It had been 697 days since Liberty last loss a regular season football game. The Flames would taste defeat for the first time in the regular season under second year head coach Jamey Chadwell on Wednesday night, losing to Kennesaw State, 27-24.
It knocked Liberty (5-1, 3-1 CUSA) out of the unbeaten ranks and provided the Owls (1-6, 1-2) with their first win of the season. It was also Kennesaw’s first win over a Division I football program, FBS or FCS, in 719 days.
“You hope that you look inward as coaches and players, look inward and say what has got us to this point,” Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell said following the loss. “Why are we not playing the game the way that I believe we are capable of with the group that we have? Again, that’s me. I’ve got to figure that out that’s what my job is to do and I’ve not done that.”
The Owls amassed a season-high 323 total offensive yards. They also scored a season high three touchdowns after scoring a combined five offensive touchdowns in the season’s first six games entering Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Liberty finished the game with a season low 386 total offensive yards, gaining 180 yards on the ground and 206 yards through the air. Kaidon Salter accounted for 293 of Liberty’s total yards. The quarterback rushed for 87 yards on nine carries and completed 22 of 40 passing attempts for 206 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
Penalties were once again the team’s Achilles’ heel. Liberty committed 9 infractions for 100 yards, with many of them coming in key situations.
With the game tied at 14 early in the third quarter, the Flames were whistled for a pass interference call on a 4th and 10 play when there was no chance the receiver would have been able to catch the overthrown ball. It kept the Owls on the field, eventually resulting a touchdown to give the home team a 21-14 lead.
In the 4th quarter, with the Flames trailing 24-17 and putting together a strong drive hoping to tie the game, Liberty faced a 3rd and 1 at the KSU 24. The Flames were then called for two false starts with two incomplete passes, leading to a turnover on downs.
The Owls would knock in a field goal for a 27-17 advantage on their next possession with just over four minutes remaining, ultimately making the deficit too great for Liberty to overcome.
“That’s on me as the head coach,” Chadwell said of the penalties. “It’s something obviously I’m allowing. There was two drives, we had them off the field on a 4th down, we get a PI; then, we have them on for a field goal attempt on 3rd and 9 and we get a late hit. That killed us. Then, offensively, we were 3rd and 1 and we get back-to-back false starts there where we were driving to score. There’s a lot of plays, but ultimately that hurt you in key situations when you are trying to get off the field and get back in the game. I’ve got to do a better job of getting us to play a cleaner game.”
The Flames would get back into the end zone with a 17-yard Salter pass to Elijah Canion with 1:49 left. Max Morgan’s onside kick attempt would be recovered by Kennesaw. They would milk the clock down to just 6 seconds remaining. Liberty had two final attempts for a miracle, but came up short.
“In key situations, you know, pressure moments, we are undisciplined,” Chadwell continued. “It hurts me to say that. It’s one of our values. I’ve done a bad job of allowing those things to happen and not fixing it. It’s frustrating because it cost you maybe an opportunity to win another game.”
Liberty opened the game with a defensive stop and an impressive looking touchdown drive to take the 7-0 lead. It looked early like the Flames would cruise to an easy win as they entered the contest nearly a four-touchdown favorite.
Kennesaw State fought back though and would take the lead at 14-7 with consecutive scoring drives. It marked the sixth straight game the Flames have faced a deficit to begin the season. This time, Liberty would not be able to claw back for the victory though.
“Maybe we’re just not very good either,” Chadwell said. “Maybe people are realizing we’re not very good. We’ve got to play cleaner to try and have a chance to win with the current group that we have.”
This loss ends any potential for Liberty trying to sneak into the College Football Playoff as the highest rated Group of Five conference champion. Now, the Flames will have to claw back into the CUSA title race to have a shot at defending their 2023 crown.
“Credit to them, they wanted the game more,” Chadwell said of Kennesaw State. “That’s on me, they wanted the game more. They played more together as a team than we did and that showed up. I’ve got to figure out, me and the coaches, we’ve got to get together and just talk about some things. Maybe it’s a wake up call, or it could send us in a spiral. Our job as coach, is we’ve got to make sure we learn from it and hopefully fix the things that need to be fixed and go forward.”
*photo courtesy Liberty University Athletics
