LU Begins Title Defense With Win Over Coastal

For the third-straight road game, No. 20/21 Liberty outlasted an opponent, this time picking up a 43-38 victory over Big South rival Coastal Carolina in its conference opener, Saturday night, at Brooks Stadium.

With the win, the Flames run their record to 5-0 on the year and 1-0 in Big South play. The victory extends the nation's longest FCS winning streak to 10 games and ties a program record, as Liberty also reeled off 10-straight wins over the span of the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

For the third time this season, the Flames put points up on the scoreboard during their opening drive, taking a 7-0 lead with 9:36 left to play in the opening 15 minutes of action.

Rashad Jennings carried the ball four times on the eight-play drive, however, the senior tailback was the intended target of quarterback Brock Smith on third-and-eight play from the Coastal 23-yard line. Jennings caught the pass over the middle and broke several tackles before getting the nose of the football over the goal line to give Liberty the early advantage.

After a three-and-out series on the ensuing drive, Liberty's special teams, which entered the game ranked No. 11 in the nation in punt return yardage, showcased its return prowess. Dominic Bolden, who ranked eighth individually in punt returns coming into the contest, made use of a key block by Wes Cheek to clip off a 39-yard punt return.

Bolden's third-longest punt return of the season set up Liberty's next scoring opportunity, as three plays later, Matt Bevins knocked down a 22-yard field goal at the 6:37 mark, pushing Liberty's advantage to 10-0.

Coastal Carolina made a quarterback change on the following drive, placing redshirt freshman Jamie Childress under center. And the move by head coach David Bennett paid off, as the rookie scored his first collegiate touchdown, diving one yard on a third-and-goal play with 1:56 left to play in the first quarter to trim Liberty's lead to three points, 10-7.

The Flames failed to move the chains on their next drive, forcing to punt the ball away four plays later as time expired on the first quarter game clock. Starting quarterback Zach MacDowall returned the game, completing two out of his three pass attempts for 46 yards to get the Chanticleers into Liberty territory.

The Chanticleers took to the ground for the next three plays, getting a pair of 15-yard jaunts from Arthur Sitton and Jamie Fordham. The second by Fordham gave Coastal Carolina a 14-10 lead with 12:30 left in the second quarter.

Liberty regrouped on its next drive, piecing together its longest drive of the first quarter. On the 12th play of the drive, Smith faked a handoff to Jonathan Crawford and found Jennings wide open in the near side of the end zone for his second receiving touchdown of the game. The four-yard receiving by the senior with 7:01 left before the break, gave Liberty a 17-14 lead.

Five plays later, Patrick Calvary picked off his seventh career pass, moving the senior into fifth place on the Big South all-time interception list and giving Liberty possession of the football with 4:44 left to play before halftime.

The Chanticleers looked like they might have halted the Flames on a third-and-13 play from the Coastal Carolina 23-yard line. However, Smith got a key block on the offensive line from Jennings so the senior could find Bolden open on a slant route, to give Liberty a 10-point lead with 29 seconds left before the intermission.

Liberty drove down the length of the field on the first drive of the second half, thanks in part to a third-down conversion play that saw B.J. Hayes scamper for 44 yards, However, the drive stalled in the Red Zone, as the Flames had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Bevins, which gave Liberty a 13-point edge, 27-14, with 11:40 left in the third.

The Chanticleers looked like they quickly answered, as MacDowall hooked up with Sitton for a screen pass, which the senior took the end zone less than a minute later. However, the play was called back due to a holding penalty at midfield.

Infractions continued to plague the Chanticleers on the drive, as Coastal Carolina was whistled for four more penalties on the drive, including a second wave off on a MacDowell touchdown pass to Brandon Whitley, leaving the homestanding squad to settle for a 42-yard field by Justin Durham at the 5:11 mark of the third quarter, cutting the lead to 10 points, 27-17.

Following a 17-play drive that had Liberty's defense on the field for 6:24, the Flames quickly ushered their defenders back on the field, as Hayes scored on the next play.

The 66-yard sweeping touchdown run to the far side of the field, Liberty's longest run of the year, pushed the Flames lead to 17 points, 34-17, as the Flames doubled the Chanticleers up 15 seconds later.

Coastal Carolina mustered some fourth-down magic on the ensuing drive, as Liberty looked like it might tackle MacDowall and regain possession on downs.

But the sophomore squirmed away from several would-be tacklers to find Chris Floyd open for a 21-yard play at the Liberty six-yard line. MacDowall called his own number on the next play, cutting the lead back to 10 points, 34-24, with 1:23 left in the third quarter.

The two teams traded touchdown during the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. Jennings tacked on his third touchdown of the game, this time on the ground. The senior bowled over several defenders, scampering for a 35-yard rushing touchdown with 11:53 left in the game.

However, Coastal Carolina quickly moved the ball downfield and pulled within eight points, 40-32, following a Marquel Willis touchdown pass from MacDowall and a two-point conversion pass to Trent Usher with 11:53 remaining on the clock.

Trying to wind down the game clock, the Flames handed the ball to Jennings five times on the next nine-play drive, helping set up a 34-yard field goal by Bevins with 7:34 left, pushing Liberty's lead to 11 points, 43-32.

Kent Hicks intercepted the ball on the next play, but Liberty was forced to punt four plays later, following a three-and-out series. MacDowall quickly moved the Chanticleers downfield 91 yards on 15 plays, completing the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Willis with 1:59 left on the game clock. A two-point rushing attempt by Fordham failed, leaving the score at 43-38.

Liberty recovered an attempted on-side kick and handed the ball off to Jennings on the next three plays. On the third rush, Jennings broke free for a sure touchdown run, but the senior slid down at the one-yard line, ending the game as Liberty was then able to run the clock out.

The two teams rolled up nearly identical offensive numbers, as Liberty finished with 531 yards of total offense on 68 plays, while the Chanticleers finished the contest with 534 total offensive yards on 82 plays.

Penalties plagued the homestanding Chanticleers, as Coastal Carolina finished with 10 infractions for 70 yards, while Liberty held its penalty total to four for 29 yards.

Jennings was the offensive star for Liberty once again, rushing for 195 yards and a touchdown. The senior also added three receptions for 33 yards, including a pair of touchdown catches. The tailback matched his career touchdown reception total in the game, as the senior came into the contest with two touchdown receptions, both coming last year.

Smith passed for a season-high 239 yards, as the senior completed 15-of-24 pass attempts, while recording three touchdown passes.

Bolden led six different players who caught passes in the game, as the wide out finished with five receptions for 93 yards, including the 23-yard touchdown reception.

Greiser was the Flames' leading tackler, as the defensive back ended the game with nine tackles, including six assisted tackles and a tackle for a loss. Besides Calvary's seventh career interception, the cornerback added eight tackles, with six of them being of the solo variety.

Following a four-week stretch where Liberty played outside the Lynchburg area, the Flames return to Williams Stadium next weekend when they host Big South newcomer Stony Brook.

The contest, which is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff, will put the nation's second-longest home FCS winning streak on the line, as the Flames enter the game victors in their last 10 contests at Williams Stadium, dating back to the 2006 season.

Schedule

LU Begins Title Defense With Win Over Coastal

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Team Stats

Brock Smith