Liberty (7-0, 5-0 CUSA) defeated Middle Tennessee (2-6, 1-3 CUSA), 42-35, on Tuesday night at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia in front of an announced crowd of 16,354.

It was a wild, back and forth affair on CBS Sports Network as both offenses put up tons of points and yards. It started on the first play from scrimmage when Kaidon Salter was intercepted. Three plays later the Blue Raiders had the 7-0 lead.

The teams would exchange touchdowns until the score was tied at 14. Liberty took a 21-14 lead early in the second period, but Middle Tennessee tied the game at 21 just before the half.

An early fumble by Liberty running back Quinton Cooley would lead to another Blue Raider touchdown as they grabbed the lead, 28-21, and momentum in the second half. Touchdowns would follow on the teams next three possessions as the game was tied at 35 following Cooley’s third rushing touchdown of the game.

Liberty defensive back would punch out the ball to force a fumble by a Middle Tennessee receiver, the ball was recovered by Kobe Singleton. The first turnover of the game for the visitors would lead to a 38 yard touchdown pass from Kaidon Salter to CJ Daniels gave the home team the lead at 42-35 early in the 4th quarter.

The defenses would catch up then, as both teams exchanged punts for much of the final quarter. Liberty would hold the Blue Raiders scoreless in the final period, forcing two punts and two interceptions to preserve the win.

DEFENSE STRUGGLES, BUT PREVAILS IN THE END

Liberty’s defense struggled throughout the majority of the game, there’s no denying that. But, the Flames did come up with key stops at pivotal moments of the game.

On Middle Tennessee’s first two drives of the fourth quarter when needing a touchdown to tie the game, Liberty’s defense got a stop and forced a punt. On the second of those drives ending in a punt, Liberty got two sacks in three plays, something the defense has struggled with most of the season. Quinton Reese, TJ Bush, and Kendy Charles combined for those sacks.

After just a 12 yard Liberty punt that gave MTSU possession at the 23 yard line on their third drive of the fourth quarter, Preston Hodge came up with the big interception in the end zone. On the next Middle Tennessee drive, Brylan Green would catch a tipped pass on 4th down for an interception and the Flames would run the clock out to preserve the win.

The Liberty defense gave up 428 yards on the evening with 332 of those coming through the air. Nich Vattiato completed 24 of 37 passes for 332 yards and 4 touchdowns.

RUNNING GAME LEADS THE WAY ONCE AGAIN

From the beginning of the game, it was evident that MTSU could not stop the Liberty rushing attack. The Flames’ ball carriers were getting 4-5 yards on most carries before even reaching a defender clad in white. Liberty averaged over 7 yards per carry most of the night. The Flames would finish with an FBS record 401 rushing yards on the night, outgaining MTSU on the ground, 401-96.

Kaidon Salter finished the game with a career high 160 rushing yards on 16 carries. That is the most rushing yards by a Liberty quarterback since Malik Willis had 168 in his first game as the Flames’ signal caller at Western Kentucky in 2020.

Quinton Cooley also went over 100 yards rushing, finishing with 134 yards and a career high 3 touchdowns.

LETHARGIC HOME CROWD, LETHARGIC TEAM?

It may just be a coincidence, but in Liberty’s two Midweek on the Mountain contests, the home team didn’t seem to play to its potential. Perhaps this could be partly attributed to the lethargic energy from the crowd. Home games at Williams Stadium, particularly at night, are typically very strong atmospheres. That hasn’t been the case for these past two midweek games and understandably so.

The Flames were large favorites in each of these contests and the focus didn’t seem to be there at all times, allowing the opponent to stay in the game.

In the end though, the Flames would get the job done and move to 7-0 on the season.

Up Next

Liberty now prepares for its most anticipated game of the season as the top two teams in Conference USA square off next Tuesday as the Flames take on Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers are currently 4-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play following their 20-17 loss at Jax State on Tuesday night.