Chadwell Opens Time at Liberty With Historic Win

After opening up a four-score lead midway through the second quarter, Liberty had to fend off a determined Bowling Green team to secure a 34-24 win on Saturday afternoon at Williams Stadium.

The victory was first-year head coach Jamey Chadwell's first on the Mountain and his 100^th career victory as a head coach. Chadwell ends the day with a 100-57 career record that spans 13 seasons as a head coach.

The Flames opened their time as a member of Conference USA by playing today's game before 18,811 fans, marking the eighth-consecutive home game with 18,000-plus fans at Williams Stadium. Liberty will play its first CUSA game next weekend when they host New Mexico State (Saturday at 6 p.m.).

Liberty edged the visiting Falcons in total offense, 389 to 328 yards, aided by the Flames' 246 rushing yards. The Flames averaged 5.0 yards per carry with the 49 carries shared between four players.

Kaidon Salter got the nod at starting quarterback for the Flames for the game, completing 11-of-20 passing attempts for 143 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore, who started four games in 2022, also was Liberty's leading rusher (19 carries, 82 yards).

Wake Forest transfer running back Quinton Cooley finishes his first game as a Flame with 16 carries for 78 yards. True freshman Vaughn Blue followed with four carries for 50 yards, while Duquesne transfer running back Billy Lucas added eight carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.

Salter targeted nine different players today with Treon Sibley leading the Flames with three receptions for 56 yards. Coastal Carolina transfer wide receiver Aaron Bedgood followed with two receptions for 31 yards.

Liberty's defense made its presence known throughout the day, finishing the game with five interceptions that led to 13 points.

Liberty's five interceptions tied a Williams Stadium record set by UCF against Liberty in 1991 and tied by Liberty against West Virginia Tech Sept. 2, 1995.

Liberty's 1995 meeting with West Virginia Tech was also the last time before today that they Flames picked off five passes in a single game.

Tyren Dupree led the Flames' defensive unit with a career-high 10 tackles. Fellow linebacker Jerome Jolly, Jr., matched his career high with six stops, while adding his first two career interceptions.

The Flames' win today:

Marks Jamey Chadwell's first victory at Liberty and his 100th career win as a collegiate head coach. He becomes Liberty's first head coach to win his debut with the Flames since Aug. 31, 2006, when Liberty shut out St. Paul's 27-0 in Danny Rocco's first game.
Gives the Flames their first-ever victory over Bowling Green, evening the all-time head-to-head series with the Falcons at 1-1.
Enables the Flames to win their season opener for the fourth year in a row and the sixth time in the last seven seasons, improving their all-time mark in openers to 26-25.
Boosts the Flames' record in season openers played at Williams Stadium to 15-3.
Improves the Flames' all-time record against MAC opponents to 6-10, including 4-1 as an FBS member.
Enables the Flames to avoid their first three-game home losing streak since 2005.

Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 34-24
Liberty (1-0, 0-0 CUSA)
Bowling Green (0-1, 0-0 MAC)
Location: Williams Stadium (Lynchburg, Va.)
Attendance: 18,811
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter

The Flames took the opening kick of the season and marched downfield to give Liberty its first touchdown of the Chadwell era. Duquesne transfer running back Billy Lucas capped a nine-play, 71-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run at 10:34.

Second Quarter

Liberty doubled its advantage midway through the second quarter when Satler completed his first touchdown pass of 2023. The sophomore lofted the ball over a defender to find freshman running back Vaughn Blue in the back of the end zone with a 12-yard pass play, giving Liberty a 14-0 edge at 8:18.
Three plays later, Kobe Singleton picked off a Connor Bazelak pass over the middle, returning it 36 yards for a touchdown to extend the Flames lead to 21-0 at 6:51.
The two teams would combine to score 17 points during the final six-plus minute of the game with Liberty leading 24-14 at halftime. Bowling Green pulled within two scores following a blocked field goal that led to a 76-touchdown return with 20 seconds left in the second quarter.

Third Quarter

The Falcons took the opening drive of the second half to pull within a score, 24-17, on a 34-yard field goal by Alan Anaya at 11:36. The seven-play, 75-yard drive was kept alive by a pass interference penalty against Liberty on a third-and-12 play.
Liberty quickly answered the following drive, pushing the lead back to 14 points, 31-17, on a 17-yard scoring strike from Salter to Hanshaw at 8:35. Salter's legs kept the drive alive on a third-and-seven play where the sophomore scampered for 13 yards.
Bowling Green pulled back within a score, 31-24, on their next drive, an 11-play, 75-yard push. Camden Orth, the second quarterback to play on the day for the Falcons, finished the drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Odieu Hiliare at 4:04.

Fourth Quarter

Bowling Green continued to push during the fourth quarter, but Jolly picked off his second pass of the day near midfield with 4:16 left to play in the game to thrawt the visiting team's last effort to tie the game.
Liberty was able to give itself some needed cushion on the next drive when Teagan Lenderink knocked down a 36-yard field goal at 2:52 to push the score to its final margin.

What's Next:
The Flames will begin their quest to win their first-ever FBS conference title when they welcome fellow Conference USA newcomer New Mexico State to Williams Stadium, next Saturday. Liberty's last conference game was on Nov. 18, 2017 (2,115 days ago) when the Flames closed its time at the FCS level with a 20-19 Big South Conference loss at Charleston Southern in Charleston, S.C.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Williams Stadium)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. (EST)

Schedule

Chadwell Opens Time at Liberty With Historic Win

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Team Stats

Kaidon Salter

Players Mentioned

Aaron Bedgood

Vaughn Blue

Quinton Cooley

Tyren Dupree

Jerome Jolly, Jr.

Billy Lucas

Kaidon Salter

Treon Sibley

Kobe Singleton

Chadwell Opens Time at Liberty With Historic Win

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Team Stats

Game Leaders

Kaidon Salter

Players Mentioned

Aaron Bedgood

Vaughn Blue

Quinton Cooley

Tyren Dupree

Jerome Jolly, Jr.

Billy Lucas

Kaidon Salter

Treon Sibley

Kobe Singleton

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