Flames Down Panthers in Tuesday Night Overtime Thriller

LYNCHBURG, Va. - The only college football game in the country on Tuesday night turned out to be an overtime thriller with Liberty securing a 31-24 Conference USA victory over FIU.

After the Panthers scored two touchdowns during the final seven minutes of regulation, Liberty's stout rushing attack and a key defensive stop by Christian Bodnar allowed the Flames to push the nation's longest regular season winning streak to 17 games.

Liberty came into the game ranked No. 18 in the country in rushing offense (216.5 yards per game). The Flames finished the game with a season-high 281 rushing yards on 50 carries and scored all four of their touchdowns on the ground.

The Flames were led by Quinton Cooley, who carried the ball a career-high 29 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns. The senior has surpassed the 100-yard mark in four of Liberty's five games in 2024 and has tallied 11 career 100-yard games during two season on the Mountain.

Quarterback Kaidon Salter completed 9-of-16 passing attempts for 125 yards. He also rushed the ball 12 times for 60 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime.

Liberty's two leading tacklers finished the night with career highs. Christian Bodnar had seven stops. He also sacked FIU quarterback Keyone Jenkins on the game's final play, forcing a fumble which Liberty recovered to seal the victory.

Additionally, linebacker Jahmar Brown matched Bodnar with seven stops, including 3.0 tackles for a loss (10 yards).
The Flames' win today:

Extends the Flames' program-record regular-season winning streak to 17, the longest active streak in FBS football.
Gives the Flames their second-longest home winning streak (12 games) in program history, trailing only the 15-game streak which spanned Sept. 14, 2019-Oct. 30, 2021.
Enables the Flames to start 5-0 for the second year in a row and the third time in the last five seasons.
Keeps the Flames undefeated against FIU all-time at 3-0.
Pushes the Flames' all-time record in CUSA games to 11-0.
Enables the Flames to join Southern Miss (1996-97) as the only CUSA newcomers to start each of their first two conference seasons at 3-0.
Improves the Flames' record to 21-1 all-time when facing CUSA opponents (at time of meeting) with their 20th consecutive win in such contests.
Represents the Flames' 11th straight victory in October and their 17th triumph in the last 18 October tilts, dating back to 2020.

Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 31-24 (OT)
Liberty (5-0, 3-0 CUSA)
FIU (2-4, 1-1 CUSA)
Location: Williams Stadium (Lynchburg, Va.)
Attendance: 16,343
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter

The Flames were the first team to get on the scoreboard when Colin Karhu knocked down a 28-yard field goal at 8:34. Liberty's seven-play, 66-yard scoring drive was keyed by a 44-yard pass from Kaidon Salter to Reese Smith to get the Flames into the red zone.
The visitors answered on the following drive, knotting the score at 4:16, 3-3, on a 31-yard field goal by Alejandro Prado. The Panthers got into the red zone thanks to a 12-yard pass play from Keyone Jenkins to Eric Rivers on a third-and-10 play.

Second Quarter

The Panthers were the first team to find the end zone on the night, recovering a fumble in the end zone on the first play of the quarter. FIU's Lexington Joseph carried the ball toward the end zone where the ball was stripped by recovered by the Panthers' Dean Patterson in the end zone to give FIU a 10-3 lead 10 seconds into the quarter.
The Flames answered on the next drive, going to their ground game to tie the contest, 10-10, at 8:15. Liberty kept the ball on the ground 10 times during the 11-play, 59-yard drive, capped by a four-yard touchdown run by Quinton Cooley.
The Flames regained the lead on one of the last plays of the half as Salter called his own number and found a hole up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown run. The quarterback's first rushing touchdown of 2024 allowed the Flames to take a 17-10 lead into the break.

Third Quarter

Liberty was the only team to threaten to score during the third quarter, a 15-minute period that saw the teams combined for just 151 total offensive yards.
On the Flames' first drive of the quarter, Liberty got to the one-yard line, but Cooley fumbled the ball at the goal line to the keep the score a 17-10 head into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter

The Flames pushed their lead to double digits early in the fourth quarter when Cooley scored from nine yards out at 10:48. The eight-play, 82-yard drive pushed Liberty's lead to 24-10.
FIU tried to stay in the game and answered on its next drive, a nine-play, 66-yard effort that ended with a three-yard rushing touchdown by Kejon Owens at 6:26 to pull the Panthers back within seven points, 24-17.
Following a three-and-out stop by FIU, the Panthers quickly marched down the field on nine-play over 61 yards to tie the game on a Jenkins rushing touchdown with 1:42 left to play in regulation.

Overtime

Liberty went back to its ground game in the overtime period to secure the victory. Cooley carried the ball three-straight times, setting up Salter's game-winning nine-yard scamper to the right side of the field.
After two rushing plays by Kejon Owens left the Panthers with a third-and-three situation, Jenkins looked to pass the ball. However, Bodnar quickly got behind the line of scrimmage to force the fumble on the sack and seal the conference victory.

What's Next:
Following the Flames second lengthy time off of the 2024 season, Liberty continues Conference USA midweek action in two weeks when they visit Kennesaw State on Oct. 23.

The game at Fifth Third Stadium will be the fourth in the series between the two programs, but the first since 2017 when Liberty and Kennesaw State were both members of the Big South Conference.

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. (Fifth Third Stadium)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. (EST)

Schedule

Flames Down Panthers in Tuesday Night Overtime Thriller

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Team Stats

Kaidon Salter

Players Mentioned

Christian Bodnar

Jahmar Brown

Quinton Cooley

Colin Karhu

Kaidon Salter

Reese Smith

Flames Down Panthers in Tuesday Night Overtime Thriller

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Team Stats

Game Leaders

Kaidon Salter

Players Mentioned

Christian Bodnar

Jahmar Brown

Quinton Cooley

Colin Karhu

Kaidon Salter

Reese Smith

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