If you are new to Liberty football, you may not have known just how much talent the Flames possess. Even if you have followed this program for a while, perhaps the lack of tangible results on the field has allowed you to forget just how good this team can be. Despite the 56-29 score line, Saturday night’s game in Chapel Hill should have been a reminder of how talented the Flames are at a number of positions. It was also a reminder of how confounding and frustrating this team can be to watch.
The Flames showed how talented, and how frustrating, this team can be on Saturday.
As a whole, FCS players aren’t as good as their FBS counterparts. This is especially true when you are referring to a top 25 team from one of the power conferences, which is exactly what the Flames were up against in North Carolina. Still, Liberty showed remarkably well for most of the game on Saturday. Watching Darrin Peterson run past an ACC Corner, or seeing the Liberty O-Line generate a strong push at the goal line against much more heralded recruits, it could easily be forgotten that Liberty sits far below North Carolina in the world of college football. Liberty’s young defensive secondary, long thought to be the biggest question mark after losing two of the best Cornerbacks to put on an LU helmet, not only absolved itself of criticism against the speedy Tarheels, it shined. Hauling in three interceptions definitely should turn some heads against such a high level of competition. These guys can compete, and they can win.
Once again though, Liberty’s most obnoxious boogie man made his appearance, the second half collapse. It happened so quickly. The Flames’ fans were reveling in a one point lead over halfway through the 3rd quarter, and in a matter of 3:49 it was all over with. Three turnovers and four Carolina touchdowns later, the game was out of reach. Maybe the mental breakdown wasn’t really any different than those we’ve all seen in the past few years. It was just that a team as good as the Tarheels was more ready and able to make Liberty pay for it.
Liberty’s season will likely depend on avoiding the sort of breakdown witnessed against UNC.
In the end, this game had no bearing on whether or not Liberty makes the FCS playoffs. It was an opportunity to do something big, and get noticed. People that were watching had to be impressed at times, because these Flames can play. Hopefully the players proved something to themselves about their abilities, and are able to learn from the breakdown that they must avoid if they are to get to the playoffs. As fans, new and veteran, Liberty’s talent was on full display Saturday night. So were some of the team’s flaws. We don’t know how this season will turn out, but after week one, we do know one thing. The Liberty Flames can play.
