Michael Oher's Brother, Sean 'SJ' Tuohy Jr., Named to Liberty's Football Staff
Feb 4, 2020
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Hugh Freeze of the Liberty Flames calls a timeout in the second half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
Sean "SJ" Tuohy Jr., the younger brother of former NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher, has joined the Liberty football coaching staff.
Tuohy will serve as assistant athletic director of football operations. Head coach Hugh Freeze said his duties will include "helping out with logistics such as travel and budgets" and on-campus recruiting, per ESPN's Dave Wilson.
Tuohy was played by actor Jae Head in The Blind Side, a 2009 biopic that showcased Oher and his journey to Ole Miss. Freeze was Oher's high school coach at Briarcrest Christian School in Tennessee and has a close relationship with the Tuohy family. Wilson noted that Freeze baptized Tuohy.
Freeze is entering his second year at Liberty. He guided the Flames to an 8-5 record and a victory over Georgia Southern in the Cure Bowl in 2019.
Tuohy was a special teams coach at SMU and assistant director of football operations at Arkansas prior to joining Liberty.
Stephen Calvert, Liberty Top Georgia Southern 23-16 to Win 2019 Cure Bowl
Dec 21, 2019
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - NOVEMBER 23: Stephen Calvert #12 of the Liberty Flames warms up before the start of a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
The Liberty Flames won a postseason game just two years after their move to the FBS, defeating the Georgia Southern Eagles in the 2019 Cure Bowl at Orlando's Exploria Stadium on Saturday.
Quarterback Stephen Calvert led the way for Liberty. The senior wasn't perfect, as he had two turnovers, but he had 270 yards passing in the win.
The defense did a terrific job of stifling Georgia Southern's potent rushing attack. The Eagles had 154 yards, but they needed 46 carries to get there.
Georgia Southern put together a valiant effort after it fell behind 23-7, but the offense couldn't put the ball in the end zone. Only one of its four trips to the red zone resulted in a touchdown; kicker Tyler Bass did go 3-of-3 on field goals—none longer than 35 yards.
Notable Game Stats
Stephen Calvert (Liberty): 16-of-35, 270 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Frankie Hickson (Liberty): 22 carries, 120 yards
Johnny Huntley (Liberty): 2 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD
Mark Michaud (Georgia Southern): 2 receptions, 53 yards
Big Plays, Defense Carry Liberty to First Bowl Win
The hallmark for Liberty's success in 2019 was its explosive offense, which ranked34th in the FBS with 442.5 yards per game. That group scored at least 35 points in five of its seven regular-season wins.
It wasn't a surprise, then, to see the Flames open up the playbook Saturday. Calvert didn't have a great game by completion percentage, but he still managed two touchdown passes.
Liberty's first score of the game came on a perfect play call when the Eagles were caught off guard on a play-action fake that left Johnny Huntley wide open in the middle of the field for a 57-yard touchdown.
Georgia Southern's offense is the antithesis of Liberty's. Head coach Chad Lunsford utilizes a run-heavy scheme that has produced tremendous success in his two full seasons with the program.
The Eagles entered the Cure Bowl ranked eighth in the nation with 261.5 rushing yards per game. They certainly didn't abandon their ground attack Saturday, especially early on in keeping pace with Liberty.
After Georgia Southern tied the score at seven, the Flames settled in on both sides of the ball to take control. Calvert had consecutive completions of 18 and 30 yards on the next drive, and the defense committed a pass interference penalty for 15 yards.
Those big plays set up Joshua Mack's go-ahead touchdown run from three yards out. The Flames added a field goal at the end of the second quarter to go up 16-7 at the intermission.
Coming out for the third quarter, Hugh Freeze's offense kept its foot on the gas pedal. Antonio Gandy-Golden used his 6'4" size to beat Liberty cornerback Monquavion Brinson in one-on-one coverage for an easy touchdown catch.
The Eagles responded with a field goal soon after. Calvert was picked off three plays after that, but his defense came up with a stop on 3rd-and-8 to force a field goal on fourth down.
Neither team could get anything going against the opposing defense over the final 18 minutes of game time. Four consecutive drives ended in punts, including a run of three straight three-and-outs between both offenses until Georgia Southern went 55 yards in 13 plays late in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles had an opportunity to get the ball back with an onside kick in the final two minutes of regulation. It initially appeared like they recovered the ball, but officials called an illegal touch because it didn't travel 10 yards.
Liberty was able to run out the clock and seal the program's biggest win in its short FBS history. Freeze and his staff have this team trending in the right direction as it builds toward 2020.
Photo: Liberty HC Hugh Freeze to Coach from 'Medical Chair' vs. Louisiana
Sep 6, 2019
A week after coaching from a hospital bed, Liberty football coach Hugh Freeze has a more manageable setup for this week's game against Louisiana.
Freeze will coach from a "medical chair" Liberty sent to Louisiana to be installed in the press box for the game, per Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports.
The coach is recovering from surgery for a staph infection that was considered life-threatening. He had complained of back problems during training camp before his diagnosis.
"The doctors told me if it had been another 24 hours, that strand of bacteria could have gotten to my heart and that I would have been fighting for my life," Freeze told ESPN's Chris Low. "It's the way God works because there's no doubt that bacteria would have killed me if [Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr.] wasn't so quick to make sure we got the right people involved."
Liberty had Freeze coach from the press box in a hospital bed for last week's 24-0 loss to Syracuse. Heeven spoketo the team at halftime and provided adjustments via FaceTime.
Louisiana's press box does not have enough room for a hospital bed, so an alternative plan had to be made.
Freeze is in his first season as Liberty's head coach. He coached at Ole Miss from 2012-16 before resigning amid a recruitment scandal.
Liberty HC Hugh Freeze to Coach from Hospital Bed Because of Staph Infection
Aug 31, 2019
Liberty head football coach Hugh Freeze arrives to coach from a wheelchair in the coaches' box against Syracuse in an NCAA college football game in Lynchburg, Va., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Bell)
A health issue will keep Liberty Flames head coach Hugh Freeze from being on the sidelines as his team takes on the 22nd-ranked Syracuse Orange on Saturday, but it won't stop him from coaching during the game.
According to Stephen Bailey of Syracuse.com, Freeze will work from a hospital bed in the coaches' booth.
Yahoo Sports tweeted out a picture of Freeze coaching from the booth:
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) August 31, 2019
The 49-year-old underwent surgery on Aug. 16 after a "potentially life-threatening strand of staph infection entered his bloodstream" and worsened the pain in his back caused by a herniated disk. Bailey noted Freeze is most comfortable when reclined.
According to Hank Kurz Jr. of the Associated Press, Freeze plans to address his team by video before the game, during halftime and after the game.
The first-year Liberty coach revealed to ESPN's Chris Low earlier this month that he had been dealing with back pain for years but it reached a new level during a scrimmage. At that point, his back had tightened up to the point where it was difficult for him to climb up the stairs at his house and, ultimately, to walk in general.
Freeze was transported to the hospital by an ambulance the next day and doctors later discovered a staph infection. Freeze explained to Low how doctors caught the infection just in time to prevent it from potentially threatening his life:
"The doctors told me if it had been another 24 hours, that strand of bacteria could have gotten to my heart and that I would have been fighting for my life. It's the way God works because there's no doubt that bacteria would have killed me if President Falwell wasn't so quick to make sure we got the right people involved."
Since then, he has had to get creative in how he has coached:
Freeze has been away from college football the past two seasons following his five-year run at Ole Miss coming to an end amid an NCAA investigation for recruiting and academic violations. He resigned in July 2017 after it was discovered during the investigation that he made phone calls to a number associated with a female escort service.
Ole Miss received, among other punishments, three years of probation and a two-year postseason ban as a result of the scandal.
Liberty hired Freeze in December 2018.
Liberty HC Hugh Freeze Underwent Surgery for Life-Threatening Staph Infection
Aug 17, 2019
MEMPHIS, TN - OCTOBER 17: Head Coach Hugh Freeze of the Ole Miss Rebels watches his team warm up before a game against the Memphis Tigers at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on October 17, 2015 in Memphis, Tennessee. The Tigers defeated the Rebels 37-24. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Liberty football head coach Hugh Freeze suffered a potentially life-threatening staph infection and underwent emergency surgery at the University of Virginia Medical Center on Friday, according to ESPN's Chris Low.
Per Low, the infection "entered his bloodstream and complicated what was already severe pain he was experiencing from a herniated disk in his back."
"The doctors told me if it had been another 24 hours, that strand of bacteria could have gotten to my heart and that I would have been fighting for my life," Freeze told Low. "It's the way God works because there's no doubt that bacteria would have killed me if President Falwell wasn't so quick to make sure we got the right people involved."
Liberty originally said Tuesday (via Chris Vanniniof The Athletic) that Freeze had "severe back spasms" that had forced him off the practice field since Sunday, Aug. 11. The school stated that "Freeze is currently undergoing medical treatment to relieve the spasms and will return to practice when they subside."
Freeze gave some background information on what led to him sitting out practice, per Low:
"I pushed through the day and watched film with the staff and players and walked through that night, and it was getting tighter and tighter. By the time I got home, I could barely get up the stairs. And by mid-morning the next day, I couldn't walk or do anything, and we had to call the ambulance to come get me."
Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr. called U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary and neurosurgeon Ben Carson to seek his opinion.
Carson then discussed the matter with Liberty professor Anthony Nobles, who the Liberty website lists as having "invented and developed more than 155 medical devices, as well as leading electronic technologies, including the portable electronic book and endoscopic imaging systems."
Eventually, Freeze was moved from a Lynchburg, Virginia hospital to the University of Virginia Medical Center. Dr. Falwell flew in Dr. Dilan Ellegala on the Liberty plane from Scottsdale, Arizona to perform the surgery.
Freeze will coach from a golf cart when he returns to practice and may lead the team from a booth when the Flames open their season against Syracuse on Aug. 31.
