Staff Predictions: Liberty vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Two teams with opposite levels of success in 2020 will face off at Williams Stadium on Saturday. Liberty is 3-0, and Louisiana-Monroe is winless. Can Warhawks quarterback Colby Suits create enough offense to keep them in the game? How will Flames quarterback Malik Willis look in his return from an elbow injury? The sports staff tackles all this and more in their next installment of game predictions.

John Nekrasov, Editor – LU 28, ULM 10

ULM is 0-4 coming into Saturday’s game, and the Warhawks will have their work cut out for them against an increasingly confident Liberty team. Though Warhawks quarterback Colby Suits has put up some impressive numbers so far this season (racking up over 1,000 passing yards in four games), ULM has accumulated a mere 281 rushing yards in those same games. With dual-threat QB Malik Willis back on the field, Liberty should have enough in the bag to shut down the Warhawks one-sided offensive strategy and reach a 4-0 record for only the fifth time in program history.

Christian Weaner, Asst. Editor – LU 41, ULM 23

Quarterback play likely will take center stage in Williams stadium when Liberty and ULM meet for the first time. For LU, Malik Willis is returning after injuring his elbow two weeks ago against FIU. That means Colby Suits, the Sun Belt’s leading passer, will need another big performance if the Warhawks want to keep up with the Flames in this one. Liberty will jump out early and rely on the run game to move to 4-0.

John Simmons, Web Manager/Reporter – LU 35, ULM 21

Flames quarterback Malik Willis is back in action tomorrow, and that is bad news for the Warhawks. With each passing week, the Flames are building better chemistry on both sides of the ball. Malik will throw for 200 yards and a touchdown, but the running back tandem of Joshua Mack and Peytton Pickett will carry the offense and combine for 175 yards and three touchdowns.

Emmanuel Adamson, Social Media Manager/Reporter – LU35, ULM 10

The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks are now 0-4 and have the worst record in their conference. This weekend the Warhawks will be traveling to Williams Stadium to take on the red-hot Liberty Flames. I don’t expect this one to be close.

Joshua Lipowski, Reporter – LU 38, ULM 21

ULM has struggled mightily this season against the run, giving up 282 YPG and 11 TDs. This matchup plays right into Liberty’s hands. Look for both Malik Willis and Joshua Mack to run for 100-plus yards this week. While Liberty should win this one handily, look for ULM’s solid passing attack to keep this one close for at least the first half before they get desperate playing from behind. 

Mario Cosentino, Reporter – LU 17, ULM 7

This Saturday’s game will come down to how the quarterbacks play. The Warhawks Colby Suits will have a tough challenge ahead of him against the Flames defense which has been pivotal in their 3-0 start this season. Malik Willis sat out last week with an elbow injury, but even with his injury a concern on his return, Liberty enters Saturday as the heavy favorite.

Christian Shields, Reporter – LU 34, ULM 17

The Flames have started the season extremely well. They are barreling through the competition. LA-Monroe will not be able to keep up with the high-scoring Flames and the Warhawks will continue their winless record.

Season Standings

1- Adamson (3-0), 2 – Nekrasov (3-0), 3 – Shields (3-0), 4 – Cosentino (2-1), 5 – Lipowski (2-1), 6 – Simmons (2-1), 7 – Weaner (2-1)

Last Week’s Closest: Mario Cosentino

Prediction: Liberty 31, UNA 10 Actual: Liberty 28, UNA 7