For the second year in a row, the Liberty and Florida International football game went into overtime. This time, however, it was the FIU Panthers (or Sunblazers for the day) who came out on top, 34-27, in the extra period. It is the first ever win for FIU over Liberty after the Flames won the first two meetings as CUSA foes the last two years and entered Saturday’s contest 3-0 all-time against the Panthers. With the loss, Liberty drops a second consecutive game by one score and in the closing minutes and falls to 4-6 overall and 3-3 in CUSA play while FIU improves to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the league.
“You can’t pick and choose when you decide to turn the engine on, it’s got to be on all the time,” said Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell. “I think we came out offensively with the engine on and then we were like, ‘Oh, we got it,’ and we relaxed and sort of put it in idle. Defensively, I think we came out thinking we were good, patting ourselves on the back from last week and we got run up and down the field until we figured out how to turn it on. We’ve got to be able to play four quarters.”
The Flames scored six points in the final 2:48 of regulation to force the overtime period, capped by a 48-yard Jay Billingsley field goal as time expired with the score knotted at 27. Going on offense to begin the overtime period, FIU quarterback Joe Pesansky and the Panthers were able to convert to third and longs – a third and 10 to get inside the 10 and a third and goal from the seven – to score the eventual winning points. Pesansky first connected with Alex Perry for 18 yards to move the chains, and then found Maguire Anderson in the end zone for a seven-yard completion, Anderson’s first (and only) catch of the evening.
Needing a touchdown to extend the game, Liberty ran the ball four straight times to get inside the 10 and set up a third and five from the seven. Ethan Vasko would get sacked for a one-yard loss and third down, and he was then intercepted on fourth down as he scrambled to his left looking for a receiver only to throw up a jump ball in a crowded portion of the end zone to end the game.
To begin the game, the Liberty defense forced a three and out and FIU punt, carrying over the strong play of that unit from last week’s loss to Missouri State. The teams then went on to score touchdowns on five straight possessions, beginning with Liberty’s Vasko connecting with Donte Lee for a 17-yard score and capped by another Liberty touchdown, this one ending with a one-yard Evan Dickens touchdown run as the Flames led 21-14. Looking to keep the touchdown streak alive, FIU’s ensuing drive fizzled out after reaching field goal range as they settled for a 40-yard field goal, making the score 21-17.
This allowed Liberty an opportunity to seize control of the game with possession to close out the first half and then receiving the opening kickoff of the second half. The Flames quickly moved the ball into FIU territory, reaching the 31-yard line before Vasko was sacked on a third down. This forced the Flames to settle for a 53-yard Billingsley field goal attempt, which he made initially before the play was wiped off due to a Liberty false start. After the penalty, Chadwell decided to instead try for a hail mary pass to end the half, with the pass falling incomplete. Coming out of halftime, Liberty’s offense quickly went three and out and was forced to punt for the first time of the game. FIU responded with a touchdown drive to take their first lead of the game, 24-21. The Liberty offense had 226 yards of offense in the first half but was only able to muster 24 yards of offense in the third period, having to punt a second straight time. Meanwhile, the Panthers were able to extend the lead to 27-21.
“In the first half, I think we were dominating the line of scrimmage,” said Chadwell. “In the second half, they made a couple adjustments there, but we didn’t do as well as we did in the first half. I don’t know why. We called some similar things there, but they tightened up a little bit, and we made some boneheaded plays too or turned the ball over.”
With the game in the balance, Liberty’s offense was able to come alive once again and muster a drive into the red zone aided by an 18-yard Vasko completion to Jacob Jenkins and a heavy dose of running back Evan Dickens. Facing a third and five with less than three minutes remaining, Vasko rolled to his right but could not find an open receiver and threw the ball into the dirt for an incompletion. The Liberty offense remained on the field, looking as though it would go for it on fourth down trying to convert, looking for a potential game winning touchdown. However, Liberty did not get a play off or call a timeout, being whistled for a delay of game. After the penalty, Billingsley connected on a 38-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 27-24.
The Flames had all three timeouts and the two-minute timeout to work with. Needing a stop, the defense quickly forced a third and 15, but Pesansky connected with JoJo White for a completion to move the chains and the ball out towards midfield. FIU head coach Willie Simmons then ran the ball four straight plays, including on fourth and one with less than 30 seconds remaining. Liberty was able to get a stop and get the ball back into Vasko’s hands.
After two incomplete passes, Vasko connected with Lee for a 29-yard gain to pick up the first down and move the ball to the 31. With no timeouts remaining, the clock stopped momentarily for the first down with four seconds remaining. Instead of opting to spike the ball and have the field goal unit have plenty of time to get onto the field, Liberty instead went with the fire drill running the special teams unit onto the field quickly and getting the kick off in time as Billingsley tied the game to force overtime.
“It’s two weeks in a row where we had a miraculous play and you feel like you’ve got a chance to win the game and you don’t do it,” Chadwell said. “It’s disappointing.”
Vasko finished the game completing 17 of 31 passes for 218 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. He also ran the ball 8 times for 11 yards. His favorite target was Lee who had 5 receptions on six targets for 79 yards and a score. Dickens ran the ball 28 times for 106 yards and a touchdown, getting over the century mark for a third straight game.
Liberty finished the game with a slight edge in total yards, 378-375. The stats were all fairly close for the game, including both teams converting 50% of third down opportunities and multiple times on fourth down. The Flames did have two turnovers to zero by the Panthers.
“We started off the game well,” Chadwell said of his defense. “I don’t know if they figured something out or we didn’t do what we needed to do. They kept fighting and finding ways to move the ball and keep it going. We would get them in situations and they would get a first down. We didn’t have an answer when we needed to have an answer to get them off the field when they had some momentum.”
Liberty must win its final two games – at Louisiana Tech and at home against Kennesaw State – to keep a 20-year streak of 6-win seasons alive and to achieve bowl eligibility for a seventh straight year, as the Flames have reached bowl eligibility every year at the FBS level.
“We are capable,” said Chadwell. “We are capable of winning the next two and getting a bowl game. It’s important. I think our guys want to, but we’ve got to do some different things individually if we’re going to be able to win some of these closer games.”
*photo courtesy Liberty Athletics
