Liberty Football enjoys off-the-field bowl week fun ahead of Saturday’s matchup

Since arriving in Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday, the Liberty University Football team has been enjoying taking part in pre-bowl game festivities before they meet Eastern Michigan on the gridiron in the LendingTree Bowl on Saturday.

The Flames and Eagles players are participating in several events, including a service project on Thursday morning where the teams split off into smaller groups to pack meals for both Feeding the Gulf Coast and Prodisee Pantry. On Friday evening, the teams will join their schools in the streets of Mobile for a pep rally and parade. Liberty’s Spirit of the Mountain Marching Band and cheerleaders will be there, as well as Liberty alumni and fans who made the journey to support the Flames.

In addition to their service project and fan festivities, the players were given the opportunity to tour the Airbus A320 Final Assembly Line at the Mobile Aeroplex, the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, and a Flight Works Tour alongside the Boys and Girls Club of Mobile.

“Bowl season to me is a priority,” Head Coach Hugh Freeze said during his opening press conference in Mobile on Wednesday. “It’s something that we want our kids to experience every year.  It takes chemistry and hard work and perseverance and dedication and discipline. And those teams that have culture have a chance to win.”

The LendingTree Bowl has been played in Mobile since 1999. In 2021, the game was moved from Ladd-Peebles Stadium to Hancock Whitney Stadium, on the campus of the University of South Alabama. Originally known as the Mobile Alabama Bowl during its first two years, it has undergone name changes due to sponsorship changes, which have included GMAC (2000–2010), GoDaddy (2011–2015), Dollar General (2016–2018), and LendingTree (2019–present).

Although the Flames’ regular season did not conclude the way the team had hoped, Freeze said it is important for his players to remain motivated ahead of Saturday’s game as they attempt to become only the second program to win bowl games in its first three years at the FBS level.

“I’m determined that we’re going to play better in this bowl game,” he said. “Yes, I’m worried about the motivation factor but (I’m) optimistic also that we’ll respond the right way.”

After finishing the regular season with three consecutive losses — at Ole Miss and against Louisiana and Army at Williams Stadium — Freeze said that it is important to him that his team enters the offseason on a high note.

“I like going into the offseason feeling like we got better, at least for this bowl game, and got to another eight-win season,” he said.

Kickoff is set for 5:45 p.m. EST, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.