Liberty scored on its first drive of the game for the sixth straight game, as Kam Davis punched it into the end zone from one yard out to cap an 85-yard drive. The Flames would lead wire-to-wire once again, never seriously threatened, as Liberty has now won six straight, defeating Kennesaw State, 34-6, on Thursday night from Fifth Third Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. Liberty has clinched bowl eligibility and is now 6-1 on the season and 3-0 in CUSA play.
** Liberty pushes its lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter when Deshawn Purdie found running back Jaylon Coleman streaking down the right side from out of the backfield. Coleman caught the ball in stride and was never touched as he raced 56 yards for the score.
** As has been the case much of the season, penalties continued to be the Achilles’ heel for this Liberty team. This time it was primarily on the offensive side of the ball, where the penalties kept halting Liberty drives and keeping the offense behind the chains. It kept the Flames from being able to grab full control of this game and put it away early. Liberty finished the game with 12 penalties for 90 yards.
** Liberty’s defense continues to play lights out. The Flames nearly held the Owls scoreless in the first half, as Kennesaw State did not get into the scoring column until the final minute of the opening 30 minutes with a field goal, cutting the Liberty lead to 14-3 at the intermission.
** The Flames continue to dominate games on the defensive side of the ball. Liberty has now held its opponent scoreless in 10 of the last 14 quarters and held them without a touchdown in 13 of the last 14 quarters. Quite a remarkable stretch.
** QB Deshawn Purdie was solid throughout. The Flames came out more aggressive in passing the ball to begin the game. He would go on to complete 10 of 19 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown as he remains without an interception thrown this season. Purdie was banged up early in the fourth quarter on a hit he took. He was slow to get up from the field but remained in the game. With the game in hand, Purdie would not return to the game as Jaylen Henderson came off the bench to replace him.
** Liberty finished the night with 215 yards on the ground, ending a streak of setting a new season high for the first six games of the season. It was a very balanced rushing attack. Kam Davis led the team with 59 yards and a touchdown on 9 carries. Jaylon Coleman had 5 carries for 22 yards and a score. Peyton Jones had 9 carries for 47 yards while Terron Kellman had 5 rushes for 24 yards and a score. Liberty had 6 different players with at least 20 rushing yards in the game.
** Jamari Person led the team in receiving with 4 catches for 72 yards. Coleman added 3 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Makai Jackson was pretty quiet, having just one catch for 25 yards.
** Liberty edged Kennesaw State in total yards, 402-297. The Owls were held to 62 yards rushing.
** This is Liberty’s first six-game winning streak since the 2023 season when the Flames started the year 13-0.
** Play of the Game: Liberty controlled the game throughout, but the offense was unable to find consistent success during the middle part of the contest. It allowed Kennesaw to build a little bit of momentum and they drove into scoring range, trailing 17-3. Enter this Liberty defense as Ashton McShane caught the errant Rickie Collins pass. Liberty would go on to score on the ensuing possession to take full control of the contest.
** Up next: Liberty now resorts back to a normal Saturday weekly game schedule for the final five games of the season, beginning with next Saturday’s game at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg against FIU on Oct. 31. The Panthers are currently 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in conference play. They are coming off a 26-23 loss at home this past Tuesday night against Middle Tennessee.
