Saturday, September 12
Lynchburg, Va.
12:00 PM ET
Liberty University
1-1 , 0-0
24
vs
23
Gardner-Webb
0-3 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner-Webb | 6 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
| Liberty | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
Liberty Opens Home Slate with Win over Gardner-Webb
9/12/2026 6:01:00 PM | Football
LYNCHBURG, Va. - Liberty scored on two of its first three offensive plays of the game and then needed a fourth-quarter touchdown to secure a 24-23 win over Gardner-Webb, Saturday afternoon, at Williams Stadium.
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The game was moved up from a scheduled 6 p.m. kickoff due to the threat of inclement weather this evening.
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With the victory, Liberty moves to 1-1 on the season and gives head coach Jamey Chadwell his 125th career coaching victory. The loss is the third in a row for Gardner-Webb to open 2026.
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Following a 65-yard touchdown pass to Makai Jackson and a 20-yard rushing touchdown by Jaylon Coleman, Liberty was up 14-3 at the 8:48 mark of the first quarter.
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However, the Gardner-Webb defense kept the Flames in check until they made a quarterback shift early in the fourth quarter.
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Back-up quarterback Jaylen Henderson was given the offensive reigns to start the fourth quarter, a 15-minute period that saw Liberty rack up 110 of its 379 total offensive yards on the day.
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Nearly half of the yards came on the game's most significant play, as Henderson rolled out of the pocket and found Darius Copeland deep down the field wide open for a 54-yard touchdown play.
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The West Virginia transfer's first touchdown pass as a Flame and Copeland's first career touchdown put the Flames up for good with 2:34 left to play in the contest.
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Henderson completed 2-of-4 passing attempts for 64 yards. Starter Deshawn Purdie finished the day 6-of-17 for 122 yards and a touchdown, while getting sacked four times.
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Liberty more than doubled its rushing yards in its second game of the 2026 season, finishing the day with 193 yards on 45 carries (4.3 yards per carry).
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Peyton Jones led eight different rushers for the Flames, carrying the ball 13 times for 76 yards, while Kam Davis followed with 10 carries for 67 yards.
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Liberty had three players finish the game with two receptions each (Jackson, Zeke Wimbush and Bryce Randolph). Jackson led the group with 69 receiving yards.
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Jiquavious Marshall finished the game with a career high seven tackles. One of his two pass breakups in the game came during Gardner-Webb's final drive as Liberty batted down three straight pass attempts from Runnin' Bulldogs quarterback Cole Pennington.
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The Flames' win today:
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 24-23 (Liberty)
Liberty (1-1, 0-0 CUSA)
Gardner-Webb (0-3, 0-0 OVC)
Location: Williams Stadium (Harrisonburg, Va.)
Attendance: 15,708
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Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
What's Next:
Liberty closes out a two-game non-conference homestand, next Saturday, when the Flames welcome Ball State to Williams Stadium during Family Weekend/College for a Weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
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The Flames will meet the Cardinals for the second time in program history and the first since Liberty made the move to the FBS level.
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Liberty defeated Ball State, 27-23, in Muncie, Ind., on September 11, 2010, accounting for one of the Flames' five wins over an FBS team while still competing at the FCS level (joining Eastern Michigan/1989; Appalachian State/2014; Georgia State/2015; Baylor/2017).
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Date: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Williams Stadium)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. (EST)
    Â
The game was moved up from a scheduled 6 p.m. kickoff due to the threat of inclement weather this evening.
    Â
With the victory, Liberty moves to 1-1 on the season and gives head coach Jamey Chadwell his 125th career coaching victory. The loss is the third in a row for Gardner-Webb to open 2026.
    Â
Following a 65-yard touchdown pass to Makai Jackson and a 20-yard rushing touchdown by Jaylon Coleman, Liberty was up 14-3 at the 8:48 mark of the first quarter.
    Â
However, the Gardner-Webb defense kept the Flames in check until they made a quarterback shift early in the fourth quarter.
    Â
Back-up quarterback Jaylen Henderson was given the offensive reigns to start the fourth quarter, a 15-minute period that saw Liberty rack up 110 of its 379 total offensive yards on the day.
    Â
Nearly half of the yards came on the game's most significant play, as Henderson rolled out of the pocket and found Darius Copeland deep down the field wide open for a 54-yard touchdown play.
    Â
The West Virginia transfer's first touchdown pass as a Flame and Copeland's first career touchdown put the Flames up for good with 2:34 left to play in the contest.
    Â
Henderson completed 2-of-4 passing attempts for 64 yards. Starter Deshawn Purdie finished the day 6-of-17 for 122 yards and a touchdown, while getting sacked four times.
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Liberty more than doubled its rushing yards in its second game of the 2026 season, finishing the day with 193 yards on 45 carries (4.3 yards per carry).
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Peyton Jones led eight different rushers for the Flames, carrying the ball 13 times for 76 yards, while Kam Davis followed with 10 carries for 67 yards.
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Liberty had three players finish the game with two receptions each (Jackson, Zeke Wimbush and Bryce Randolph). Jackson led the group with 69 receiving yards.
    Â
Jiquavious Marshall finished the game with a career high seven tackles. One of his two pass breakups in the game came during Gardner-Webb's final drive as Liberty batted down three straight pass attempts from Runnin' Bulldogs quarterback Cole Pennington.
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The Flames' win today:
- Gives the Flames a win in their home opener for the seventh straight year and 13th out of the last 14. It pushed Liberty's record in home openers to 32-6 at the Division I level and 8-1 at the FBS level.
- Makes the Flames 16-9-1 all-time against Gardner-Webb, giving Liberty wins in four straight meetings and 12 out of the last 13.Â
- Makes the Flames 11-0 against FCS opponents since joining the FBS ranks in 2018.
- Pushes the Flames' home winning streak against North Carolina opponents to 15 games.
- Keeps the Flames from starting a season at 0-2 for the first time since 2019.
- Enables the Flames to avoid their longest losing streak (six games) since the 2005 squad dropped 10 consecutive contests to end the season.
- Represents career win No. 125 for Jamey Chadwell and marks the third different team he has coached to victory over Gardner-Webb.
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 24-23 (Liberty)
Liberty (1-1, 0-0 CUSA)
Gardner-Webb (0-3, 0-0 OVC)
Location: Williams Stadium (Harrisonburg, Va.)
Attendance: 15,708
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Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
- Gardner-Webb won the coin toss and elected to receive to start the game. The Runnin' Bulldogs drove to the Liberty 24-yard line, but their eight-play, 56-yard drive stalled and they were forced to settle for a 41-yard Tyler Simpson field goal at the 11:54 mark.
- The Flames scored on two of their first three offensive possessions of the game. Liberty got its first touchdown on a 65-yard pass play from Deshawn Purdie to Makai Jackson where Jackson caught the ball at the 45-yard line, regained his balance on the sideline pass and sprinted to the end zone at 11:07.
- Following a Brenton Williams sack and Lorenzo Payne fumble recovery, Jaylon Coleman took a pitch out to the left side and ran 20 yards for a touchdown, giving Liberty the quick 14-3 lead with 8:48 left in the quarter.
- Gardner-Webb nearly mirrored the opening drive, getting this time to the Liberty 18-yard line on an eight-play, 57-yard drive before settling for a 35-yard from Simpson to keep the visitors within eight, 14-6, at 5:12.
- Turnovers on back-to-back plays allowed Gardner-Webb to pull within one, 14-13, at 9:11. Liberty's Jayden Davis intercepted a pass from Gardner-Webb quarterback Cole Pennington to give the Flames the ball.
- However, on the game's next play, Purdie and wide receiver Bryce Randolph mishandled a handoff and Runnin' Bulldogs defensive back Sabin McLauglin scooped up the loose ball and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.
- Each team scored before the halftime intermission, giving the visitors a 20-17 edge at the break. GWU's Randy Young found a hole on left side of the line and scored on a 65-yard touchdown run at 5:44, while Chase Reeves hit a 30-yard field goal for the Flames as time expired.
- The Runnin' Bulldogs pushed their lead back to six points, 23-17, late in the third quarter. Gardner-Webb pieced together its longest drive of the day (13 plays; 70 yards) where the Flames came up with a red zone stop and forced the visitors to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Simpson at the 2:34 mark.
- After taking over as quarterback in the beginning of the of the quarter, Henderson made his first touchdown pass at Liberty a memorable one. The sixth-year player rolled to his left and threw an off-balance 54-yard strike to Copeland to put the Flames up by one with 2:34 left to play in the contest.
- Pennington started the following drive with a 19-yard completion, but the redshirt senior's attempt to rally for the visitors was stopped when the Flames broke up his next three pass attempts to end the game.
What's Next:
Liberty closes out a two-game non-conference homestand, next Saturday, when the Flames welcome Ball State to Williams Stadium during Family Weekend/College for a Weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
    Â
The Flames will meet the Cardinals for the second time in program history and the first since Liberty made the move to the FBS level.
    Â
Liberty defeated Ball State, 27-23, in Muncie, Ind., on September 11, 2010, accounting for one of the Flames' five wins over an FBS team while still competing at the FCS level (joining Eastern Michigan/1989; Appalachian State/2014; Georgia State/2015; Baylor/2017).
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Date: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Williams Stadium)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. (EST)
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
S
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
JK
/ Football
TE
/ FootballTeam Stats
GWU
LU
Total Yards
304
379
Pass Yards
186
186
Rushing Yards
118
193
Penalty Yards
27
96
1st Downs
23
18
3rd Downs
5
2
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
30:52
29:08
1st Quarter
GWU 3, LU 0
GWU - Simpson,Tyler 41 yd field goal 8 plays, 56 yards, TOP 03:02
GWU 3, LU 7
LU - Jackson,Makai 65 yd pass from Purdie,Deshawn (Reeves,Chase kick) 2 plays, 70 yards, TOP 00:40
GWU 3, LU 14
LU - Coleman,Jaylon 20 yd run (Reeves,Chase kick), 1 plays, 20 yards, TOP 00:07
GWU 6, LU 14
GWU - Simpson,Tyler 35 yd field goal 8 plays, 57 yards, TOP 03:36
2nd Quarter
GWU 13, LU 14
GWU - McLaughlin,Sabin 35 yd fumble recovery (Simpson,Tyler kick)
GWU 20, LU 14
GWU - Young,Randy 65 yd run (Bontekoe,Andrew kick), 3 plays, 71 yards, TOP 01:24
GWU 20, LU 17
LU - Reeves,Chase 30 yd field goal 9 plays, 68 yards, TOP 01:28
3rd Quarter
GWU 23, LU 17
GWU - Simpson,Tyler 27 yd field goal 13 plays, 70 yards, TOP 06:34
4th Quarter
GWU 23, LU 24
LU - Copeland,Darius 54 yd pass from Henderson,Jaylen (Reeves,Chase kick) 5 plays, 68 yards, TOP 02:39
Game Leaders
CMP
6
TD
1
YDS
122
INT
0
CMP
2
TD
1
YDS
64
INT
0
Saturday, September 12
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