Liberty (5-0, 3-0 CUSA) defeated FIU (2-4, 1-1 CUSA), 31-24 in overtime on Tuesday evening at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia in front of 16,343 fans.

For the 5th time in five games, the Flames had to come from behind to pick up a victory, falling behind 10-3 early in the second quarter. The teams exchanged field goals on their second drive before an offensive pass interference wiped off a 3rd down conversion and forced a Liberty punt. FIU would take the lead on a 17-yard rushing touchdown after the ball was fumbled into the end zone and fallen on by the offense for the score.

Liberty would respond with an 11-play drive with 10 plays coming on the ground including a four yard Quinton Cooley touchdown run to tie the game at 10. the team’s would exchange punts until Liberty’s final drive of the game. Salter was able to bounce off a couple would be tacklers for a 20-yard touchdown scamper as the Flames took a 17-10 halftime lead.

Out of the locker room, the teams would exchange turnovers with Amarian Williams picking off a tipped pass to give Liberty the ball in FIU territory. The Flames would drive it all the way to the 1 yard line before Cooley lost the ball and turned it over on a fumble. The two teams would then exchange punts.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, FIU faced a 4th and 4 at the LU 18. Down 7, they attempted to go for it, but Keyone Jenkins’ pass to the end zone was incomplete, with the defense provided by Alex Oliver.

Liberty would respond with a touchdown drive, capped by Cooley’s second score of the game, this one from eight yards out. It put the Flames up two scores with just over 10 minutes remaining. The Panthers would not go down easy, getting back on the scoreboard to make this a one score game at 24-17 with 6:23 left. After getting a stop and forcing a Liberty punt, the Panthers scored another touchdown to tie the game at 24.

The Flames moved the ball to midfield but decided to punt on 4th and short with about 30 seconds left in regulation. FIU would kneel to send the game to overtime.

Liberty got the ball to start the overtime period, giving the ball to Quinton Cooley frequently. The drive would end in an 8-yard touchdown run by Kaidon Salter to put the Flames ahead 31-24.

On the ensuing FIU drive, Christian Bodnar sacked Keyone Jenkins on 3rd and 3, knocking the ball loose. The fumble would be recovered by Jerome  Jolly to seal the Liberty victory.

PENALTIES AID IN SLOW START

Liberty fell behind 10-3 early in the second quarter and the offense struggled at times in the opening half. It was primarily due to inopportune penalties. After the team’s opening drive resulted in a three and out, the Flames scored on three of its final five first half possessions. The two that ended in punts were aided by penalties.

After a field goal on the second drive, it looked like the Flames were about to put together another successful drive, but an offensive pass interference call wiped off a third down conversion on a pass from Salter to Reese Smith. Then, after a touchdown drive tied the game at 10, Liberty’s next drive got held back thanks to a false start and holding on Harrison Hayes, leading to a punt.

Even on the Flames’ final drive of the first half that ended in a 20-yard Salter scamper to the end zone, a questionable Quinton Cooley blindside block penalty nearly cost the home team. Salter scored on a 17-yard run on the play that was wiped off thanks to that penalty call.

FLAMES LEAN ON GROUND GAME

Last year, Liberty had the top rushing offense in the country. The Flames dominated on the ground frequently, especially against CUSA competition. In last season’s game at FIU, the Flames rushed for 364 yards with both Cooley and Billy Lucas surpassing the 100-yard mark on the ground.

Tuesday night, Coach Chadwell and the Liberty offense once again turned to the ground game to get the offense going. With the team trailing 10-3, the Flames had 10 rushing plays on an 11-play drive that tied the score. At one point late in the second quarter, before the Flames’ final offensive drive, Salter had only attempted five passing plays compared to 21 runs.

Liberty would finish the game with 50 rushing attempts compared to just 16 pass attempts. The Flames had 281 yards rushing, led by Cooley’s 174 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 29 rushing attempts were a career high. Salter was 9 of 16 passing for 125 yards. He also ran the ball 12 times for 60 yards and 2 scores.

NOT ALWAYS PRETTY, FLAMES GET THE JOB DONE

It’s been the story of the 2024 season so far: Liberty hasn’t looked pretty most of the time, but they continue to get the job done and pick up the win.

On Tuesday night, the Flames allowed FIU to hang around and nearly cost them the game once again. Even after Liberty went up two touchdowns, the offense was unable to put the game away when t hey got the ball with about 7 minutes to play. It allowed the Panthers to have the opportunity to get back in it and they did just that, scoring two touchdowns in the final 6:23 of the fourth quarter.

It has been a similar story throughout the first half of the year. Whether it’s been penalties or just slow starts, Liberty has not always looked good but remain unbeaten. Against New Mexico State and East Carolina, the Flames had to come from 14+ points behind to pick up the win. Sluggish starts were big factors in the Campbell and UTEP wins. At the end of the day, the goal is to win the game, and, under Chadwell, Liberty is 18-1 in that category.

Up Next

Liberty has two weeks off to rest and prepare for a stretch of three straight CUSA games. It begins Wednesday, October 23 at Kennesaw State in Georgia. The Owls are currently winless on the season, their first in the FBS and Conference USA.