UL adds Liberty to list of future football opponents

The Daily Advertiser

UL has a new addition to its list of future non-conference opponents.

The Ragin’ Cajuns will play host to Liberty on Sept. 7, 2019, and visit the Flames on Nov. 20, 2021, the school announced Wednesday.

To accommodate the Liberty game in 2019, the Cajuns are moving a non-conference game against New Mexico State previously scheduled for that same year to Oct. 24, 2020.

UL’s other future non-conference opponents include FCS Grambling (at home), Mississippi State (on the road), Alabama (road) and New Mexico State (home) in 2018; Mississippi State (in New Orleans), Ohio (road) and Tulsa (home) in 2019; and Arizona State (road) and Ohio (home) in 2021.

Liberty is in the process of transitioning up from the FCS level, and will be a full-fledged FBS member in 2019.

The Flames opened their 2017 season with a 48-45 upset win over Baylor.

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They’ve also beaten multiple members of the Sun Belt Conference, to which UL belongs, in recent years, including victories over Georgia State in 2015 and Appalachian State in 2014.

Liberty has pursued Sun Belt membership in recent years, but their quest for an invite from the league was denied.

The program does not currently have any future FBS conference membership lined up, and plans to begin play at that level as an independent.

The Flames are coached by Turner Gill, the former Nebraska quarterback who previously worked as head coach at both Buffalo and Kansas.

Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, Liberty is a private Christian university founded by televangelist Jerry Falwell.