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Saturday, September 13
Bowling Green, Ohio
5:00 PM ET
Liberty University
1-2 , 0-1
13
at
23
Bowling Green
2-1 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Liberty
0
0
7
6
13
Bowling Green
3
7
3
10
23
Flames Fall to Bowling Green on the Road
9/13/2025 10:02:00 PM | Football
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – A season-high total of penalties and turnovers by Liberty allowed Bowling Green to secure a 23-13 victory over the Flames, Saturday evening.
Liberty committed four turnovers in the game, including two fumbles and two interceptions, which led to 10 points for the Falcons. The Flames also committed six penalties, including two which nullified touchdown plays.
With the loss, Liberty falls to 1-2 on the season and drops below .500 for the first time since the 2019 season. The Homecoming victory lifts Bowling Green's record to 2-1 early in 2025 and keeps the home team as the victor in all three games in the series history.
Both teams nearly matched each other in terms of total yardage in the game. Liberty finished with a 332 to 304 overall edge in total yardage over Bowling Green.
The Falcons led the ground game battle (158 to 138), while the Flames finished with 48 more passing yards (194 to 146).
Liberty's starting quarterback Ethan Vasko finished the game completing 13-of-24 passing attempts for 194 yards and a touchdown. The Coastal Carolina transfer did account for two of Liberty's four turnovers with a pair of interceptions.
Evan Dickens paced Liberty's ground attack, rushing 14 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. The Georgia Tech transfer also had a 54-yard touchdown run called back due to a penalty.
Vasko's top option in the passing game was Reese Smith, who finished the game with eight targets, four receptions and 60 receiving yards.
Donte Lee, Jr., hauled in his team-leading third touchdown reception of the season on a 44-yard reception. He finished the night with three catches for a team-high 77 yards.
Cornerback Dexter Ricks, Jr., got his first start of the season and led Liberty's defensive efforts with a career-high nine tackles.
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 23-13 (Bowling Green)
Liberty (1-2, 0-1 CUSA)
Bowling Green (2-1, 0-0 MAC)
Location: Doyt L. Perry Stadium (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Attendance: 23,159
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
What's Next:
After not meeting on the gridiron for more than a decade, Liberty and James Madison will kick off a renewed rivalry with the first game of the Battle of the Blue Ridge, next Saturday, at Williams Stadium. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU at 3:30 p.m.
Next week's game will start a series where the two in-state foes will square off 10 times over the next 16 seasons. JMU leads the overall series, 12-6. However, the Flames won the last meeting in 2014 when Liberty upset the 15th-ranked Dukes, 26-21, in the first round of the FCS Playoffs in Harrisonburg, Va.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Williams Stadium)
TV: ESPNU
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. (EST)
Liberty committed four turnovers in the game, including two fumbles and two interceptions, which led to 10 points for the Falcons. The Flames also committed six penalties, including two which nullified touchdown plays.
With the loss, Liberty falls to 1-2 on the season and drops below .500 for the first time since the 2019 season. The Homecoming victory lifts Bowling Green's record to 2-1 early in 2025 and keeps the home team as the victor in all three games in the series history.
Both teams nearly matched each other in terms of total yardage in the game. Liberty finished with a 332 to 304 overall edge in total yardage over Bowling Green.
The Falcons led the ground game battle (158 to 138), while the Flames finished with 48 more passing yards (194 to 146).
Liberty's starting quarterback Ethan Vasko finished the game completing 13-of-24 passing attempts for 194 yards and a touchdown. The Coastal Carolina transfer did account for two of Liberty's four turnovers with a pair of interceptions.
Evan Dickens paced Liberty's ground attack, rushing 14 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. The Georgia Tech transfer also had a 54-yard touchdown run called back due to a penalty.
Vasko's top option in the passing game was Reese Smith, who finished the game with eight targets, four receptions and 60 receiving yards.
Donte Lee, Jr., hauled in his team-leading third touchdown reception of the season on a 44-yard reception. He finished the night with three catches for a team-high 77 yards.
Cornerback Dexter Ricks, Jr., got his first start of the season and led Liberty's defensive efforts with a career-high nine tackles.
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 23-13 (Bowling Green)
Liberty (1-2, 0-1 CUSA)
Bowling Green (2-1, 0-0 MAC)
Location: Doyt L. Perry Stadium (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Attendance: 23,159
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
- On the third offensive play of the game, Liberty's Reese Smith fumbled the ball after a completed reception from Vasko. The Flames defense was able to keep the Falcons out of the end zone, forcing them to settle goal attempt.
- The game's first turnover allowed the home team to jump out to a 3-0 lead at the 8:45 mark of the first quarter on a 48-yard field goal from Jackson Kleather.
- The Flames looked like they were going to take a 7-3 lead on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Vasko to Elijah Canion. However, the Flames were flagged for a holding penalty and Liberty's Brayden Beck missed a 38-yard field goal try to keep the score at 3-0.
- The Flames had a second chance to take their first lead of the game midway through the second quarter. Evan Dickens took a handoff from Vasko and darted down the far sideline for a 54-yard touchdown.
- However, the run was called back due to another holding penalty and Liberty would turn the ball over twice during the last two minutes of the half.
- The second turnover gave the Falcons field position that allowed them to take a 10-0 lead into the intermission. Bowling Green quarterback Drew Pyne found Jacob Harris in the corner of the end zone on a 12-yard touchdown play.
- The Flames put points on the scoreboard for the first time in the game on their first drive of the third quarter. Following a fourth-down stop on defense, Liberty marched down the field to set up a 44-yard touchdown pass from Vasko to Donte Lee at the 7:17 mark.
- The Falcons drove deep into Flames territory on the following drive, getting to Liberty's eight-yard line. But Liberty came up with another defensive stop, forcing the Falcons to settle for a Kleather 26-yard field goal at 1:25 to push the home team's lead to 13-7.
- Kleather was called back on the field for the fifth play of the fourth quarter. He connected on a 50-yard field goal at 13:43 to give the home team a two-score lead, 16-7. The kick was the second of the season of 50 or more yards for Kleather.
- The Flames turned the ball over on downs on their side of the field following a fumble on a fourth-down play. Bowling Green would then put the game out of reach on a seven-yard touchdown run at 11:48, taking a 23-7 lead.
- Liberty pulled back with 10, 23-13, on a 12-yard rushing touchdown by Evan Dickens at the 2:46 mark. However, the Flames could not convert on the two-point attempt or recover the following on-side kick attempt.
What's Next:
After not meeting on the gridiron for more than a decade, Liberty and James Madison will kick off a renewed rivalry with the first game of the Battle of the Blue Ridge, next Saturday, at Williams Stadium. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU at 3:30 p.m.
Next week's game will start a series where the two in-state foes will square off 10 times over the next 16 seasons. JMU leads the overall series, 12-6. However, the Flames won the last meeting in 2014 when Liberty upset the 15th-ranked Dukes, 26-21, in the first round of the FCS Playoffs in Harrisonburg, Va.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Williams Stadium)
TV: ESPNU
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. (EST)
Team Stats
LU
BG
Total Yards
346
304
Pass Yards
194
146
Rushing Yards
152
158
Penalty Yards
48
106
1st Downs
17
17
3rd Downs
5
6
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
28:51
31:09
1st Quarter
LU 0, BG 3
BG - Kleather,Jackson 48 yd field goal 10 plays, 29 yards, TOP 04:52
2nd Quarter
LU 0, BG 10
BG - Harris,Jacob 12 yd pass from Pyne,Drew (Kleather,Jackson kick) 5 plays, 23 yards, TOP 00:21
3rd Quarter
LU 7, BG 10
LU - Lee Jr.,Donte 44 yd pass from Vasko,Ethan (Beck,Brayden kick) 8 plays, 78 yards, TOP 04:17
LU 7, BG 13
BG - Kleather,Jackson 26 yd field goal 13 plays, 67 yards, TOP 05:44
4th Quarter
LU 7, BG 16
BG - Kleather,Jackson 50 yd field goal 5 plays, 19 yards, TOP 01:11
LU 7, BG 23
BG - McMillian,Chris 7 yd run (Kleather,Jackson kick), 2 plays, 26 yards, TOP 00:29
LU 13, BG 23
LU - Dickens,Evan 12 yd run (), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:16
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
13
TD
1
YDS
194
INT
2
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
0
Players Mentioned
K
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
CB
/ Football
WR
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