Will Liberty and ETSU ever meet again on the gridiron? The Flames and East Tennessee State have agreed to reschedule their future football matchup from 2029 to 2031, according to a copy of the contract received by ASOR.
The Flames were originally scheduled to play the FCS team on October 28, 2023 and, later, a game was added for October 25, 2025, both to be played at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. The 2023 game has since been canceled while the 2025 game was first pushed back to September 8, 2029 and is now scheduled for August 30, 2031. Liberty will pay ETSU $425,000 in a guarantee for the game, according to the contract, which has been unchanged.
The Flames and Buccaneers have met five previous times. Liberty has never defeated ETSU, with the Bucs owning a 4-0-1 record with the first meeting in 1985. Four of the first five games happened in Johnson City, Tennessee, including a 33-23 ETSU win in the most recent matchup on Oct. 18, 2003.
With the addition of ETSU in 2031, Liberty’s non-conference schedule is tentatively set. After opening the season at home against the Buccaneers, Liberty will play at James Madison on Sept. 6. The Flames will then host Appalachian State on Sept. 13 before playing at Ball State on Sept. 20.
Meanwhile, the 2029 schedule only features two non-conference games currently with Liberty scheduled to host Coastal Carolina on Sept. 15 and play at East Carolina on Sept. 22.
