The Liberty Flames set season and career records in their 52-43 victory last Saturday vs the New Mexico Lobos. After dropping the last 2 games against Army & North Texas, the Flames achieved their first road win as an FBS program, evening their season record to 2-2. The Flames scored a season high 42 first half points against New Mexico, and fended off the Lobos’ late push in the second half. Here are a few takeaways from Saturday’s impressive performance:

  1. Unstoppable Receivers – The obvious stat that stood out from Saturday’s game, Junior Captain Antonio Gandy-Golden dominated the Lobos’ secondary, setting a school record with 245 receiving yards. Gandy-Golden achieved this record on 11 catches, and added a touchdown as well. In addition, the Flames had great production from the entire receiving staff. R-Senior BJ Farrow finished the game with 122 receiving yards on 7 catches and a touchdown. The rest of the Flames’ receivers also lit up the Lobos, adding an additional 105 receiving yards, bringing QB Stephen Calvert’s game total to 472 passing yards.
  2. Balanced Running Game – Not to be outdone by the Flames’ dominant receivers, the Liberty running game added consistency and production to the team’s offensive attack. R-Junior Frankie Hickson finished the game with 65 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, and R-Sophomore Peytton Pickett added 39 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. Despite the low total of rushing yards, the Flames running backs did their job finishing off drives with points, something the Flames have struggled to do in recent games. The Flames’ passing attack is notably one of the best in the nation, and this balanced running performance is promising moving forward.
  3. Winning the Turnover Battle – The Liberty defense showed off a “bend but don’t break” performance against the Lobos, adding 4 interceptions, 2 sacks, and a blocked punt. The Flames defense forced New Mexico to punt 4 times in the first half, and all except 2 of the Lobos’ first half drives lasted less than 2 minutes. Despite giving up 5 touchdowns in the second half, the Flames defense capped off the 4th quarter with 2 interceptions to seal the victory for Liberty.

Necessary Improvements

As previously mentioned, the Liberty defense contained the Lobos in the first half, and allowed the Flames’ offense to control the time of possession, but their performance must be consistent throughout the entire game. Without the Flames’ dominant offensive performance, the game would have been much closer, and the late second half push by New Mexico could have proved disastrous for Liberty.

The Liberty defense must also improve against the run. Through 4 games the Flames are giving up an average of 238 rushing yards per game. Although this stat may be skewed from playing against Army, the Flames run defense has been inconsistent at best in the 2018 season. The Flames defenders do an exceptional job getting to the ball, but they must improve their tackling if they want to continue winning games.

What’s Next?

The Flames will return to New Mexico this week as they face the Aggies of New Mexico State. This game will be the first of 2 games against New Mexico State in 2018. The Flames are favorites to win at 62% by ESPN. A win in Las Cruces, could give the Flames their first winning streak in the 2018 season, and a winning record for the first time since week 1.

Game Details

Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Location: Las Cruces, N.M. (Aggie Memorial Stadium)
Radio: LFSN Radio (The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
TV: AggieVision (New Mexico) & WZBJ 24 Roanoke/Lynchburg
Kickoff: 8:00 p.m. (EST)