Liberty (9-0, 7-0 CUSA) defeated Louisiana Tech (3-7, 2-4 CUSA), 56-30, on Saturday night at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. With the win, the Flames remain unbeaten and, more importantly, secured home field in the CUSA championship game on Friday, December 1.
21,647 fans were in attendance to witness the Liberty win for the team’s annual homecoming game. This crowd marked the 6th largest in Williams Stadium history and most since last year’s Virginia Tech game when 23,055 were in attendance. It is also a school record for attendance for a homecoming game.
The Flames fell behind 3-0 after the Bulldogs made a 26-yard field goal on the opening possession of the game, but Liberty would then score 21 straight to seize control of the game. A touchdown in the closing seconds of the first half would push the advantage to 28-10 at intermission.
Louisiana Tech would score touchdowns on their first three drives of the second half, attempting to stay within striking distance entering the fourth quarter. The Liberty offense would not let them cut into their deficit though, as the Flames cruised to the comfortable win.
FLAMES CLINCH HOME FIELD IN CUSA TITLE GAME, BEST START IN SCHOOL HISTORY
With the win over Louisiana Tech, the Flames clinch home field in the Conference USA title game, certainly an impressive feat in the program’s first year in the league. Liberty will play at home on Friday, Dec. 1 against an opponent to be determined, so be sure to make your plans now as the team looks for its first ever FBS conference championship.
Additionally, Liberty starts 9-0 for the first time in program history. The team’s best start prior to this year was 8-0 in 2020, a team that went on to finish the year at 10-1. This also marks the first time the program has won nine straight games within a single season. The nine game win streak is the longest since Liberty won 10 in a row from Nov. 30, 2019 through Nov. 14, 2020.
LIBERTY COMES OUT FOCUSED
After a couple of midweek home games that seemed that the team was a little lackadaisical in their approach and during the game, that was not the case for the Flames against the Bulldogs. Head coach Jamey Chadwell and his staff had this team focused and well prepared.
LA Tech opened up with the ball and marched into the red zone, but had to settle for a field goal. From there, the Flames dominated in the first half to cruise to an early 21-3 lead and 28-10 advantage at halftime. The defense surrendered four straight touchdowns to LA Tech, allowing them to hang around longer than they should have. Still, with the offense’s strong play throughout the night, it was a comfortable win.
OFFENSE UNSTOPPABLE
Once again, the Liberty was unstoppable against an over-matched CUSA opponent. The Flames were able to move the ball, nearly at will. Whether it was on the ground behind the nation’s 2nd best rushing attack or through the air behind Kaidon Salter and his receivers at his disposal.
It was nice to see EJ Smoot back on the field for the Flames after missing the past few games due to an injury. The UT Martin transfer receiver finished with 2 catches for 45 yards in his return on the field.
The Flames racked up 602 total yards of offense in the game and finished 7 of 8 on third downs, after converting on their first 7 of the game.
Up Next
Liberty now steps out of conference play the next two weeks. The Flames will play host to Old Dominion next Saturday. The Monarchs are currently 4-5 on the season and 3-3 in Sun Belt play. ODU lost to Coastal Carolina, 28-24, on Saturday. Kickoff from Williams Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
