Liberty (5-2, 3-2 CUSA) suffered its second straight setback with a 31-21 loss to Jacksonville State (1-6, 1-3 CUSA), 27-24 on Wednesday evening at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia in front of 18,069 fans.

TJ Bush and CJ Bazile combined for a sack of JSU quarterback  Tyler Huff on third down of the opening drive of the contest, forcing a punt. The Flames would take their first possession and march down the field and get into the end zone on a 25-yard Vaughn Blue run after receiving the pitch on the option. It was his first rushing touchdown of his career and second touchdown in total, with the first being a receiving touchdown in the 2023 season opener against Bowling Green.

On the very next play from scrimmage, Jax State’s Tre Stewart took the handoff and ran 75-yards untouched to tie the score at 7. The offenses would not be able to put any points on the board for either side until late in the 2nd quarter. The Gamecocks took the lead at 14-7 on a Stewart 28-yard run. Liberty responded with a 12-play, 75-yard run, all rushes, capitalized by a Cooley two-yard run to tie the game at 14, the score it was at the break.

Coming out of the locker room, the Flames went three and out and Jax State got back in the lead, 17-14, with a 25-yard field goal. After forcing another Liberty punt, the Gamecocks extended the lead to two scores at 24-14 with Stewart’s third touchdown of the game with 2:35 left in the third quarter.

Liberty would not go down without a fight. Salter helped lead the Flames back down the field as the clock ticked into the fourth quarter. Liberty converted a 4th and 8 when Salter’s pass to Donte Lee moved the team into the red zone. Salter then connected with Elijah Canion on third and 9 to set up a first and goal. Two plays later, Salter found Jacob Jenkins for his first touchdown with the Flames to make it 24-21.

Liberty’s defense would get a stop and force a punt to give the offense a chance to tie or take the lead late in the fourth quarter. The Flames moved into the red zone and faced a 4th and 1 inside the 20. The snap wasn’t handled cleanly, Salter recovered but was stopped short and turned it over on downs.

From there, the defense once again got a stop as the Gamecocks moved the ball toward midfield and forced a punt. Liberty took over from inside the 10-yard line with over 3 minutes remaining. The Flames picked up a first down, but Salter was then intercepted. JSU would add a touchdown to make it 31-21 with less than two minutes to play, virtually sealing the game.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES COST THE FLAMES

Liberty had their chances. Two trips inside the red zone that didn’t end in points were costly. Two 4th and 1 tries were stopped.

Should the Flames have kicked the field goal late on that 4th and 1 inside the 20 to attempt to tie the contest? Hindsight is obviously 20/20. If you pick up the first down there, you can milk a few more minutes off the clock and try to take the lead. For a top 10 rushing team in the country and one that rushed for nearly 5 yards per carry and 273 yards on the night, the call is understandable, it just wasn’t executed.

Even after that, the defense got another stop to give the offense another opportunity. Backed up inside their own 10, it would have been a long drive, but the team’s chances came to an end on the Salter interception.

FIRST LOSING STREAK UNDER CHADWELL

We talked about last week’s loss to Kennesaw State being the first real adversity this team has faced under Coach Chadwell. Now, the Flames face a second straight loss and a losing streak for the first time in two years.

With the sky-high expectations this team faced coming into the season, it’s tough to stomach being 5-2 at this point in the season. How will the team respond? We will continue to learn a lot about this team with the way they respond, beginning next Saturday.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GOALS ABOUT DONE

With two losses, Liberty’s hopes and dreams for a CUSA Championship are all but mathematically finished. Sure, there’s still a chance it could happen, but it is very unlikely. Jax State is undefeated. As is Western Kentucky. The Flames would have to win out and have some help being two games behind both of those teams.

Now, the Flames have to lock back in and fight for bowl eligibility and to not see this season spiral out of control with those goals out the window.

Up Next

Liberty now adjusts back to a Saturday schedule and will play at Middle Tennessee on Nov. 9. Kickoff from Murfreesboro, Tennessee is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be on CBS Sports Network. The Blue Raiders are currently 2-6 on the season and 1-3 in CUSA action. They are coming off a 42-20 loss at Jacksonville State last Wednesday and plays at UTEP this Saturday at 3:30 p.m.