Liberty looked very solid on both sides of the ball as they came away with a 28-7 win on the road in Clinton, South Carolina. The Flames got off to a quick start, and were able to hold on late despite very conservative 2nd half play calling. Here are some quick hit notes following the win.
- WR Darrin Peterson returned as a key focus of the Flames offense. Petey caught a long pass from Josh Woodrum on the first drive of the game, as well as a 70 yard bomb for a TD. Peterson finished the game with 156 yards and 1 TD.
- WR Dante Shells went out in the first half with a right ankle injury. This is a pretty big development to keep an eye on going forward as Shells had emerged as a legitimate threat in the Liberty offense over the past few weeks.
- Josh Woodrum was 15-22 for 214 yards and 2 TD’s. Very strong performance from Josh.
- RB D.J. Abnar did not appear to be significantly hobbled from last week’s injury, as he was called upon early and often for the Flames. Liberty did split the load a bit more than usual though, as Woodrum, Masha and Kaigler both saw carries. Abnar finished with 25 carries for 83 yards and 1 TD. Woodrum had 7 carries for 41 yards and 1 TD as well.
- The turnover differential was significant in this one, as Liberty was able to force PC QB Hayes McMath into 4 INT’s. The Flames ended the game with a 4-0 advantage in turnovers.
- The Liberty defense returned to its “bend but don’t break” form, as Presbyterian was able to move the ball, however the Blue Hose were stymied in the Flames’ end of the field well into the 4th quarter.
- Several odd coaching decisions in this one. As the first half was coming to a close, PC was lined up to punt with :57 remaining. Rather than use one of their three timeouts, Turner Gill allowed Presby to run the clock down and the half ended on the punt. To open the second half, with a 21-0 lead, the Flames attempted an onside kick. Lunsford’s kick did not travel the necessary 10 yards, and Presby was given a short field to start the half. Finally, on a 4th and long, rather than kick a makeable field goal, Liberty dialed up a fake field goal attempt that failed to pick up the first down. Weird.
- The Flames continue down the road to a late November showdown with Coastal Carolina, improving to 2-0 in Big South play. Liberty hosts Monmouth (0-2 Big South) next Saturday.
