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Saturday, November 1
Clinton, S.C.
1:30 PM
Liberty University
28
at
31
Presbyterian
Blue Hose Upset No. 17 Flames with Field Goal
11/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
In a back and forth battle, it was a 28-yard field late in the fourth quarter that lifted Presbyterian to an upset victory over No. 17 Liberty, 31-28, Saturday afternoon, at Bailey Memorial Stadium.
The loss snapped the longest Big South road winning streak in league history at five games and drops the Flames to 7-2 on the season. The victory raised the Blue Hose season mark to 4-5 and gave Presbyterian a victory at home in nine out of their last 10 games.
For the second-straight week and the fifth time this year, the Flames put points on the scoreboard the first time they touched the football. Liberty quickly moved downfield, getting the ball just past midfield on five plays to set up a 42-yard touchdown pass from Brock Smith to Dominic Bolden with 12:16 left in the opening quarter.
Presbyterian quickly answered back, evening the game at 7-7 just four minutes later. The Blue Hose picked up a third and fourth down conversion, keeping a nine-play drive alive, which set up a 25-yard pass over the middle from Brandon Miley to Patrick McKoy for a score at 8:11.
The Flames took to the ground on the ensuing drive, moving the ball 61 yards on seven out of nine rushing plays. The 4:02 drive ended with a six-yard burst up the middle by Rashad Jennings, giving the senior his 12th rushing touchdown of the year and the 37th of his career.
The see-saw battle continued, when Miley called his own number on the third play of the second quarter to even the contest at 14-14. The redshirt hurler just snuck the nose of the football over the goal line on a fourth-and-goal play, capping the 13-play, 71-yard drive with 13:35 left before halftime.
Both teams' defensive units started to settle down, as the Blue Hose forced the Flames to punt the ball away after a three-and-out series. However, Derrick Overbolt was able to get behind the line of scrimmage and blocked Matt Bevins punt to give Presbyterian the ball at the Liberty 17-yard line.
Three players later, Miley looked for a receiver in the near-side corner of the end zone, but the Flames' Patrick Calvary was able to pick the pass attempt off. The interception was the eighth of the senior's career, moving him into a tie for fourth place on the Big South's all-time career interception list.
Just as the offense dominated the first half, the defensive units made their presence known during the second 15-minute period. The two teams combined for 28 points and 273 total offensive yards in the first quarter, while being held scoreless for a combined 65 total offensive yards in the second quarter.
Jennings finished the first half with 14 rushing attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown, while Smith completed 9-of-15 pass attempts for 98 yards and the 42-yard scoring strike.
The scoreless streak continued until the 2:27 mark of the third quarter, when Jennings scored from two yards out, as he overpowered the Blue Hose's defensive line. The 15-play, 81-yard drive, which ate up 7:02 on the game clock, was keyed by a red zone third-down conversion.
Smith faked a handoff to Jennings, but pulled the ball back and used a block from the tailback to move the chains on a five-yard gain on third-and-five from the Liberty 10-yard line.
But it didn't take long for Presbyterian to even the score at 21-21. The Flames were flagged for a personal foul penalty on the extra point attempt, moving the start of the kickoff back to the 15-yard line.
Bevins kickoff was returned 45 yards past midfield by Bryson Summers to the Liberty 25-yard line. One the next play, Miley threaded the needle and found Brandon Clark open on a slant route, with the senior outrunning two would-be tacklers to tie the game eight seconds later.
Quick scoring drives left the game tied 28-28 heading into the fourth quarter, following lengthy plays by both squads and a 1:42 period that saw 28 points added to the scoreboard.
After trading five-yard penalties, Smith evaded several defenders in the pocket to give himself enough time to find Bolden open on the far side of the field for a 58-yard scoring play, giving the Flames the momentary seven-point lead, 21-14, at 1:13.
Following a 21-yard kickoff return by Chetyuane Reeder, the senior picked up 70 more yards on a screen pass from Miley before he was shoved out of bounds at the one-yard line. On the next play, running back S.J. Worrell leaped over a pile of players at the goal line, tying the game with 45 second left in the third with his fifth rushing touchdown of the year.
The Flames looked like they might keep the offensive barrage going on the ensuing drive, but the movement was stopped at the 11-yard line, leaving the Flames to settle for a field goal attempt. However, Ben Shipps wasn't able to attempt the 28-yarder as the snap sailed wide of holder Mike Brown, giving the Blue Hose possession of the football with 11:58 left to play.
In almost similar fashion, the Blue Hose had their next drive stall at the 11-yard line, but this time Presbyterian was able to knock down the 28-yard attempt, giving the home squad their first lead of the day, 31-28, with 7:04 left to play.
The three-point field goal by Cam Miller was Presbyterian's second field goal of the year and the first since Miller knocked down a 24-yarder against Fayetteville State on the second week of the year.
After trading a pair of three-and-out series, the Flames took possession of the football at the 11-yard line with 3:18 left in the contest. A mixture of Jennings running plays and 3-of-5 passing from Smith got the Flames to the Presbyterian 24-yard line.
However, Smith was sacked for an eight-yard loss, while his pass to Crawford in the end zone was battled away by Justin Bethel on a fourth-and-15 play, securing the upset victory in front of 6,193 fans for Presbyterian's Parents' Weekend.
For the sixth-straight game and the eighth time this year, the Flames rolled up 424 total offensive yards, as Liberty outgained Presbyterian 424 to 390 yards. However, 301 of the 390 yards by Presbyterian were through the air, leading to three of the team's four touchdowns.
Jennings was the game's leading rusher, gaining 188 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. The 188-yard game was the 20th 100-yard rushing performance of his career, tying the running back with Dre Barnes for the school's all-time mark for career 100-yard games.
Smith was responsible for the Flames other two touchdowns, completing 15-of-30 for 204 yards. Smith's counterpart Miley completed on 21-of-29 passing attempts for 301 yards and two scores.
Bolden was the game's leading receiver with 111 yards on four receptions and two touchdowns. The performance was the senior's third straight where he surpassed the 100-yard mark, making him the fourth receiver in school history to accomplish the feat.
Chris Rocco was the Flames' leading tackler, recording 10 stops to account for the second time in three games the junior has reached a double-digit tackle total.
Presbyterian had three defenders reach double figures, led by Anthony McKnight's 14 tackles, followed by 13 stops by Antawn Thomas.
The Flames will conclude their final regular-season road swing of the year next weekend in a clash between two Blue Ridge Mountain programs. Liberty will travel to Lexington, Va., as they return to Big South action against VMI. Kickoff at Foster Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m., on Saturday afternoon.
The loss snapped the longest Big South road winning streak in league history at five games and drops the Flames to 7-2 on the season. The victory raised the Blue Hose season mark to 4-5 and gave Presbyterian a victory at home in nine out of their last 10 games.
For the second-straight week and the fifth time this year, the Flames put points on the scoreboard the first time they touched the football. Liberty quickly moved downfield, getting the ball just past midfield on five plays to set up a 42-yard touchdown pass from Brock Smith to Dominic Bolden with 12:16 left in the opening quarter.
Presbyterian quickly answered back, evening the game at 7-7 just four minutes later. The Blue Hose picked up a third and fourth down conversion, keeping a nine-play drive alive, which set up a 25-yard pass over the middle from Brandon Miley to Patrick McKoy for a score at 8:11.
The Flames took to the ground on the ensuing drive, moving the ball 61 yards on seven out of nine rushing plays. The 4:02 drive ended with a six-yard burst up the middle by Rashad Jennings, giving the senior his 12th rushing touchdown of the year and the 37th of his career.
The see-saw battle continued, when Miley called his own number on the third play of the second quarter to even the contest at 14-14. The redshirt hurler just snuck the nose of the football over the goal line on a fourth-and-goal play, capping the 13-play, 71-yard drive with 13:35 left before halftime.
Both teams' defensive units started to settle down, as the Blue Hose forced the Flames to punt the ball away after a three-and-out series. However, Derrick Overbolt was able to get behind the line of scrimmage and blocked Matt Bevins punt to give Presbyterian the ball at the Liberty 17-yard line.
Three players later, Miley looked for a receiver in the near-side corner of the end zone, but the Flames' Patrick Calvary was able to pick the pass attempt off. The interception was the eighth of the senior's career, moving him into a tie for fourth place on the Big South's all-time career interception list.
Just as the offense dominated the first half, the defensive units made their presence known during the second 15-minute period. The two teams combined for 28 points and 273 total offensive yards in the first quarter, while being held scoreless for a combined 65 total offensive yards in the second quarter.
Jennings finished the first half with 14 rushing attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown, while Smith completed 9-of-15 pass attempts for 98 yards and the 42-yard scoring strike.
The scoreless streak continued until the 2:27 mark of the third quarter, when Jennings scored from two yards out, as he overpowered the Blue Hose's defensive line. The 15-play, 81-yard drive, which ate up 7:02 on the game clock, was keyed by a red zone third-down conversion.
Smith faked a handoff to Jennings, but pulled the ball back and used a block from the tailback to move the chains on a five-yard gain on third-and-five from the Liberty 10-yard line.
But it didn't take long for Presbyterian to even the score at 21-21. The Flames were flagged for a personal foul penalty on the extra point attempt, moving the start of the kickoff back to the 15-yard line.
Bevins kickoff was returned 45 yards past midfield by Bryson Summers to the Liberty 25-yard line. One the next play, Miley threaded the needle and found Brandon Clark open on a slant route, with the senior outrunning two would-be tacklers to tie the game eight seconds later.
Quick scoring drives left the game tied 28-28 heading into the fourth quarter, following lengthy plays by both squads and a 1:42 period that saw 28 points added to the scoreboard.
After trading five-yard penalties, Smith evaded several defenders in the pocket to give himself enough time to find Bolden open on the far side of the field for a 58-yard scoring play, giving the Flames the momentary seven-point lead, 21-14, at 1:13.
Following a 21-yard kickoff return by Chetyuane Reeder, the senior picked up 70 more yards on a screen pass from Miley before he was shoved out of bounds at the one-yard line. On the next play, running back S.J. Worrell leaped over a pile of players at the goal line, tying the game with 45 second left in the third with his fifth rushing touchdown of the year.
The Flames looked like they might keep the offensive barrage going on the ensuing drive, but the movement was stopped at the 11-yard line, leaving the Flames to settle for a field goal attempt. However, Ben Shipps wasn't able to attempt the 28-yarder as the snap sailed wide of holder Mike Brown, giving the Blue Hose possession of the football with 11:58 left to play.
In almost similar fashion, the Blue Hose had their next drive stall at the 11-yard line, but this time Presbyterian was able to knock down the 28-yard attempt, giving the home squad their first lead of the day, 31-28, with 7:04 left to play.
The three-point field goal by Cam Miller was Presbyterian's second field goal of the year and the first since Miller knocked down a 24-yarder against Fayetteville State on the second week of the year.
After trading a pair of three-and-out series, the Flames took possession of the football at the 11-yard line with 3:18 left in the contest. A mixture of Jennings running plays and 3-of-5 passing from Smith got the Flames to the Presbyterian 24-yard line.
However, Smith was sacked for an eight-yard loss, while his pass to Crawford in the end zone was battled away by Justin Bethel on a fourth-and-15 play, securing the upset victory in front of 6,193 fans for Presbyterian's Parents' Weekend.
For the sixth-straight game and the eighth time this year, the Flames rolled up 424 total offensive yards, as Liberty outgained Presbyterian 424 to 390 yards. However, 301 of the 390 yards by Presbyterian were through the air, leading to three of the team's four touchdowns.
Jennings was the game's leading rusher, gaining 188 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. The 188-yard game was the 20th 100-yard rushing performance of his career, tying the running back with Dre Barnes for the school's all-time mark for career 100-yard games.
Smith was responsible for the Flames other two touchdowns, completing 15-of-30 for 204 yards. Smith's counterpart Miley completed on 21-of-29 passing attempts for 301 yards and two scores.
Bolden was the game's leading receiver with 111 yards on four receptions and two touchdowns. The performance was the senior's third straight where he surpassed the 100-yard mark, making him the fourth receiver in school history to accomplish the feat.
Chris Rocco was the Flames' leading tackler, recording 10 stops to account for the second time in three games the junior has reached a double-digit tackle total.
Presbyterian had three defenders reach double figures, led by Anthony McKnight's 14 tackles, followed by 13 stops by Antawn Thomas.
The Flames will conclude their final regular-season road swing of the year next weekend in a clash between two Blue Ridge Mountain programs. Liberty will travel to Lexington, Va., as they return to Big South action against VMI. Kickoff at Foster Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m., on Saturday afternoon.
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