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Saturday, November 9
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
1:00 PM ET/12:00 PM CT
Liberty University
6-2 , 4-2
37
at
17
Middle Tennessee
3-7 , 2-4
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Liberty
7
20
3
7
37
Middle Tenn.
7
0
0
10
17
Flames Run Their Way to Bowl Eligible Road Win Over MTSU
11/9/2024 5:27:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Liberty rushed for a season-high 339 yards on its way to a 37-17 road win over Middle Tennessee, Saturday afternoon, at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium.
With the win, Liberty snapped a two-game losing streak and becomes bowl eligible for the sixth year in a row. The Flames moved to 6-2 on the year and 4-2 in Conference USA action. Liberty has reached bowl eligibility each year since it could become bowl eligible in 2019.
Liberty's offense, who came into the day ranked No. 9 in the country in rushing (228.6 yards per game), ran the ball 51 times and averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Today marked the fifth time Liberty has rushed for 200 or more yards in 2024.
Quinton Cooley paced Liberty's rushing attack, carrying the ball 24 times for 136 yards and his team-leading eighth rushing touchdown. Cooley finished the day with his 13th career 100-yard game and his sixth of the season.
Kaidon Salter finished the day completing 11-of-15 passing attempts for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 94 yards and a score.
Julian Gray, a transfer from NC State, had his first breakout game as a Flame after missing several games earlier this year due to an injury. He carried the ball three times for 57 yards, including a 41-yard rushing touchdown, while also catching a 34-yard touchdown pass.
Jerome Jolly, Jr., led Liberty's defensive attack, which held Middle Tennessee to 88 rushing yards and 263 passing yards (351 total offensive yards). The linebacker had seven stops on the day, while adding a nine-yard sack and a forced fumble.
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 37-17
Liberty (6-2, 4-2 CUSA)
Middle Tennessee (3-7, 2-4 CUSA)
Location: Floyd Stadium (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Attendance: 13,500
The Flames' win today:
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
The Flames complete a two-game road swing when they travel to Amherst, Mass., to face former fellow FBS independent foe UMass, next Saturday, at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
The two teams have faced each other each year since Liberty moved up to the FBS level (2018), but will soon not face each other as often since both have found FBS conferences affiliation. Liberty joined Conference USA in 2023 and UMass is set to begin play in the Mid-American Conference in 2025.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024
Location: Amherst, Mass. (McGuirk Alumni Stadium)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 12 p.m. (EST)
With the win, Liberty snapped a two-game losing streak and becomes bowl eligible for the sixth year in a row. The Flames moved to 6-2 on the year and 4-2 in Conference USA action. Liberty has reached bowl eligibility each year since it could become bowl eligible in 2019.
Liberty's offense, who came into the day ranked No. 9 in the country in rushing (228.6 yards per game), ran the ball 51 times and averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Today marked the fifth time Liberty has rushed for 200 or more yards in 2024.
Quinton Cooley paced Liberty's rushing attack, carrying the ball 24 times for 136 yards and his team-leading eighth rushing touchdown. Cooley finished the day with his 13th career 100-yard game and his sixth of the season.
Kaidon Salter finished the day completing 11-of-15 passing attempts for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 94 yards and a score.
Julian Gray, a transfer from NC State, had his first breakout game as a Flame after missing several games earlier this year due to an injury. He carried the ball three times for 57 yards, including a 41-yard rushing touchdown, while also catching a 34-yard touchdown pass.
Jerome Jolly, Jr., led Liberty's defensive attack, which held Middle Tennessee to 88 rushing yards and 263 passing yards (351 total offensive yards). The linebacker had seven stops on the day, while adding a nine-yard sack and a forced fumble.
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 37-17
Liberty (6-2, 4-2 CUSA)
Middle Tennessee (3-7, 2-4 CUSA)
Location: Floyd Stadium (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Attendance: 13,500
The Flames' win today:
- Makes the Flames bowl eligible for the sixth consecutive season.
- Secures the Flames' 19th straight season of six wins or more, a streak which began in 2006.
- Marks the Flames' first-ever victory at Middle Tennessee's Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium (in two tries).
- Improves the Flames' record to 22-3 all-time when facing CUSA opponents (at time of meeting).
- Boosts the Flames' November record under Jamey Chadwell to 5-0.
- Keeps the Flames unbeaten (13-0) in Saturday contests under Jamey Chadwell.
- Enables the Flames to avoid losing three straight conference games within a single season for the first time since 2005, when Liberty went 0-4 in Big South play.
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
- The game's first turnover led to the home team jumping out to a 7-0 lead at the 9:16 mark. A Kaidon Salter pitch to Julian Gray was mishandled, and the Blue Raiders recovered near midfield. Three plays later, Nick Vattiato found Hayes Sutton open in the end zone on a six-yard touchdown play.
- The Flames answered right back, keeping the ball on the ground six times a the seven-play, 93-yard drive. Salter called his own number on a short third-and-two play and found a hole that led to a 41-yard rushing touchdown at 5:53 to tie the game, 7-7.
- The Flames took their first lead of the game by eating up over six minutes of the clock with a 14-play, 85-yard scoring drive. Liberty continued to go to its ground game nine times, including a four-yard score up the middle by Quinton Cooley at 9:00 to give the visitors a 14-7 edge.
- Liberty would score twice more before the end of the half, continuing with its strong ground game and benefiting from its first turnover. Gray scored on a 41-yard rushing touchdown at 3:16, finishing a seven-play, 96-yard drive.
- The Flames' defense would make their presence known when they sacked Vattiato and Ethan Crisp scooped up the loose ball. Five plays later, Salter found Jacob Jenkins in the back of the end zone for a four-yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds left, giving Liberty a 27-7 halftime lead.
- The Flames were the only team to find the scoreboard during the third quarter and nearly scored its fifth touchdown of the day. However, Salter's pass in the end zone to Tyson Mobley was broken up, forcing Liberty to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Colin Karhu at 1:49, to push Liberty's lead to 30-7.
- MTSU scored twice during the fourth quarter, trying to stay in the game. The Blue Raiders got a 17-yard touchdown reception from Terry Wilkins at 12:53 and a 48-yard field goal by Zeke Rankin at 4:47.
- However, Gray capped his first standout game as a Flames with a 34-yard touchdown reception from Salter at 9:42 to give Liberty a 37-14 lead and to seal the road victory.
The Flames complete a two-game road swing when they travel to Amherst, Mass., to face former fellow FBS independent foe UMass, next Saturday, at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
The two teams have faced each other each year since Liberty moved up to the FBS level (2018), but will soon not face each other as often since both have found FBS conferences affiliation. Liberty joined Conference USA in 2023 and UMass is set to begin play in the Mid-American Conference in 2025.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024
Location: Amherst, Mass. (McGuirk Alumni Stadium)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 12 p.m. (EST)
Team Stats
LIB
MTS
Total Yards
500
351
Pass Yards
161
263
Rushing Yards
339
88
Penalty Yards
33
94
1st Downs
30
18
3rd Downs
5
6
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
30:23
29:37
1st Quarter
LIB 0, MTS 7
MTS - Sutton,Hayes 6 yd pass from Vattiato,Nicholas (Rankin,Zeke kick) 4 plays, 42 yards, TOP 00:56
LIB 7, MTS 7
LIB - Salter,Kaidon 41 yd run (Karhu,Colin kick), 7 plays, 93 yards, TOP 03:14
2nd Quarter
LIB 14, MTS 7
LIB - Cooley,Quinton 4 yd run (Karhu,Colin kick), 14 plays, 85 yards, TOP 06:07
LIB 20, MTS 7
LIB - Gray,Julian 41 yd run (), 7 plays, 96 yards, TOP 03:31
LIB 27, MTS 7
LIB - Jenkins,Jacob 4 yd pass from Salter,Kaidon (Karhu,Colin kick) 5 plays, 23 yards, TOP 01:18
3rd Quarter
LIB 30, MTS 7
LIB - Karhu,Colin 35 yd field goal 8 plays, 79 yards, TOP 03:16
4th Quarter
LIB 30, MTS 14
MTS - Wilkins,Terry 17 yd pass from Vattiato,Nicholas (Rankin,Zeke kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:56
LIB 37, MTS 14
LIB - Gray,Julian 34 yd pass from Salter,Kaidon (Karhu,Colin kick) 6 plays, 79 yards, TOP 03:05
LIB 37, MTS 17
MTS - Rankin,Zeke 48 yd field goal 10 plays, 44 yards, TOP 04:55
Game Leaders
CMP
11
TD
2
YDS
154
INT
0
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
7
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
TE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
WR
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