Scouting Liberty

NC State football will play the ninth game of its 2020 football season on Saturday, Nov. 21 against No. 21 Liberty in Carter-Finley Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET on RSN.

The Wolfpack (5-3, 5-3 ACC) is coming off of a 38-22 win over Florida State and the Flames (8-0) just defeated Western Carolina 58-14.

Here is the full scouting report on Liberty:

• Redshirt junior quarterback Malik Willis — After sitting out last season due to transfer rules following his transition from Auburn, Willis has been one of the nation's top quarterbacks in 2020 while leading the Flames to an undefeated record and a position inside the AP Top 25 Poll.

The 6-1, 215-pounder leads the team in both passing and rushing yards. He has a 67.6 completion percentage while averaging 234 passing yards per contest. He's thrown 15 touchdowns and just one interception in seven appearances.

Willis also averages 109.3 rushing yards per game, 8.6 yards per carry and has found the end zone nine times on the ground this season.

• Junior defensive end Durrell Johnson — A former junior college All-American that transferred to Liberty in the offseason, Johnson has been the top edge rusher for the Flames in 2020.

The 6-4, 235-pounder leads the team in backfield pressures (24), sacks (eight) and also leads the defensive line in tackles (33).

• Senior wide receiver DJ Stubbs — Stubbs is a four-year contributor to the Liberty receiving corps and now is the top target for the Flames in 2020.

The 5-9, 185-pounder leads the team in receptions (30), targets (36), receiving yards (399) and catch rate (83.3 percent) among players with at least 10 targets.

He also ties for a team-high with three receiving touchdowns.

• Senior corner Emanuel Dabney — Dabney has been the top cover corner for the Flames in his second season at Liberty after transferring from Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss.

The 6-0, 180-pounder leads the team with seven pass breakups and has successfully defended 14 of 30 balls thrown in his direction, the most of any defensive back on Liberty.

• Redshirt junior offensive tackle Cooper McCaw — McCaw is listed as the starting right tackle according to Liberty's depth chart this week and is one of the highest-graded players on the Flames offense according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).

The 6-5, 305-pounder ranks second only to Willis for the highest overall grade of the offense. He also is the team's top pass blocker and run blocker according to PFF.

1. A nationally competitive offense

Liberty hasn't just gotten lucky in a stretch of eight games this season, it has performed like a nationally-competitive team to earn its top 25 ranking and undefeated record.

The Flames rank in the national top 20 of multiple statistics, including total offense. Their 490.9 total yards of offense per game is 18th most in the country.

Liberty also ranks fifth in the country in total touchdowns (43) this season. If the Falmes competed in the ACC, they would be third in that statistic behind only UNC and Clemson.

2. A nationally competitive defense as well

Liberty also ranks in the top 20 in total defense. The Flames have allowed 308.0 yards per game to opposing offenses, good for 14th in the country.

Interestingly, the Flames rank just one slot below ACC powerhouse Clemson in both total offense and defense among FBS programs. Liberty has allowed just 2.9 yards per game more than the Brent Venables-coached Tigers defense.

3. Strong clock management

The Flames are also among the nation's best in controlling the time of possession, something NC State has struggled with in recent weeks.

Liberty averages 33-plus minutes of possession per contest, good for 16th nationally among FBS teams. In comparison, NC State has averaged just 28 minutes of possession per game, which ranks 91st in the country.

1. Stop Malik Willis

The goals on defense in this game will be very similar to the Miami game. Like Hurricanes quarterback D'Eriq King, Willis is the piece that makes Liberty's offense run. Objective No. 1 will be making sure he doesn't have similar success as King did in Carter-Finley Stadium two Fridays ago.

The redshirt junior signal caller currently ranks seventh nationally with 144 points responsible for this season. He is also one of three quarterbacks in the country to have nine rushing touchdowns and has proven to be an effective passer with 15 scores and just one interception this fall.

2. Run the football well

Considering Liberty has proven to effectively control possession, something NC State has struggled with, the Wolfpack will need to make a conscious effort to take advantage of each offensive drive.

Running the ball effectively would give NC State more time with the ball and will limit Liberty's opportunities to put up points with its explosive offense.

Sophomore running back Zononvan "Bam" Knight was one offensive facemask penalty away from having his third 100-yard rushing game of the season against Florida State last Saturday, but he'll have another opportunity this week against a team that has allowed an average of 134.3 rushing yards per contest in 2020.

3. Keep Hockman loose

Redshirt junior quarterback Bailey Hockman has broken his career high in passing yards and touchdowns in each of the past two contests, which has been one of the biggest reasons the Wolfpack has found success following the late October bye week.

Liberty has proven it can put up points, so NC State will likely need another strong performance in the passing game to gain its sixth win of the season this weekend. Hockman doesn't necessarily need another career performance, but a fourth consecutive game with over 200 passing yards and only one turnover would greatly improve the chances of advancing to 6-3 this fall.

293.5 Rushing yards Liberty has averaged in two ACC contests this season, both wins. The Flames defeated both Syracuse 38-21 and Virginia Tech 38-35 in road games this fall.

12-0 Liberty's record under head coach Hugh Freeze when the Flames outrush their opponent. Liberty averages 254.5 rushing yards per game compared to 133.8 yards per game from the Wolfpack.

1-0 NC State has only faced Liberty once on the football field, a 43-21 victory in Mike Glennon's Wolfpack debut. This will be the first time NC State head coach Dave Doeren has faced Liberty during his eight years in Raleigh and the first head-to-head meeting with Freeze in his career.

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