Thursday, October 22
Kennesaw, Ga.
7:00 PM ET
Liberty University
6-1 , 3-0
34
at
6
Kennesaw State
1-6 , 0-3
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 14 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 34 |
| Kennesaw St. | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
10/22/2026 11:27:00 PM | Football
KENNESAW, Ga. – A career day for Jaylon Coleman and another standout defensive performance by the Flames allowed Liberty to close out Weekday CUSA action with a 34-6 victory over Kennesaw State, Thursday evening, at Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium.
Liberty's sixth win in a row moves the Flames to 6-1 on the season and into a tie for first place with Jax State at 3-0 in Conference USA action. Kennesaw State has now lost six games in a row, dropping to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in conference action.
With the victory, Liberty becomes bowl eligible for the sixth time in program history. The Flames are the 18th team in the country to reach the bowl eligible win mark in 2026 and the fourth Group of six program.
Liberty dominated the stat sheet on the night, outgaining the Owls, 402 to 297 yards and holding a 37:05 to 22:55 time of possession edge.
The Flames defense came into the night ranked No. 19 in the country in total defense (291.7 yards allowed per game) and No. 15 in scoring defense (15.3 points allowed per game). For the second time this season, Liberty did not allow an opponent to score a touchdown.
Coleman was the offensive standout for the Flames, scoring both a rushing and receiving touchdown. The running back finished the game with five carries for 22 yards and four receptions for 64 yards.
Quarterback Deshawn Purdie completed 10-of-19 passing attempts for 176 yards and a touchdown. The Flames starter has now gone seven games in a row without throwing an interception in 2026.
Jamari Person matched Coleman in receptions and led all receivers with 72 receiving yards.
Jayden Davis led all Flames tacklers in the game, finishing the contest with a season-high nine tackles. Linebacker Derrerll Farrar, a native of Georgia, and cornerback Ashton McShane finished the night both recording their first career interceptions to stop scoring efforts for the Owls.
The Flames' win today:
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 34-6 (Liberty)
Liberty (6-1, 3-0 CUSA)
Kennesaw State (1-6, 0-3 CUSA)
Location: Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium (Kennesaw, Ga.)
Attendance: 8,159
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
What's Next:
Flames Football returns to Saturday play after four-straight midweek games, including the last three in Weekday CUSA action.
Liberty will welcome FIU to Williams Stadium on Saturday, October 31, as part of Homecoming and Hall of Fame Weekend on the Mountain.
The Flames have won their last seven-straight Homecoming contests and hold a 37-14 record overall when they welcome their alumni back to campus for the festive weekend.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026
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. (EST)
Liberty's sixth win in a row moves the Flames to 6-1 on the season and into a tie for first place with Jax State at 3-0 in Conference USA action. Kennesaw State has now lost six games in a row, dropping to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in conference action.
With the victory, Liberty becomes bowl eligible for the sixth time in program history. The Flames are the 18th team in the country to reach the bowl eligible win mark in 2026 and the fourth Group of six program.
Liberty dominated the stat sheet on the night, outgaining the Owls, 402 to 297 yards and holding a 37:05 to 22:55 time of possession edge.
The Flames defense came into the night ranked No. 19 in the country in total defense (291.7 yards allowed per game) and No. 15 in scoring defense (15.3 points allowed per game). For the second time this season, Liberty did not allow an opponent to score a touchdown.
Coleman was the offensive standout for the Flames, scoring both a rushing and receiving touchdown. The running back finished the game with five carries for 22 yards and four receptions for 64 yards.
Quarterback Deshawn Purdie completed 10-of-19 passing attempts for 176 yards and a touchdown. The Flames starter has now gone seven games in a row without throwing an interception in 2026.
Jamari Person matched Coleman in receptions and led all receivers with 72 receiving yards.
Jayden Davis led all Flames tacklers in the game, finishing the contest with a season-high nine tackles. Linebacker Derrerll Farrar, a native of Georgia, and cornerback Ashton McShane finished the night both recording their first career interceptions to stop scoring efforts for the Owls.
The Flames' win today:
- Was victory No. 6 of the season, earning bowl eligibility for the Flames and marking the seventh time in program history Liberty has started a season at 6-1 or better.
- Gives the Flames their first six-game winning streak since Liberty opened the 2023 season with 13 consecutive victories (Sept. 2-Dec. 1, 2023).
- Evens the Flames' all-time head-to-head series with Kennesaw State at 3-3, snapping the Owls' three-game winning streak versus Liberty. It also marks Liberty's first triumph over KSU in a decade (36-21 win at Kennesaw State on Oct. 15, 2016).
- Enabled the Flames to start CUSA play with a 3-0 record for the third time in four seasons as a conference member.
- Improves the Flames' record in October weekday contests to 10-2 under Jamey Chadwell.
- Pushes the Flames' all-time record when playing on Thursday to 6-3, including 3-0 this season. It also gives head coach Jamey Chadwell a 13-1 mark when coaching Thursday contests at the Division I level.
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 34-6 (Liberty)
Liberty (6-1, 3-0 CUSA)
Kennesaw State (1-6, 0-3 CUSA)
Location: Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium (Kennesaw, Ga.)
Attendance: 8,159
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
- For the sixth-straight game, the Flames scored on their opening drive of the contest, getting their fourth opening drive touchdown of the season.
- Liberty capped an 11-play, 85-yard drive that took 6:34 off the game clock with a one-yard touchdown run by running back Kam Davis, taking a 7-0 lead at the 7:11 mark of the first quarter.
- The Flames doubled their lead just before the clock hit zero at the end of the first quarter. Deshawn Purdie hit Jaylon Coleman in stride for a 56-yard touchdown pass. Coleman's first career receiving touchdown with 56 seconds left gave Liberty a 14-0 edge.
- The Owls controlled the pace of play during the second quarter, outgaining Liberty, 100 to 66 in total offensive yards. However, the home team was only able to put three points up on the board during the 15-minute period.
- Late in the quarter, the Owls got to the Flames' 20-yard line, but Liberty was able to come up with a third-down stop to keep Kennesaw State out of the end zone. The home team had to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Daniel Kinney with 31 seconds left before the half, giving Liberty a 14-3 edge at the break.
- Following the game's first turnover, Liberty was able to push its lead back to 14, 17-3, on a 30-yard field goal by Chase Reeves at the 10:20 mark. The scoring opportunity was set up linebacker Derrell Farrar's first career interception.
- A second interception by the Flames, this time by cornerback Ashton McShane, set up Liberty's next touchdown drive. Seven plays after the turnover, Coleman to a pitch to the left side of the field and scored from nine yards out, pushing Liberty's lead to 24-3, with 1:37 left to play in the quarter.
- The Flames put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter when Reeves connected on a 49-yard field goal. The sixth-year kicker's longest field goal of the season pushed Liberty's lead to 27-3 at 14:05.
- Both teams would score once more during the remainder of the game. Liberty scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown by Terron Kellman at 5:26, while the Owls got another field goal (28 yards) from Kinney with 1:11 left in the contest.
What's Next:
Flames Football returns to Saturday play after four-straight midweek games, including the last three in Weekday CUSA action.
Liberty will welcome FIU to Williams Stadium on Saturday, October 31, as part of Homecoming and Hall of Fame Weekend on the Mountain.
The Flames have won their last seven-straight Homecoming contests and hold a 37-14 record overall when they welcome their alumni back to campus for the festive weekend.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026
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. (EST)
Players Mentioned
RB
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RB
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LB
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RB
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CB
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WR
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QB
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K/P
/ FootballTeam Stats
LIB
KSU
Total Yards
402
297
Pass Yards
187
235
Rushing Yards
215
62
Penalty Yards
85
32
1st Downs
21
15
3rd Downs
3
6
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
37:05
22:55
1st Quarter
LIB 7, KSU 0
LIB - Davis,Kam 1 yd run (Reeves,Chase kick), 11 plays, 85 yards, TOP 06:34
LIB 14, KSU 0
LIB - Coleman,Jaylon 56 yd pass from Purdie,Deshawn (Reeves,Chase kick) 3 plays, 72 yards, TOP 01:30
2nd Quarter
LIB 14, KSU 3
KSU - Kinney,Daniel 37 yd field goal 12 plays, 65 yards, TOP 03:26
3rd Quarter
LIB 17, KSU 3
LIB - Reeves,Chase 30 yd field goal 4 plays, yards, TOP 01:39
LIB 24, KSU 3
LIB - Coleman,Jaylon 9 yd run (Reeves,Chase kick), 7 plays, 63 yards, TOP 04:14
4th Quarter
LIB 27, KSU 3
LIB - Reeves,Chase 49 yd field goal 4 plays, -7 yards, TOP 01:17
LIB 34, KSU 3
LIB - Kellman,Terron 2 yd run (Reeves,Chase kick), 11 plays, 70 yards, TOP 07:19
LIB 34, KSU 6
KSU - Kinney,Daniel 28 yd field goal 12 plays, 65 yards, TOP 04:15
Game Leaders
CMP
10
TD
1
YDS
176
INT
0
CMP
2
TD
0
YDS
11
INT
0
Wednesday, October 21
Wednesday, October 21
Wednesday, October 21
Tuesday, October 20