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Tuesday, October 14
Lynchburg, Va.
7:00 PM ET
Liberty University
3-4 , 2-1
30
vs
27
New Mexico State
3-3 , 1-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
New Mexico St.
0
6
14
7
27
Liberty
3
17
0
10
30
Late Score Gives Liberty #WeekdayCUSA Win over New Mexico State
10/15/2025 12:24:00 AM | Football
LYNCHBURG, Va. – After its offense struggled for most of the second half, Liberty pieced together a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter to rally for a 30-27 #WeekdayCUSA win over New Mexico State, Tuesday night, at Williams Stadium.
After the Aggies scored on their first three drives of the second half and had all the momentum, a muffed punt return allowed Liberty to stop the run and get three points on the board thanks to kicker Jay Billingsley's third field goal of the game.
With 3:46 left on the clock, the Flames took over at their own eight-yard line to start the game-winning drive. Quarterback Ethan Vasko completed all seven of his passing attempts on the 13-play, 92-yard drive, setting up an eight-yard rushing touchdown by Evan Dickens with 36 seconds left to put the Flames up by three.
New Mexico State tried to mount one last scoring effort and got into field goal range following a 32-yard pass play from Logan Fife to Gavin Harris. However, Ryan Hawk's 47-yard field goal attempt as time expired missed, allowing Liberty to secure the victory.
With its second win in a row, Liberty ups its record to 3-4 and moves to 2-1 in Conference USA action. New Mexico State now stands a 3-3 on the year and 1-2 in league play.
The Aggies won nearly every stat category in the game outside of points scored. New Mexico State finished with a 388 to 293 total offensive yard edge, held a 33:53 to 26:07 time of possession edge and converted on 10-of-17 third-down plays.
Liberty also allowed New Mexico State to rush for 146 yards, despite the Aggies ranking No. 134 in the country coming into the game in rushing offense (50.6 yards per game).
However, the Flames used another strong kicking game from Billingsley, a kickoff return for a touchdown by Julian Gray and forced two muffed punt returns to turn the tide.
Vasko completed 20-of-30 passing attempts for 179 yards, while throwing two interceptions and losing another ball on a sack.
Dickens, who scored the game-winner with 36 seconds left, led Liberty's rushing attack with 13 carries for 50 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Donte Lee, Jr. caught five of his team-high six passes on the game winning drive and led the Flames with 55 receiving yards.
Damond Harmon and Joseph Carter paced Liberty's defensive effort with 10 tackles each, giving Carter three-straight double-digit tackle games.
The Flames' win today:
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 30-27 (Liberty)
Liberty (3-4, 2-1 CUSA)
New Mexico State (3-3, 1-2 CUSA)
Location: Williams Stadium (Lynchburg, Va.)
Attendance: 16,312
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
What's Next:
The Flames will kick off a busy month of November to close out the 2025 regular season when Liberty returns the gridiron on Saturday, Nov. 1 to square off against CSUA newcomer Delaware. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. from Williams Stadium.
The game will culminate Liberty's Homecoming and Hall of Fame Weekend. The Flames have posted a 34-16 overall record during Homecoming Weekend and have won six Homecoming games in a row by an average margin of victory of 15.8 points per game.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Williams Stadium)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. (ET)
After the Aggies scored on their first three drives of the second half and had all the momentum, a muffed punt return allowed Liberty to stop the run and get three points on the board thanks to kicker Jay Billingsley's third field goal of the game.
With 3:46 left on the clock, the Flames took over at their own eight-yard line to start the game-winning drive. Quarterback Ethan Vasko completed all seven of his passing attempts on the 13-play, 92-yard drive, setting up an eight-yard rushing touchdown by Evan Dickens with 36 seconds left to put the Flames up by three.
New Mexico State tried to mount one last scoring effort and got into field goal range following a 32-yard pass play from Logan Fife to Gavin Harris. However, Ryan Hawk's 47-yard field goal attempt as time expired missed, allowing Liberty to secure the victory.
With its second win in a row, Liberty ups its record to 3-4 and moves to 2-1 in Conference USA action. New Mexico State now stands a 3-3 on the year and 1-2 in league play.
The Aggies won nearly every stat category in the game outside of points scored. New Mexico State finished with a 388 to 293 total offensive yard edge, held a 33:53 to 26:07 time of possession edge and converted on 10-of-17 third-down plays.
Liberty also allowed New Mexico State to rush for 146 yards, despite the Aggies ranking No. 134 in the country coming into the game in rushing offense (50.6 yards per game).
However, the Flames used another strong kicking game from Billingsley, a kickoff return for a touchdown by Julian Gray and forced two muffed punt returns to turn the tide.
Vasko completed 20-of-30 passing attempts for 179 yards, while throwing two interceptions and losing another ball on a sack.
Dickens, who scored the game-winner with 36 seconds left, led Liberty's rushing attack with 13 carries for 50 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Donte Lee, Jr. caught five of his team-high six passes on the game winning drive and led the Flames with 55 receiving yards.
Damond Harmon and Joseph Carter paced Liberty's defensive effort with 10 tackles each, giving Carter three-straight double-digit tackle games.
The Flames' win today:
- Marks the Flames' fourth straight win over New Mexico State, improving their all-time record against the Aggies to 7-2. New Mexico State would become the first FBS opponent (at time of meeting) Liberty has ever defeated seven times.
- Improves the team's all-time record against CUSA opponents (at time of meeting) to 25-5, including 16-4 since the Flames joined the conference in 2023.
- Boosts the Flames' home record at Williams Stadium to 2-1 this season, 15-2 under Jamey Chadwell and 39-8 since joining FBS.
- Moves the Flames' October record under Jamey Chadwell to 7-2 and give Liberty an 19-3 record in October contests since the 2020 campaign.
- Improves the Flames' record in October midweek CUSA tilts to 7-2, including 5-0 in Tuesday contests.
- Evens the Flames' all-time record on Oct. 14 at 3-3 with the team's first win on this date in 30 years. Liberty's last win on this date was a 7-6 triumph over QB Daunte Culpepper and UCF in Orlando on Oct. 14, 1995.
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 30-27 (Liberty)
Liberty (3-4, 2-1 CUSA)
New Mexico State (3-3, 1-2 CUSA)
Location: Williams Stadium (Lynchburg, Va.)
Attendance: 16,312
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
- The Flames took the game's first lead late in the first quarter thanks to a 28-yard field goal by Jay Billingsley at the 2:17 mark.
- Following a three-and-out stop, Liberty got inside the red zone, but the Flames could not convert on a third-and-11 play, forcing the home team to settle for a field goal.
- The Aggies matched the Flames on the following drive and tied the game on a 27-yard field goal by Ryan Hawk at the 10:04 mark. New Mexico State looked like it might get into the end zone, but a holding penalty negated a near scoring opportunity where the visitors had to settle for a field goal attempt.
- The tie score was short-lived as Julian Gray returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to give Liberty a 10-3 lead at 9:49. The return was Liberty's first for a touchdown since a 97-yard return by Shedro Louis against Virginia Tech on November 19, 2022.
- Special teams continued to factor in Liberty's scoring opportunities when the Flames forced a fumble on an Aggie punt return at the 21-yard line. Three plays later, Liberty's Evan Dickens scored on an eight-yard carry up the middle to extend the Flames' lead to 17-3 at the 5:08 mark.
- The two teams traded field goals during the final 67 seconds of the half, giving Liberty a 20-6 edge at the break. Hawk knocked down a 24-yarder at 1:07, while Billingsley connected on a 43-yarder with 11 ticks left on the clock.
- The Flames turned the ball over on their first possession of the second half, allowing New Mexico State to pull within a touchdown at 8:43. Vasko was sacked and the visitors recovered a loose ball at the Liberty 36-yard line. Nine plays later, Kadarius Calloway scored on a two-yard touchdown to trim the Flames' lead to 20-13.
- The second time the Aggies touched the ball in the third quarter, the visitors tied the game on an 11-play, 60-yard drive. On a third-and-15 play, Logan Fife hit Donovan Faupel with a 20-yard scoring strike in the end zone at 1:28 to knot the game, 20-20.
- A second Aggie interception of a Vasko pass on the night set New Mexico State up for its third-straight scoring drive. And much like the previous drive, the Aggies converted on a third-and-long play (3-and-9) with Fife connecting with Brodie Malone-Bradford on a 20-yard pass play in the corner of the end zone, giving the visitors a 27-20 lead at 12:55.
- Another special teams play allowed Liberty to cut into New Mexico State's lead. The Aggies muffed a second punt and the loose ball was scooped up by Dexter Ricks, Jr. at New Mexico State 14-yard line.
- Liberty was unable to find the end zone on the red zone scoring opportunity. This forced the home team to settle for a 29-yard field goal by Billingsley with 8:21 left to play with the visitors clinging to a 27-23 lead and setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
What's Next:
The Flames will kick off a busy month of November to close out the 2025 regular season when Liberty returns the gridiron on Saturday, Nov. 1 to square off against CSUA newcomer Delaware. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. from Williams Stadium.
The game will culminate Liberty's Homecoming and Hall of Fame Weekend. The Flames have posted a 34-16 overall record during Homecoming Weekend and have won six Homecoming games in a row by an average margin of victory of 15.8 points per game.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Williams Stadium)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. (ET)
Team Stats
NMS
LU
Total Yards
388
293
Pass Yards
242
179
Rushing Yards
146
114
Penalty Yards
58
62
1st Downs
23
19
3rd Downs
10
3
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
33:53
26:07
1st Quarter
NMS 0, LU 3
LU - Billingsley,Jay 28 yd field goal 8 plays, 54 yards, TOP 04:14
2nd Quarter
NMS 3, LU 3
NMS - Hawk,Ryan 27 yd field goal 13 plays, 67 yards, TOP 07:07
NMS 3, LU 10
LU - Gray,Julian 96 yd kickoff return (Billingsley,Jay kick)
NMS 3, LU 17
LU - Dickens,Evan 8 yd run (Billingsley,Jay kick), 3 plays, 21 yards, TOP 00:51
NMS 6, LU 17
NMS - Hawk,Ryan 24 yd field goal 10 plays, 68 yards, TOP 04:01
NMS 6, LU 20
LU - Billingsley,Jay 43 yd field goal 7 plays, 33 yards, TOP 00:56
3rd Quarter
NMS 13, LU 20
NMS - Calloway,Kadarius 2 yd run (Hawk,Ryan kick), 9 plays, 36 yards, TOP 04:07
NMS 20, LU 20
NMS - Faupel,Donovan 20 yd pass from Fife,Logan (Hawk,Ryan kick) 11 plays, 60 yards, TOP 04:33
4th Quarter
NMS 27, LU 20
NMS - Malone-Bradford,Brodie 20 yd pass from Fife,Logan (Hawk,Ryan kick) 6 plays, 40 yards, TOP 02:32
NMS 27, LU 23
LU - Billingsley,Jay 29 yd field goal 4 plays, 3 yards, TOP 00:51
NMS 27, LU 30
LU - Dickens,Evan 8 yd run (Billingsley,Jay kick), 13 plays, 92 yards, TOP 03:10
Game Leaders
CMP
20
TD
0
YDS
179
INT
2
Players Mentioned
K
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LB
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RB
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RB
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CB
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WR
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CB
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