Liberty (7-2, 4-2 CUSA) prevailed in overtime, 35-34, to defeat UMass (2-8) on Saturday afternoon in Amherst, Massachusetts.

It wasn’t pretty. The Flames looked pretty lifeless in the first half and nearly gave the game away in the fourth quarter, but Liberty, with some help, was able to pull out the victory.

UMass had a chance to win in regulation on the final play of regulation, but their 43-yard field goal was just barely wide right, sending the game to overtime. Then, in overtime, the Minutemen got the ball first. On their first play of overtime, UMass broke free for a 23-yard run and would get into the end zone on the second play to take a 34-28 lead. However, the Minutemen missed the extra point as he doinked off the right upright, as Jacob Lurie  had a rough afternoon.

The Flames took possession with a chance to win the game. After Kaidon Salter ran for 8 yards on first down, Quinton Cooley ran twice for 17 yards to get into the end zone. Colin Karhu’s extra points was perfect as Liberty walked off for the victory.

Once again it was a slow start for the Flames, falling behind for a ninth straight game this season. The Minutemen scored on the opening possession, making quick work of the Liberty defense with all 10 plays coming on the ground going 77 yards for the score.

UMass would extend its lead to 10 on a field goal later in the first half. Liberty would immediately respond, as Quinton Cooley carried the ball 5 times for 62 yards on a 6-play touchdown drive, cutting the deficit to 3. The Minutemen scored 10 points over the final four minutes of the first half to take control of the game at 20-7 going into the locker room. The home team was helped by a Salter fumbles as his arm was hit from behind. That led to a UMass touchdown before the break.

Liberty played with much more intensity and purpose out of the locker room, scoring a touchdown on the opening possession when Salter scrambled to his left and dove for the pylon, cutting the deficit to 20-14. The Flames’ defense then forced three and outs on UMass’ first two drives of the second half. Liberty would take its first lead of the day with Cooley’s second of three touchdowns to take a 21-10 lead.

The Minutemen answered, converting two third downs, one on a penalty, to get into the end zone and converted a two point play to make it 28-21 in the fourth quarter. Liberty moved into the red zone but faced a 4th and 7. Salter’s pass for Elijah Canion was incomplete but the Minutemen were called for pass interference. Salter would capitalize and run in for the touchdown thereafter, to tie the game at 28.

The two teams exchanged three and outs before UMass took over with less than 2 minutes remaining. They drove into Liberty territory and set up the 43 yard potential game winning field goal into the wind, which missed.

A WIN IS A WIN

We can and will breakdown this game much further,  but, as the saying goes, they don’t ask by how much they ask how many, and that is win number 7 for the Flames. We talked about it on our podcast this week, but this game was in a tough spot for the Flames. UMass was coming off a bye week, giving them an extra week to prepare without their starting quarterback.

It put Liberty in a tough spot for preparation, not knowing who would play quarterback or really what the UMass offense would look like. Add to it the fact that Liberty had already achieved bowl eligibility and the game was out of conference, there wasn’t much to play for for the Flames.

Those aren’t excuses but just facts of where this game fell. It was a tough spot for Liberty, and the team found a way to win in the end, with some help from UMass. Get out of there with the win and move forward. Finding a way to win has been part of what this team has been about. Look back to the games against New Mexico State, East Carolina, and FIU. It’s not always easy to find a way, but that is what this team has done more times than not.

INCONSISTENT PLAY

We can’t be too overly positive after that performance. It was a performance that pretty much sums up this team this season. The Flames play down to the level of their opponent, don’t play inspired until their backs are up against the wall, and then they do everything in their power to fight back to earn the win. It nearly cost them several times this season and did cost them against Kennesaw State a few weeks ago.

It is very frustrating to watch as a fan, especially coming off last season and knowing how much potential this team has. I’m not sure what the answer is. Why can’t the coaching staff get this team to play for a full four quarters? Why is there so much inconsistent play? There are plenty of questions that will need to be answered, but it seems like most of them may have to be tabled until after the season is over.

FLAMES CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY

After losing two straight in conference play, it looked and felt like Liberty was out of the CUSA Championship race. After having some time to digest what had happened and looked at the road ahead, it became clear that the Flames still had a path to the conference title game but would need some help.

Well, on Saturday, Liberty got the help it needed. Western Kentucky lost at home to Louisiana Tech to fall to 5-1 in conference play. The Flames play WKU and Sam Houston, two teams ahead of them currently in the conference standings, over the next two weeks to conclude the regular season.

After that loss by the Hilltoppers, the path is clear – If Liberty wins its next two games the Flames will play for a second straight conference championship.

It won’t be easy as both WKU and Sam Houston are teams capable of getting the win, and, with how Liberty has played at times this season, its clear the Flames could lose to anyone on the schedule. But after a rough month of October and an up and down season, the Flames have a clear path to the CUSA Title. It won’t be easy but winning championships never is.

Up Next

Liberty returns to conference play with a crucial contest on Saturday in the Flames’ regular season home finale. Liberty takes on Western Kentucky in a game that will have large ramifications on the CUSA Championship race. The Hilltoppers are currently 7-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play following their upset loss to Louisiana Tech, 12-7, on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff from Williams Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

*photo courtesy Liberty University Athletics