Flames Pick Up Fifth Straight Over Bulldogs

A game-opening kickoff return for a touchdown set the tone early for the Flames, propelling No. 14/12 Liberty to a 40-14 Big South win over Gardner-Webb, Saturday afternoon, in front of 16,441 fans at Williams Stadium on Military Appreciation Day.

The win, Liberty's fifth in a row, ups the Flames' record to 7-2 on the season and 4-0 in Big South play. This is the fourth year in row Liberty has started its conference season 4-0.

The loss was Gardner-Webb's third straight and drops the Bulldogs to 3-6 on the year and 1-3 in Big South action.

The Flames jumped on the visitors quickly, scoring the first time they touched the football. Danny Broggin took the opening kickoff and returned it 85 yards for a score, marking the first time Liberty had returned a kickoff all the way since Aaron Hewlett scored on an 80-yard kickoff return against VMI on Nov. 7, 2009.

Gardner-Webb tied the game at 7-7 midway through the first quarter thanks to successful lengthy third-down passing plays. The first was a 36-yard strike from Chandler Browning to James Perry, III, on a third-and-four play from the Gardner-Webb 29-yard line.

Three plays later, Liberty seemingly had the Bulldogs trapped on a third-and-eight play from the Flames' 33-yard line, but Browning once again scrambled and found Jamal Patmon open in single coverage for a touchdown with 7:18 left to play in the first quarter.

The Flames were able to regain the lead six minutes later, following the first turnover of the day. Hudson Smith, moved from defensive end to starting running back due to injuries on the Bulldogs' roster, fumbled the ball away when he was struck by Doncel Bolt, marking the senior's second forced fumble of the season.

Liberty managed to get to the Gardner-Webb five-yard line, but Mike Brown's attempted pass to tight end Tommy Shaver in the end zone was broken up by Cedric McGowan. Liberty then had to settle for a 23-yard Matt Bevins field goal, staking the Flames to a 10-7 edge with 65 seconds left in the opening quarter.

The two teams traded possession back and forth until Bevins was called upon for his second field goal attempt of the game. His 39-yarder at 10:33 gave Liberty a 13-7 edge and capped off a six-play, 22-yard drive.

On the very next play, Gardner-Webb turned the ball over again, as Perry could not handle a short pass from Browning that was tipped and intercepted by Chris Mayo at the visitors' 40-yard line.

Following three short rushing gains, Brown found Chris Summers for his 13th receiving touchdown of the season. Summers, who ranks No. 1 nationally in receiving touchdowns, bested two defenders in the end zone on the 26-yard pass play, pushing Liberty's lead to 20-7 with 8:24 left before halftime.

After Gardner-Webb's fourth three-and-out series of the day, the Flames took over possession near midfield. But, for the third time during the opening 30 minutes of action Liberty's offense penetrated the red zone and could not get into the end zone. The nine-play, 44-yard drive ended on a 28-yard field goal by Bevins with 3:23 left in the second quarter.

The Flames' defense came up strong again on the next drive, as Broggin picked off his third pass of the season, giving Liberty the ball back five plays later with 76 seconds left to play in the half.

Brown managed to move the Flames quickly down the field in a two-minute offensive set, completing 5-of-6 passing attempts for 43 yards. On the final three plays of the 11-play, 49-yard drive, Brown kept the ball himself, including a two-yard burst over the right tackle to score with nine seconds left on the clock and give Liberty a 30-7 edge at the break.

The Flames nearly doubled up Gardner-Webb during the first half, finishing with 218 total offensive yards to Gardner-Webb's 118.

Brown produced most of Liberty's offense, rushing for 69 yards on 14 carries, while completing 15-of-23 passing attempts for 138 yards.

Smith and Browning carried the effort for Gardner-Webb during the opening 30 minutes. Smith rushed seven times for 32 yards. Browning was 5-of-19 for 91 yards, but was picked off two times, leading to 14 of Liberty's 30 first-half points.

The Flames were able to stop the Bulldogs on their first drive of the third quarter, while extending their margin the first time they touched the football.

Gardner-Webb elected to go for it on fourth-and-seven at their own 48-yard line, but a pass to Jules fell short.

Two 10-plus yard runs by SirChauncey Holloway (15 and 12 yards) gave Liberty first-and-goal from the 10-yard line. However, the Bulldogs once again kept Liberty from scoring a touchdown, forcing Liberty to settle for a 23-yard Bevins field goal with 8:55 left to play in the third quarter.

Both teams managed to find the end zone during the fourth quarter, starting with the visitors. Devin Johnson forced Holloway to fumble the ball away and the linebacker recovered it at Liberty six-yard line. Three plays later, John Rock kept the ball on the quarterback sneak and found the end zone on a one-yard run at 13:01.

The Flames tacked on the game's final points quickly on the ensuing drive. After a short gain by Pat Kelly on a six-yard slant over the middle of the field, Summers got free for his second score of the day, a 56-yard touchdown catch 50 seconds later to seal the win.

Liberty, who came into the game ranked No. 6 nationally by averaging 461.38 total offensive yards per game, had its third-lowest output of the season. The Flames finished the game with 396 total offensive yards, which ranks just ahead of the 395 yards against Ball State and 264 yards against James Madison.

Brown finished the game with 297 of Liberty's 396 total offensive yards, marking just the fourth time the junior has finished a game this year without crossing the 300-yard threshold. Brown came into the game ranked No. 1 nationally in total offense, averaging 334.25 yards per game.

Brown rushed 15 times for 77 yards and a touchdown, while completing 20-of-31 passes for 220 yards and two scoring passes.

Both scoring throws went to Summers, posted his fifth 100-yard game of the year by catching seven passes for 119 yards. The junior now has 14 touchdown receptions on the year with 954 receiving yards, which is already the fifth-highest single-season yardage total in program history.

The Flames held their third-straight opponent under 300 yards and fifth of the year, as Gardner-Webb finished the game with 252 total offensive yards.

The Bulldogs used six different players to rush for 93 yards, led by Smith's seven carries for 32 yards.

Browning finished the day 12-of-31 for 135 yards and one touchdown, while Rock was 2-of-8 for 24 yards.

Perry and Josh Miller led the Bulldogs with three receptions each, finishing with 47 and 34 yards, respectively.

Bevins, who has now knocked down eight field goal attempts in a row and 10 of his last 11 tries, tied a career high with 16 points scored on the day. He also tied his own program record with four field goals during the afternoon tilt.

Kyle O'Donnell posted his second double-figure tackle game of the season to lead the Flames, finishing the contest with 10 stops. Cory Freeman and Asa Chapman followed with six stops each for the Flames.

Gardner-Webb's defense was paced by Gianni Olivas and Johnson, who both recorded eight tackles, followed by seven stops from Brian Wittenberger and Preston Pemasa.

The Flames will hit the road for their final regular-season contest away from Williams Stadium, when they travel to Conway, S.C., to face Coastal Carolina next Saturday.

The contest will be televised on ESPN3, marking the third time that a Liberty football game has been broadcast on the national television network. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m., at Brooks Stadium.

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Flames Pick Up Fifth Straight Over Bulldogs

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Team Stats

Mike Brown

Tyler Brennan