can throw the football, they’re both in command of the offense, they both read well," he said Monday. "They have a lot of read-and-runs like we do, and they both run well.... I think they’re very similar players."
Dae Dae Hunter a key rushing threat
Liberty has a strong rushing game of its own, and it's led by running back Dae Dae Hunter. He ranks No. 18 in FBS in rushing yards per game, 10 spots behind Arkansas star Raheim "Rocket" Sanders. He averages about 103 yards per game and 6.83 yards per carry.
"I’ll tell you what, he’s got 860 yards, so they give the ball to him quite often," Pittman said of Hunter. "Very fast, hard runner. Can make you miss but can run over the top of you."
Pittman also said Arkansas is concerned with Liberty's ability to use its quarterback in the running game. Bennett averages almost seven carries per game and has over 100 yards on the ground.
Arkansas and Liberty's common opponent: BYU
Arkansas and Liberty faced BYU within a week of each other. Examining their respective performances against the Cougars is telling.
Both offenses were dominant against BYU. Liberty put up more than 500 yards of offense on the Cougars, including 300 rushing yards. Arkansas used its balanced offense to collect 644 yards, with 367 passing and 277 rushing.
The defenses differed more. Liberty limited BYU to just two touchdowns and held the Cougars under 30% on third down. The biggest discrepancy between Liberty's defensive performance against BYU and that of Arkansas is in the pass defense. Arkansas allowed 356 yards and three touchdowns through the air, while Liberty conceded about half as many yards and two scores.
Liberty has had more success defending the pass throughout the season than Arkansas. Luckily for the Razorbacks, Jefferson is among the better quarterbacks the Flames have faced this year, and Arkansas has a reliable ground game.
Score prediction
Arkansas 38, Liberty 28 — Arkansas is favored by two touchdowns over Liberty, but the Razorbacks' defense will have its hands full with a well-rested Freeze offense. Liberty's defense will start strong, but Arkansas' physical, balanced offense will wear down the Flames. The Razorbacks will win their third straight.
Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football vs. Liberty: Scouting report, score prediction
