Liberty
Liberty is 8-1 and No. 52 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 3.9 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: won 30-14 at New Mexico State in Week 10. The machine gives Liberty a 8% chance to make the playoff.
Week 11: vs Middle Tennessee, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Liberty is No. 52
- Liberty's rating is 3.9: the machine's estimate that Liberty is 3.9 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 52 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at −7.7, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 11.6.
- The biggest weekly moves: +5.0 after Week 3 (W 51-15 vs Ball State) and +2.7 after Week 9 (W 49-10 vs Florida International).
- Its record is 8-1. The loss was to No. 51 James Madison, by 7 points. The 8 wins came by 23.1 points on average; the best was over No. 99 Delaware. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 107 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 51 James Madison (3.9); just below is No. 53 Arkansas (2.9).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Jamey Chadwell is in his 4th season at Liberty (since 2023). This season: 8-1. At Liberty overall: 33-14, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 125-201 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 1842 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 14-1 |
| Yards per attempt* | 9.2No. 13 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 13.6%No. 19 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 6.1%No. 87 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 374-1845 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 4.9No. 38 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 17.3%No. 13 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 13.3%No. 11 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 33.3No. 33 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 6.50No. 27 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 45.2%No. 29 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 66.7%No. 41 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 6No. 13 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 13.6No. 6 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 4.82No. 20 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 6.0No. 13 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 3.5No. 32 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 6.1%No. 60 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 14No. 30 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 31.5%No. 17 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Deshawn Purdie115-180, 1705 yds, 11 TD, 1 INT
- Jaylen Henderson9-18, 131 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- Kam Davis102 carries, 666 yds, 8 TD
- Peyton Jones77 carries, 341 yds, 2 TD
- Jaylon Coleman34 carries, 295 yds, 3 TD
Receiving
- Makai Jackson35 catches, 702 yds, 6 TD
- Jamari Person19 catches, 293 yds, 2 TD
- Darius Copeland14 catches, 222 yds, 1 TD
Tackles
- Derrell Farrar53
- Aidan Vaughan44
- D-Icey Hopkins28
Sacks
- Brenton Williams4.5
- Markus Clark3
- Michael Floyde2
Interceptions
- Aidan Vaughan1
- Ashton McShane1
- Derrell Farrar1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Deshawn PurdieMost passes in the last game9 games180 attempts90%
- Jaylen Henderson5 games18 attempts9%
Carrying
- Kam Davis9 games102 carries34%
- Peyton Jones9 games77 carries26%
- Terron Kellman8 games38 carries13%
- Jaylon Coleman9 games34 carries11%
Catching
- Makai Jackson9 games35 catches28%
- Jamari Person9 games19 catches15%
- Darius Copeland7 games14 catches11%
- Bryce Randolph7 games10 catches8%
Tackling
- Derrell Farrar9 games53 tackles10%
- Aidan Vaughan8 games44 tackles8%
- D-Icey Hopkins9 games28 tackles5%
- Jeremiah Vessel8 games28 tackles5%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 L 13–20 at James Madison. The passing game was the strength: 8.5 yards an attempt, 1.8 more than James Madison usually allows. Its fewest yards a carry of the season.
- Week 2 W 24–23 vs Gardner-Webb. Gardner-Webb is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 3 W 51–15 vs Ball State. The pass defense was the strength: Ball State got 4.4 yards an attempt, 2.1 under what it usually gains. The fewest yards an attempt it has allowed all season.
- Week 4 W 34–17 at Coastal Carolina. The passing game was the strength: 12.3 yards an attempt, 4.7 more than Coastal Carolina usually allows. Its most yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 5 W 30–14 at Delaware. The run game was the strength: 6.0 yards a carry, 1.9 more than Delaware usually allows. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 6 W 35–3 vs Sam Houston. The run game was the strength: 7.6 yards a carry, 2.8 more than Sam Houston usually allows. Its most yards a carry of the season.
- Week 8 W 34–6 at Kennesaw State. The run defense was the strength: Kennesaw State got 2.3 yards a carry, 1.7 under what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 9 W 49–10 vs Florida International. The passing game was the strength: 10.7 yards an attempt, 4.5 more than Florida International usually allows. The fewest yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 10 W 30–14 at New Mexico State. The run defense was the strength: New Mexico State got 2.0 yards a carry, 2.6 under what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 3.