Liberty withstood a test at home, battling back from a first half deficit for a second straight week, to defeat Middle Tennessee, 28-23 on Saturday afternoon. 15,131 fans were in attendance for the win from a chilly Williams Stadium as the Flames improve to 9-1 on the season and 6-0 in CUSA play.
** With the win, Liberty clinches a spot in the Conference USA Championship Game for the second time in four years, having also done so in Jamey Chadwell’s first season at Liberty in 2023. The championship game will be played on Friday, Dec. 4 at the site of the highest seeded team, yet to be determined. The Flames are alone in first place atop the conference standings after Jacksonville State lost to Western Kentucky on Saturday.
** For the first time since the season opener at James Madison, Liberty failed to score on its opening drive. The Flames moved the ball across midfield and into Blue Raider territory before four straight pass plays failed to move the chains as the offense turned the ball over on downs. Liberty had scored on its opening drive of the game in eight straight games.
** Deshawn Purdie failed to connect on his first five passes of the game, as Liberty didn’t have a completed pass until the 6:53 mark of the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Flames chewed up yardage on the ground, rushing for 183 yards at 8 yards per carry in the opening half. That was the story for most of the game, as Liberty failed to get its passing attack firing consistently, but it was the ground game that racked up a season high total of 370 yards on the ground. Purdie finished the game 8 of 17 passing for 64 yards and a touchdown.
** For the second week in a row, Liberty fell behind in the first half as Middle Tennessee scored 10 straight points to take a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. The Blue Raiders points came off a Deshawn Purdie lost fumble and a Liberty turnover on downs at the MTSU 34-yard line. The Flames had gone the first four games in conference play without ever trailing in the game.
** Liberty had their opportunities to have this game decided sooner than it was. MTSU’s first 17 points all came off Liberty’s miscues as they took advantage of a Liberty fumble and two turnover on downs, setting up short fields the Blue Raiders were able to capitalize on. One of the turnover on downs came late in the third quarter when Liberty decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from their own 36. Ethan Vasko was in at quarterback. He faked the run and passed the ball to a wide open LaKelsey Johnson. The Liberty tight end would have easily had a 74-yard touchdown catch and run but he was unable to haul it in.
** Liberty finished the night with 370 yards on the ground. Kam Davis ran the ball a career-high 20 times for 126 yards and a touchdown, his third 100-yard rushing game of the season. Jaylon Coleman added 84 yards and a score on just 7 rush attempts. Terron Kellman had 54 yards while Purdie had 45 yards on 7 carries. Vasko ran the ball 3 times for 27 yards. Jaylin Belford got into the end zone on his only rush play of the game, good for 3 yards and the score. Of note, Peyton Jones was not in uniform and did not play.
** Makai Jackson led the team in receiving with 5 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. There wasn’t much else going for the Liberty passing attack.
** Liberty outgained Middle Tennessee in total yards, 434-284 despite the Flames having just 64 passing yards on the day.
** Liberty had just 3 penalties on the day for 39 yards. That’s one of the team’s lowest penalty game of the season, very close to the Ball State game when the Flames were whistled for 3 penalties for 25 yards.
** Play of the Game: The Flames were 0 for 3 on 4th downs in the game entering the final minutes. Those failed conversions kept the Blue Raiders hanging around into the 4th quarter. Liberty faced another 4th and 1 at their own 40 with just over 2 minutes remaining. Vasko picked up 6 yards on the keeper to keep the ball in the offense’s hands, leading 28-23.
** Up next: Liberty concludes its regular season home schedule next week, playing host to Western Kentucky. Kickoff from Williams Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN+. The Hilltoppers are currently 4-6 on the season and 3-3 in conference play after their upset win, 34-24, over Jacksonville State earlier on Saturday.
