Game Day: James Madison

Liberty (1-2, 0-1 CUSA) will host James Madison (1-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) on Saturday in the Battle of the Blue Ridge, the first of 10 matchups between the Commonwealth foes over the next 16 seasons.

Broadcast Information:
TV: ESPNU

Broadcast team: Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst)

Radio: LFSN Radio (Local: 88.3 FM | Liberty Flames Mobile App | LibertyFlames.com)

Broadcast team: Alan York (play-by-play), Jason Porter (analyst) and Nick Pierce (sidelines)

Game Day Information:
Location: Lynchburg, Va.
Stadium: Williams Stadium
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET

News and Notes:

The Flames are 6-12 all-time against the Dukes in a series which dates back to 1980. Liberty's last meeting with JMU resulted in the Flames' first-ever FCS Playoffs victory, a 26-21 win in Harrisonburg on Nov. 29, 2014.
Liberty is 10-3 all-time against Sun Belt Conference opponents, winning each of its last three Sun Belt meetings.
Jamey Chadwell is 22-7 in his third year at Liberty and owns a 53-13 coaching record dating back to the start of 2020. The Flames are 14-1 at Williams Stadium under Chadwell.
QB Ethan Vasko ranks No. 2 in CUSA for passing efficiency (146.26) after completing 59.3 percent of his passes and throwing for six TDs during his first three games as a Flame. Vasko started games at QB for Coastal Carolina against JMU each of the past two years.
RB Evan Dickens paces the Flames with 244 rushing yards this season and has scored a TD during each of the first three games (two rushing, one receiving).
Liberty's leader in receiving yards (187) and yards per catch (23.4), WR Donte Lee, Jr. has snagged a TD reception in all three of Liberty's games this season.

More Game Notes vs. James Madison

"4 Downs" with James Madison

#1 Liberty and JMU will meet in the Battle of the Blue Ridge, the first of 10 matchups between the Virginia foes over the next 16 years. Saturday's game will mark their first clash as FBS foes. The Flames are in search of their first-ever victory over the Dukes inside Williams Stadium. Liberty's last home win over JMU came on Sept. 30, 1989, less than a month before Williams Stadium opened.

#2 Both Liberty and James Madison opened the season with home wins over FCS opponents. Both squads are in search of their first FBS triumph of 2025. It has been two years since Liberty faced an in-state opponent (Old Dominion on Nov. 11, 2023), but the Flames will take on Commonwealth foes (JMU and Old Dominion) in back-to-back weeks. Liberty has only faced two opponents (Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb) more often than JMU.

#3 James Madison is the third straight Liberty opponent heading into its matchup with the Flames off a loss. Flames Evan Dickens and Donte Lee, Jr. have each scored TDs in all three of Liberty's games to start the season. Lee, Jr. will try to become the first Flames WR with receiving TDs in four straight contests since CJ Daniels in 2023.

#4 Following Liberty vs. JMU, there will be four other CUSA vs. Sun Belt contests on Saturday (Kennesaw State vs. Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee vs. Marshall, LA Tech vs. Southern Miss and UTEP vs. ULM). All five CUSA-Sun Belt meetings this week will be hosted by the CUSA squad. CUSA teams are 1-1 vs. the Sun Belt thus far in 2025.

A LIBERTY WIN WOULD...

Boost the Flames' all-time record against James Madison to 7-12, giving Liberty back-to-back wins in the series for the first time since 1989 and 1990.
Be the Flames' fourth consecutive win over a Sun Belt opponent, improving the team's all-time record against Sun Belt foes to 11-3.
Mark the Flames' first victory over JMU at Williams Stadium, snapping a four-game home losing streak to the Dukes.
Extend the Flames' home winning streak to three and push Liberty's record at Williams Stadium under Jamey Chadwell to 15-1.
Improve the Flames' all-time record versus Commonwealth opponents to 47-39, giving them a fifth win in their last six meetings with in-state foes.
Keep the Flames unbeaten (6-0) all-time when playing on Sept. 20, including a 2-0 mark against James Madison on this date.

BOUNCE BACK
Liberty is 3-3 in games immediately following a loss under Jamey Chadwell, who is 22-7 overall at the helm.

After losing the final two games of the 2024 season, the Flames responded by winning the 2025 season opener against Maine.

The Flames have not sustained three straight losses at any point under Chadwell.

FLAMES QUARTER
Liberty Head Coach Jamey Chadwell calls the fourth quarter Flames Quarter, and the Flames have dominated the final 15 minutes.

Last year, Liberty outscored opponents 124-69 in the fourth quarter. So far this season, the Flames hold a 41-20 advantage in fourth-quarter scoring.

The Flames scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Maine 28-7 in their season opener.

Liberty is 16-0 when leading after three quarters under Jamey Chadwell.

Chadwell's team has closed out the game with a win each of the last 45 times it took a lead into the fourth quarter, since giving up a 31-25 advantage in a 39-38 Coastal Carolina loss at Arkansas, Nov. 4, 2017.

BOWL OPPONENTS
James Madison is the third of four teams on Liberty's schedule (also Jax State, Bowling Green, Louisiana Tech) who competed in bowl games in 2024.

The Dukes beat Western Kentucky 27-17 in the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl.

HOME SWEET HOME
Liberty is 38-7 at Williams Stadium since joining the FBS in 2018 and 151-56 all-time at the facility.

The Flames have posted a 5-1 home record against Virginia opponents in their FBS era, with their only in-state home loss during that stretch coming on Nov. 19, 2022, a 23-22 setback to Virginia Tech.

Liberty is 12-0 in its last 12 September home games. The last team to beat Liberty in September at Williams Stadium was North Texas, 47-7 on Sept. 8, 2018.

COMEBACK KIDS
Liberty has trailed at some point in each of its last 17 games, going 10-7 in that stretch. The last time Liberty led wire to wire was Nov. 25, 2023 at UTEP, a 42-28 victory over the Miners.

Liberty was the only FBS team to overcome deficits of 13 points or more in three games last season. The last time an FBS team overcame 13-point or more deficits in three games was 2022 (Houston and LSU).

The Flames' eight come-from-behind wins last year were the most by any FBS team.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Evan Dickens

Donte Lee, Jr.

Ethan Vasko