Malik Willis’ college career didn’t turn out exactly as he might have envisioned when he signed with Auburn in 2017, but he appears to have no regrets as he enters what is almost certainly his final game before turning pro.
Willis leads Liberty (7-5) into Saturday’s Lending Tree Bowl vs. Eastern Michigan (7-5) at Mobile’s Hancock Whitney Stadium. He’s wrapping up his second season as a starter with the Flames after transferring from Auburn, where he lost out on the starting job to true freshman Bo Nix in the spring of 2019.
“It is what you make it,” Willis said. “I mean, you transfer for a reason and whether that’s playing time, whether that’s environment, whatever it is. You make the most of your next opportunity. You make what you need to make out of it. However much work you need to put in whatever you need to do in order to make it a positive experience for yourself, I feel like that’s what you have to do.”
After sitting out the 2019 season under the now-defunct NCAA transfer rules, Willis has been a dynamic quarterback under the tutelage of head coach Hugh Freeze for two seasons at Liberty. The Roswell, Ga., native has passed for 4,876 yards and 44 touchdowns with 18 interceptions combined in 2020 and 2021, while also rushing for 1,764 yards and 25 scores.
After going 11-1 and winning the Cure Bowl in 2020, Liberty — an FBS independent set to join Conference USA in 2023 — has fallen back to earth somewhat in 2021. The Flames come into Saturday having lost successive games to Ole Miss (27-14), Louisiana (42-14) and Army (31-16) to end the regular season.
And yet, Liberty is a 9-point betting favorite to beat Mid-American Conference representative Eastern Michigan, which has not won a bowl game since 1987. Eagles coach Chris Creighton knows any chance at victory for his team comes in slowing down Willis, which is easier said than done.
“It’s a monster challenge,” Creighton said. “Is there a word that means ‘more than two’ for ‘dual?’ He can run it, he can throw it, runs their offense well. He’s super, super talented, so we know that he’s dangerous on the ground and in the air, by design and when things don’t go exactly had planned. Huge challenge for us for sure.”
Saturday is the third game this season Liberty has played in the state of Alabama, following a 21-13 win at Troy on Sept. 11 and a 36-12 loss to UAB on Oct. 2. For Willis, however, it will be the third of four scheduled trips in a six-month span.
Willis has accepted an invitation to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the annual NFL draft showcase that also takes place at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Feb. 5. He is among a Senior Bowl quarterback group that also includes Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, Western Kentucky’s Bailey Zappe, Nevada’s Carson Strong and Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, with one other (likely North Carolina’s Sam Howell) to be officially added in the coming weeks.
“It was more than I could ever imagine,” Willis said of the Senior Bowl nod. “It’s just a big old blessing and I’m very appreciative. You grow up looking at it on TV, on ESPN, when you’re a little kid you don’t even know if you going to college to play football yet. And I just feel like it’s really cool to be a part of that. You just don’t know coming from a small school like Liberty, what it means. But it’s pretty cool that they picked me. And I appreciate it.”
According to most recent rankings, the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Willis is the third-best quarterback prospect for the 2022 draft behind Pickett and Ole Miss underclassman Matt Corral. A mock draft published earlier this week by ESPN’s Todd McShay has him going No. 17 overall to the Denver Broncos.
That’s quite a journey from sitting behind Jarrett Stidham at Auburn in 2017 and 2018 (throwing a total of 14 passes in mop-up duty), and then finishing third behind Nix and Joey Gatewood in a quarterback competition the following spring. And to be honest, Willis still seems to be in a bit of disbelief he’s considered a first-round NFL draft prospect.
“People always have their opinion,” Willis said. “… I just go out there and try to play my best every time I get the opportunity. I have a lot of things to work on. They can say what they want. I’m just going to focus on working on that and keep using the opportunities I get and try to do my best.”
His coach, however, has no doubt Willis is a future pro.
“He’s got arm strength, accuracy, so let’s start there,” Freeze said. “He’s like a running back playing quarterback now, and you’re seeing more and more NFL teams, go to some of that (scheme-wise). Even if it’s a backup situation, which he has the humility to accept whatever role that that he’s assigned to on the team. But his arm strength’s phenomenal, he’s been accurate. And then you combine it with his athleticism. He’s gonna be good on somebody’s roster.”
Kickoff for the LendingTree Bowl is set for 4:45 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
Complete 2021-22 college football bowl schedule
Below is the complete 2021-22 bowl schedule (all times Central), including pairings, kickoff times and TV information.
Friday, Dec. 17
Bahamas Bowl (Nassau): Middle Tennessee (6-6) vs. Toledo (7-5), 11 a.m., ESPN
Tailgreeter Cure Bowl (Orlando): Coastal Carolina (10-2) vs. Northern Illinois (9-4), 5 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, Dec. 18
Roofclaim Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.): Western Kentucky (8-5) vs. Appalachian State (10-3), 11 a.m., ESPN
Cricket Celebration Bowl (Atlanta): Jackson State (11-1) vs. South Carolina State (6-5), 11 a.m., ABC
New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque): Fresno State (9-3) vs. UTEP (7-5), 1:15 p.m., ESPN
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (Shreveport, La.): UAB (8-4) vs. BYU (10-2), 2:30 p.m., ABC
LendingTree Bowl (Mobile, Ala.): Liberty (7-5) vs. Eastern Michigan (7-5), 4:45 p.m., ESPN
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl (Los Angeles): Oregon State (7-5) vs. Utah State (10-3), 6:30 p.m., ABC
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana (12-1) vs. Marshall (7-5), 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Monday, Dec. 20
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Old Dominion (6-6) vs. Tulsa (6-6), 1:30 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Dec. 21
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise): Kent State (7-6) vs. Wyoming (6-6), 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl (Frisco, Texas): San Diego State (11-2) vs. UT-San Antonio (12-1), 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 22
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas): Army (8-3) vs. Missouri (6-6), 7 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 23
Frisco Football Classic (Frisco, Texas): North Texas (6-6) vs. Miami of Ohio (6-6), 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa): Florida (6-6) vs. Central Florida (8-4), 6 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Dec. 24
EasyPost Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu): Hawaii (6-7) vs. Memphis (6-6), 7 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 25
TaxAct Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.): Georgia State (7-5) vs. Ball State (6-6), 1:30 p.m., ESPN
Monday, Dec. 27
QuickLane Bowl (Detroit): Nevada (8-4) vs. Western Michigan (8-5), 10 a.m., ESPN
Military Bowl (Annapolis, Md.): Boston College (6-6) vs. East Carolina (7-5), 1:30 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Dec. 28
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl: Auburn (6-6) vs. Houston (11-2), 11 a.m., ESPN
ServPro First Responder Bowl (Dallas): Louisville (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3), 2:15 p.m., ESPN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis): Texas Tech (6-6) vs. Mississippi State (7-5), 5:45 p.m., ESPN
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl: UCLA (8-4) vs. North Carolina State (9-3), 7 p.m., Fox
Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Phoenix): West Virginia (6-6) vs. Minnesota (8-4), 9:15 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 29
Wasabi Fenway Bowl (Boston): Virginia (6-6) vs. SMU (8-4), 10 a.m., ESPN
New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Bronx, N.Y.): Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Maryland (6-6), 1:15 p.m., ESPN
Cheez-It Bowl (Orlando): Clemson (9-3) vs. Iowa State (7-5), 4:45 p.m., ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl (San Antonio): Oklahoma (10-2) vs. Oregon (10-3), 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 30
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Charlotte): North Carolina (6-6) vs. South Carolina (6-6), 10:30 a.m., ESPN
Transperfect Music City Bowl (Nashville): Purdue (8-4) vs. Tennessee (7-5), 2 p.m., ESPN
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Atlanta): Pittsburgh (11-2) vs. Michigan State (10-2), 6 p.m., ESPN
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Wisconsin (8-4) vs. Arizona State (8-4), 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Dec. 31
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Fla.): Wake Forest (10-3) vs. Texas A&M (8-4), 10 a.m., ESPN
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl (El Paso): Washington State (7-5) vs. Miami (7-5), 11:30 a.m., CBS
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl (Tucson): Boise State (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (8-4), 1 p.m., Barstool
College Football Playoff Semifinals
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (Arlington, Texas): Alabama (12-1) vs. Cincinnati (13-0), 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Capital One Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Fla.): Michigan (12-1) vs. Georgia (12-1), 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Jan. 1
Outback Bowl (Tampa): Arkansas (8-4) vs. Penn State (7-5), 11 a.m., ESPN2
VRBO Citrus Bowl (Orlando): Kentucky (9-3) vs. Iowa (10-3), noon, ABC
Playstation Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.): Notre Dame (11-1) vs. Oklahoma State (10-2), noon, ESPN
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.): Ohio State (10-2) vs. Utah (10-3), 4 p.m., ESPN
AllState Sugar Bowl (New Orleans): Ole Miss (10-2) vs. Baylor (10-2), 7:45 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Jan. 4
TaxAct Texas Bowl (Houston): Kansas State (7-5) vs. LSU (6-6), 8 p.m., ESPN
Monday, Jan. 10
College Football Playoff National Championship Game (Indianapolis), 7 p.m., ESPN
