Liberty jumped out to a quick lead once again and cruised to a 49-10 win over FIU on Homecoming on Saturday evening. The Flames picked up the win in front of 16,702 fans at Williams Stadium to improve to 7-1 on the season and 4-0 in CUSA play.
** The Flames scored on its opening drive for a seventh straight game, as Jaylon Coleman took the pitch from Deshawn Purdie and scampered 14 yards for the score.
** Leading 7-0, the Panthers crossed midfield thanks to a 33-yard pass completion, but the Liberty defense stood strong and forced a 47-yard field goal. The kick was blocked by Mike Jarvis, Liberty’s first blocked field goal since CJ Bazile, Jr. blocked a kick against UMass on Nov. 18, 2023.
** The Flames would roll from there, scoring touchdowns on four of five first half drives to take a commanding 28-0 lead into the locker room. In just one half, the 28 points already exceeded how many points any team had scored on the FIU defense this season. The Panthers entered Saturday’s game allowing just 16.3 points per game, good for 21st best in the country.
** The Flames continue to dominate games on the defensive side of the ball. Liberty has now held its opponent scoreless in 13 of the last 18 quarters and held them without a touchdown in 16 of the last 18 quarters. Liberty had 11 straight quarters without allowing a touchdown before FIU got into the end zone with just over 3 minutes remaining.
** QB Deshawn Purdie saw his streak of games without throwing an interception coming to an end. His first quarter interception ended a streak of 135 passing attempts to begin the season without throwing an interception. He would go on to have one of his best games in a Liberty uniform, completing 16 of 19 passes for 227 yards 1 touchdown and an interception. That is the 2nd most passing yards Purdie has thrown for, only trailing the season opener at JMU when he threw for 230. He did all of that work through three quarters.
** Liberty finished the night with 145 yards on the ground. Once again, it was a very balanced rushing attack with five different ball carriers rushing for 20 or more yards. Kanye Udoh led the team with 5 rushes for 31 yards and his first score in a Liberty uniform. Deshawn Purdie and Peyton Jones finished with 24 yards rushing each. Purdie did it on 4 carries while Jones did it on 7 carries. Kam Davis had 4 rushes for 20 yards and 2 scores. Jaylon Coleman had 2 carries for 20 yards and a score. Ethan Vasko got into the end zone twice, rushing the ball 3 times for 5 yards.
** Makai Jackson led the team in receiving with 6 catches for 86 yards. Jon Monteiro had 3 receptions for 27 yards. Darius Copeland had 31 yards on 2 while Zeke Wimbush had 2 receptions, including an 11 yard touchdown reception, the first of his career.
** Liberty edged FIU in total yards, 391-210. The Panthers were held to 34 yards rushing. FIU was just 2 of 10 on third downs while the Flames converted on 5 of 8 third down opportunities. The Flames also had four sacks on the night, tying the team’s season high when Liberty also had 4 against Coastal Carolina.
** This is Liberty’s first seven-game winning streak since the 2023 season when the Flames started the year 13-0. The Flames are dominating conference opponents, having yet to trail in the first four games against CUSA opponents. Liberty is outscoring its conference counterparts, 148-33.
** Liberty RB Jaylon Coleman exited the game in the first half and did not return. He limped to the sideline, not putting any weight on his left leg.
** The Flames entered the game as the most penalized team in the country, with 10.14 penalties per game and 85.71 penalty yards per game. Liberty had just one penalty in the first half and finished the game with 6 penalties for 60 yards. The one first half penalty did wipe off a Makai Jackson punt return for touchdown.
** Liberty had 7 trips into the red zone against FIU, converting all of them into touchdowns. The Panthers had allowed just 5 red zone touchdowns this season entering today’s game.
** The win over FIU by 39 points is the largest margin of victory over a CUSA opponent in the program’s four years in the league. Previously, the Flames had wins by 32 points – a 35-3 win over Sam Houston earlier this season and a 38-6 win at FIU on Sept. 23, 2023. The 39-point margin of victory is also the largest under head coach Jamey Chadwell in his four seasons, besting the 36 point win over Ball State earlier this season.
** Play of the Game: Later in the first quarter, Liberty led 7-0. After Deshawn Purdie’s first interception of the season, FIU looked to capitalize on the momentum. It looked like JJ Kohl had connected on a 54-yard touchdown pass, but offsetting penalties wiped the score off the board and Liberty got a stop on the ensuing third down play. From there, the Flames rolled.
** Up next: Liberty hits the road for a single game at New Mexico State as the calendar shifts to November. The Flames and Aggies meet from Las Cruces, New Mexico on Saturday, November 7 at 8 p.m. ET. NMSU is currently 3-5 overall and 2-2 in conference play. They are coming off a 24-0 shutout loss at home against Jacksonville State from this past Wednesday night.
