Liberty (6-1) needed a touchdown in the fourth quarter to retake the lead and defeat Gardner-Webb, 21-20, on Saturday afternoon from Williams Stadium in front of 20,924 fans, the fourth largest home crowd in school history. With the win, the Flames have become bowl eligible for a fourth straight season.
The Flames were heavy favorites, but an inconsistent offense kept the team from getting any separation from the FCS opponent. Liberty took the 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but led just 14-10 at the intermission. The Runnin’ Bulldogs would take a 20-14 lead early in the 4th quarter after scoring 13 straight points.
Johnathan Bennett would guide the Flames on a scoring drive to regain the lead, 21-20, with 10:11 remaining on the clock. Demario Douglas was his favorite target on the possession and Dae Dae Hunter capped off the drive with a one yard touchdown run. The defense would hold the rest of the way and keep Gardner-Webb off the scoreboard to preserve the win.
DAIJAHN ANTHONY’S INTERCEPTION SEALS IT
With the Flames leading by just one in the closing minutes, Gardner-Webb had the ball and was looking to get into field goal range to take the lead. The Runnin’ Bulldogs converted on 3rd and 22 to move the ball to their own 40 yard line as the Liberty fans began to get antsy in the stands. Liberty corner Daijahn Anthony would put those fears to rest as he stepped in front of a Bailey Fisher pass for the interception, allowing the Flames to run out the clock the rest of the way.
Anthony was expected to be one of the team’s top corner backs this season, but he has been unable to find consistent playing time on the defense through much of the first half of the season. He was on the field on the final drive when it mattered the most, and Anthony delivered the final knockout punch to preserve the win.
DAE DAE HUNTER CARRIES THE ROCK IN 2ND HALF
Dae Dae Hunter did not play in the first half, as he served a team suspension due to undisclosed reasons. The Flames’ would struggle to run the ball without their top running back, with just six rushing yards in the first half. That would change with Hunter back on the field.
The Liberty running back ran the ball 9 times and picked up 76 yards and the would-be game winning touchdown in the second half. He helped the team finish with 93 rushing yards in the game, as Gardner-Webb was perfectly fine putting an extra guy in the box and forcing Liberty to pass the ball.
Hunter could have easily added a second rushing touchdown as he broke free with less than two minutes to play and could have walked into the end zone. He instead decided to slide down at the one yard line, allowing Liberty to kneel on the ball to run out the clock.
INCONSISTENT OFFENSIVE PLAY HINDERS TEAM
Kaidon Salter remained out of the game as he recovers from surgery on his groin. Charlie Brewer was on the sidelines Saturday but not in uniform as he continues to work back from a broken hand suffered in the season opener. That left Johnathan Bennett as the Flames’ starting quarterback for the third time this season.
Once again behind Bennett, Liberty would start the game very slow. The Flames were inconsistent throughout the game, and unable to put any points on the board despite having starting field position in Gardner-Webb territory on three possessions. Bennett finished the game 17 of 30 passing for 222 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. He was benched for a couple drives for Nate Hampton who didn’t fare any better, throwing incompletions on his only two pass attempts of the game.
With games around the corner against the likes of BYU and Arkansas, Liberty will have to figure out the struggles that have plagued the offense throughout the first half of the season.
Up Next
Liberty will play host to BYU next Saturday afternoon at Williams Stadium with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. The Cougars are currently 4-3 on the season and have lost two straight, following their setback to Arkansas, 52-35, on Saturday afternoon. BYU lost to Notre Dame, 28-20, a week ago. The Cougars knocked off No. 9 Baylor, 26-20, in double overtime on Sept. 10 to rise to No. 12 in the country, but have since dropped three out of their last five games.
