Liberty’s Hugh Freeze Just Hoping It's Not Cold

Daughters didn't like games in Fayetteville: 'Thought we were going to Alaska'

Author:
Andy Hodges
Updated:
Nov 2, 2022 2:35 AM EDT
Original:
Nov 1, 2022

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Liberty coach Hugh Freeze is hoping it's not freezing Saturday.

He had enough of that when he was coaching at Ole Miss, although he managed to beat just about everybody else, including Alabama.

The game in 2014 was bitterly cold and rainy. The Rebels were on a roll to the Peach Bowl and were kicked sideways, 30-0, by a 7-6 Razorbacks' team.

"It was the worst weather I think I've ever coached in," Freeze said. "I've never had success in Fayetteville."

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive coordinator Barry Odom during practice Tuesday on the outdoor field at the football center in Fayetteville. — (Andy Hodges / allHOGS Images)

The weather may be rainy, but the temperatures are expected to be fairly decent.

Hogs defensive coordinator Barry Odom has been friends with Freeze for awhile. He coached in Memphis where Freeze had coaching success at the high school level and they've talked a lot.

But he would like for him to go back to his old defenses.

"I wish Barry was a little more like he was at Memphis, when he was in one front," Freeze said. "Now he's in all kinds of fronts and I'm not sure exactly how he's going to playing us. He's played some teams a bit differently, so we've got to prepare for all of them."

He admitted it helped a little getting to see what the Hogs did with a common opponent. The week before Liberty ran through BYU, 41-14. Arkansas had beaten them the week before, 52-35.

Figuring out what his buddy, Odom, is going to do is hardest thing.

Hugh Freeze-Liberty — Liberty Flames coach Hugh Freeze watches his defense on the field in the first quarter during the 2021 LendingTree Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium. (Robert McDuffie / USA TODAY Sports)

"I don't know that we can block them or have the right calls or anything," Freeze said, "but I do feel like I have an understanding of what he's trying to do when he's getting in his odd fronts or his load fronts or his even fronts."

Freeze is good at poor-mouthing. Clearly, though, the Hogs' defense has him concerned.

"There's a lot of moving parts with it," he said about Odom's defense. "We'll have to get in the game and figure out how he's going to play us. But it certainly didn't hurt that we got to watch that much of them."

The interpretation on all that is he wants to make it a scoring contest.