Liberty fell behind UMass in the first quarter, 7-0, but utilized a 21 point second quarter to seize control of the game. The Flames would go on to defeat the Minutemen, 42-24, in Amherst, Massachusetts to improve to 5-1 on the season.
The Flames entered the game as 24.5-point favorites but found themselves trailing at the end of the first quarter. A 53-yard run Gregory Desrosiers midway through the first quarter gave the Minutemen the early lead. With the Liberty offense struggling to just 14 yards on its first two drives, the nerves were starting to mount on the visiting team sideline.
With Kaidon Salter continuing to deal with a groin injury and not making the trip to Massachusetts, it was Johnathan Bennett making his second career start at quarterback for the Flames. Bennett was incomplete on his first three passes as head coach Hugh Freeze went to Nate Hampton for the next two offensive series. Bennett would re-enter the game and lead the Flames on three consecutive scoring drives in the second quarter as Liberty took control of the game at 21-10 heading into the locker room.
With the lead coming out of the halftime break, Freeze would have Bennett hand the ball off to his running backs, Dae Dae Hunter and Shedro Louis. Behind the lead backs, Liberty would rush for 84 yards on back to back drives to extend the lead to 35-10 late in the third quarter. Hunter would finish the evening with 78 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries while Louis had 26 yards and three touchdowns on nine rushing attempts.
“Winning first down and going tempo, that was key to us settling down in the second quarter,” said Freeze. “Once we won first down in the third quarter, we were good too. You’ve got to win first down to do it though. The thing that is so frustrating on first down, sometimes it was us.”
Demario Douglas was explosive for the Liberty offense. He grabbed four passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. The dynamic slot receiver also had a touchdown reception called back due to a penalty.
Bennett finished the game completing 9 of 18 passes for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 9 times for 50 yards.
“I thought he settled in,” said Freeze of Bennett. “I’ve got to figure out between Kent and I how to do that the entire time. He started throwing catch-able balls, not overthrowing guys, giving them a chance to win in their one-on-ones. We’ve got to start faster with this group.”
The Liberty defense had another strong performance that was much better than it appeared by the 24 points scored by UMass. The Minutemen were able to pick up a Dae Dae Hunter fumble and returned it for a touchdown, and they also scored a fourth quarter touchdown when the Flames had its reserves on the field.
The 53-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a 45-yard pass play in the second quarter would lead to the only 10 points UMass would score on the Liberty first string defense. The Flames held the Minutemen to 233 yards of offense on the day, with only 88 of those coming on the ground.
The Flames would dominate the second and third quarters, outscoring the home-standing Minutemen, 35-3, during those middle periods. By time the game reached the quarter, the game was out of reach.
TJ Green made his first appearance of the season, entering the game in the 4th quarter. The Liberty running back missed the first five games of the season after suffering an injury to his left leg during training camp. He was able to find some holes in the defense, carrying the ball six times for 39 yards as the Flames were able to chew up the clock and leave town with the victory.
“He (looked good) except he’s out of shape,” Freeze said of Green. “He carried it three times and needed a break. It was good to see him out there. He’s really been a trooper, what a great teammate he is.”
Liberty returns home next week for its annual homecoming game. The Flames will play host to Gardner-Webb for a 3:30 p.m. kick.
*photo courtesy Liberty Athletics
