Local NFL Players Sound Off On BYU During Liberty Game

SALT LAKE CITY – A couple of local NFL players, including a former Cougar standout, shared their thoughts on BYU’s play during a game against the Liberty Flames.

The Flames hosted the Cougars at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia on Saturday, October 22.

After taking a 14-3 lead in the first quarter, BYU was outscored by Liberty in the second and third quarters. The Flames responded to the early deficit by scoring 31 unanswered points. Late in the third quarter, Liberty owned a 34-14 lead and had 439 yards of total offense with 22 first downs compared to 204 yards and only eight first downs by BYU.

During the game and amidst the Cougars’ struggles, a pair of NFL players with ties to the state of Utah commented on the contest and BYU’s performance.

Former BYU and current Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Kyle Van Noy shared his opinion on the Cougars’ lack of defense.

“I mean ain’t no way we can keep watching this and be like … you know what let’s keep this defensive strategy up…” Van Noy tweeted. “I mean the offense has to play perfect and the defense just needs to play tougher and stop being soft. Hit s*** ! Pick s***! Run s*** on defense! Easy formula don’t see enough guys fly around.”

“So it’s a joined group effort! I’m not here to bash scheme or players that’s not what I wanna do …” Van Noy added in another tweet.” I’m just saying in general that something has to change up when stuff isn’t working for a couple weeks. I’m not lookin for perfection let’s just get some fight!”

I mean ain’t no way we can keep watching this and be like … you know what let’s keep this defensive strategy up…

— Kyle Van Noy (@KVN_03) October 22, 2022

Former Brighton High standout and current Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Simi Fehoko tweeted about BYU’s offense.

“Byu need to just throw jump balls to @AsapPuka dude is a freak,” the wideout posted on Twitter.

Byu need to just throw jump balls to @AsapPuka dude is a freak

— Simi Fehoko (@Simi_Fehoko) October 22, 2022

BYU’s game against Liberty is broadcast on ESPNU and KSL NewsRadio.

BYU vs. Liberty

A game that is important for both teams for different reasons.

BYU is facing much scrutiny for how poorly the defense played last week. After losing two winnable games, will they get their season back on track?

For Liberty, today’s game is a Super Bowl for the Flames. They are walking into the vision once set by Jerry Falwell Sr. 50 years ago when he established the university in Lynchburg, Virginia.

BYU is 4-3 overall on the season, while Liberty is already bowl-eligible with a 6-1 record.

#BYU’s 2022 season is on the line today at Liberty.#BYUvsLIB #BYUFootball @kslsports x @kslnewsradio pic.twitter.com/54hIWhBEs9

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 22, 2022

Game Notes

• Third time in BYU football history that the Cougars are playing a game in Virginia (2000 & 2013 at Virginia).
• BYU leads the all-time series against Liberty, 1-0. The previous meeting was in 2019 in Provo (BYU 31, Liberty 24)
• ESPN’s Rece Davis picked Liberty as his “Superdog” pick against BYU.
• Beautiful weather conditions are expected at Williams Stadium. The forecast calls for a high of 71 degrees and sunny.
• Today is Liberty’s first-ever sold-out home football game.
• Both teams are playing out their final seasons as FBS Independents. For BYU, the Cougars are moving on to the Big 12 Conference. While Liberty will begin play in Conference USA next season.

Kyle Ireland is a Locals in the NFL Insider for sports.ksl.com and co-host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on Twitter (@kyleireland) and Instagram (@kyleirelandksl).

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