No. 25 Liberty (12-0, 8-0 CUSA) took care of business on Saturday afternoon, defeating UTEP (3-9, 2-6), 42-28, at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

The Flames scored touchdowns on its first three drives and four of its first five to build a 28-7 first half lead. Meanwhile, the defense held the Miners to just 100 yards of offense in the first half, including -2 rushing yards, despite 64 yards that came on one pass play to set up the only UTEP touchdown of the first half.

Two first half turnovers by the Flames prevented the visitors from extending the knockout blow to the Miners prior to the halftime break. However, Liberty would put another score on the board in the third quarter and cruise to the victory. Three touchdowns for UTEP in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided made the final score look much closer than the game actually was.

FLAMES FINISH REGULAR SEASON UNBEATEN

For the first time in school history, Liberty has finished a regular season unbeaten. The win also extends the program record for wins in a season to 12 and sets a new mark for most consecutive wins in program history at 12. Liberty previously won 11 straight contests between Oct. 20, 2007 and Oct. 11, 2008.

Liberty becomes just the third team ever to start a season 12-0 or better, joining Tulane (1998) and Houston (2011). The Flames become the ninth CUSA squad ever to go undefeated in conference play, while Liberty has now finished a regular season undefeated in conference play for a third time in school history. The Flames posted unblemished Big South records in 2007 (4-0) and 2008 (5-0) under former head coach Danny Rocco.

The Flames are also the first FBS team in the Commonwealth of Virginia to win 12 games in a season.

NO NEED TO PASS THE BALL

Liberty entered Saturday’s regular season finale as the nation’s leader in rushing yards, and the Flames showed why against the Miners.

Liberty ran the ball at will over UTEP, finishing the game with 442 rushing yards on the afternoon. Nine different Flames rushed the ball in the game, led by Salter’s 94 yards on 12 attempts. Aaron Bedgood had 82 rushing yards on 4 carries, while Billy Lucas had 69 yards on the ground and Quinton Cooley added 65 yards and 3 touchdowns.

True freshman Vaughn Blue also returned to the field for the first time since injuring his shoulder at Buffalo back in September. He finished the game with 5 carries for 38 yards.

James Jointer added 47 rushing yards and a touchdown on 4 carries. Malik Caper, Nate Hampton, and Kylen Austin each also had at least one rushing attempt.

The Liberty rushing attack was so good the Flames didn’t even need to attempt to pass the ball much at all. Flames’ quarterback Kaidon Salter completed just 4 of 11 passes as he had little time to throw on his few drop backs on the day. He threw for 22 yards and 1 touchdown in the game.

Johnathan Bennett would come into the game in the fourth quarter and completed one pass for for 6 yards as Liberty had 28 total passing yards on the day.

There is no record for the fewest passing yards by a Liberty team in a win, but Saturday’s win over the UTEP has to be at or near the top of the list.

DEFENSE DOMINATES FIRST HALF

UTEP’s Cade McConnell connected with his favorite target on the season, Kelly Akharaiyi for a 64 yard gain. The next play was a Miners touchdown. After that, though, the Flames dominated on defense in the first half.

Three three and outs and a turnover on downs followed for the home team as the Liberty defense took care of business in the opening half. During that time, the Flames pushed the lead to multiple scores and virtually ended the contest. The Miners had just 100 yards of offense in the first half, being held to -2 rushing yards.

Up Next

Liberty will play for the CUSA Championship on Friday, Dec. 1 against New Mexico State. The rematch between the Flames and the Aggies, Liberty won the first matchup, 33-17, back in Week 2 on Sept. 9, will kickoff at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network from Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Aggies defeated Jacksonville State, 20-17, on a final play field goal on Saturday to improve to 10-3 on the season.