Outshining the Trojans

With 2:23 remaining in the fourth quarter the Williams stadium crowd held its breath, watching as Buckshot Calvert caught the snap from shotgun and threw a fade pass to the tightly covered BJ Farrow in the back of the endzone. The crowd came to its feet in applause as the official lifted both arms vertically signaling a Liberty
touchdown.

The beautiful blue sky above Williams Stadium was pierced by fireworks following the Flames 22-16 victory over Troy. The victory marked one of the biggest wins in Flames program history. The Troy Trojans had come into Williams stadium with five wins, including a blistering win over Nebraska.

The defensive battle did not come as a surprise as Troy entered the game with its backup quarterback Sawyer Smith at the helm, following starter Kaleb Barker’s season ending injury that occurred Thursday, Oct. 4, against Georgia State.

“Sometimes that is just a part of life and a part of football, it’s just a don’t-go-right moment,” Calvert said. “You have to stay the course and stay focused, believe in your guys, and they certainly believed in me every single drive.”

The Flames stayed focused going into the second quarter despite being down 7-0 to the Trojans after Smith threw a touchdown pass to Deondre Douglas before the quarter concluded. 

Midway through the second quarter Calvert launched a gorgeous 29-yard touchdown pass to Khaleb Coleman in the endzone to tie the game at 7-7.

Late in the quarter Flames redshirt sophomore Peytton Pickett scooted into the endzone to give the Flames a 14-10 lead heading into halftime.

“It felt good just to get the momentum back on our side and get the flow going,” Pickett said. 

The Flames were without their leading receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden who was out with mononucleosis. Head Coach Turner Gill stressed the importance of the team’s response to injuries and how the team can recover.

“Obviously Antonio Gandy-Golden wasn’t available today and we had some other guys that weren’t available — that’s why this is so special because when you are a football team you have to respond,” Gill said. “We talk about when your number gets called you (have to be) in there and ready to play.”

In Gandy-Golden’s absence, Farrow filled in perfectly, giving Calvert a reliable target to consistently look to all afternoon. Farrow hauled in eight receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown.

The Flames defense made the beautiful afternoon a miserable one for the young Trojan quarterback, allowing Smith to throw for only three yards in the third quarter, something defensive coordinator Robert Wimberly was happy to see.

“I was watching the game from the box for the first time, which allowed me to have a better feel for whenever they were passing the ball,” Wimberly said. “That allowed us to have our men in good position because they know when I call certain coverages they know to think pass.”

In the fourth quarter the Trojans showed signs of life, driving down the field before having to settle for a 26-yard chip shot field goal.

Despite Calvert’s inconsistency, the offence continued to support their leader. 

“The guys kept encouraging us the O-line kept encouraging me to stay calm and stay focused,” Calvert said. “I think that helped me out a lot.”

Liberty was forced to punt on the next drive midway through the fourth quarter but the defense held strong and forced the Trojans to punt, setting up the offense with just over six minutes left in the game. Offensive Coordinator Joe Dailey made sure that his team was ready for that moment. 

“The fortunate part about our game plan and our guys buying into it is that they stayed the course, they didn’t get upset when a setback occurred,” Dailey said.

The Flames began on their own 11-yard line. With the majority of the crowd still present, Calvert engineered a miraculous drive as the clock continued to wind down. With 2:23 remaining on the gameclock Calvert threw the ball to Farrow in the back corner of the end zone. Farrow reached over top of the aggressive Trojan defensive back and secured the catch, putting the Flames up 20-16.

Gill elected to go for a two-point conversion. With the play clock winding down, Buckshot walked closer to the line of scrimmage, pretending to audible. The snap went directly to Frankie Hickson who sprinted to his left before pitching the ball backward to DJ Stubbs. Stubbs saw Farrow standing in the end zone uncovered and flipped the ball to the big receiver who secured the catch to make the score 22-16. 

The Flames held the Trojans offense before running the clock out, giving the Flames a hard fought and thrilling victory in front of over 17,000 fans.

 “It wasn’t pretty from an offensive point-of-view. Special teams — it wasn’t pretty from that standpoint. But again, you have got to find a way to win these kinds of games and that’s why I’m so proud,” Gill said.

The Flames will play Idaho State Saturday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. on Homecoming weekend.