Liberty football looks to earn hosting rights for CUSA
A resounding 42-29 statement was made in Bowling Green, Kentucky Oct. 24 as the Flames football team marched into yet another CUSA contest and stole a victory. The team that entered the 2023 season with seemingly nothing but question marks under a new regime and conference membership continues to leave fewer and fewer questions unanswered.
Sitting at 8-0, Liberty has earned rights to a spot in the Conference USA Title game. Its record also ties the team for the program’s best start in school history. The last and only other time Liberty began the season with an 8-0 stretch came in 2020, Malik Willis’ first year as a Flame.
The times, however, have changed, and it is Kaidon Salter and an electric Liberty offense averaging 37 points per game, with a stout defense that sits at No. 3 in the nation in turnover margin to back them up.
Liberty’s battle in Bowling Green was a showcase of physical dominance, headlined by a rushing attack that put up 323 rushing yards on the night. Of those yards, 236 came in the final 30 minutes of the game.
“Our guys played hard, they blocked like crazy,” Flames Head Coach Jamey Chadwell said following the win. “Obviously, you’ve got a quarterback who can make something happen in the run game, too. We made a decision — we are going to control the ball. We are going to control the line of scrimmage. (We) did some different formations that our guys could handle, and they did.”
Liberty remains second in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 280.6 yards on the ground per game.
While late lapses on the defensive side of the ball put pressure on the team in the fourth quarter, Salter was up for the shootout, preventing the Hilltoppers from surging for a last-minute comeback. Regardless, Western Kentucky’s three passing touchdowns in the final quarter was a point of emphasis for Chadwell as the night ended.
“If they drive the field on you and they are just better than you on that, we can live with that,” Chadwell said. “What we can’t win with is beating ourselves. Liberty cannot beat Liberty. That has been our message from day one, we cannot beat ourselves. I thought we did that a little bit in the 4th quarter defensively. We can’t allow that to happen.”
Ultimately, the undefeated Flames did in Kentucky what they’ve done all season — found a way to win when it mattered most.
“They put themselves in a great position,” Chadwell said. “The thing that you want your team to do is always be hungry for something more. Can we play better? It’s not necessarily the win, but can we continue to play our best game? We played really well in a lot of ways, but it’s still out there. We’re thankful for it, grateful for it, but that’s not our ultimate goal yet.”
The ultimate goal, of course, is to take home the conference crown in the team’s inaugural CUSA season. Four games stand between Liberty and the imminent championship game — but first, it will fight for home-field advantage in its meeting with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Currently sitting at No. 5 in the conference, the Bulldogs have fared 2-3 against CUSA opponents this season.
One lesson Liberty has learned well in 2023, however, is to never underestimate one’s opponent. The prime example of this came in the team’s narrow 21-16 victory over the winless Bearkats.
“As a coach, you don’t give yourself a lot of time to think about that because there is something else coming. To be able to secure (a title game spot) is great. I told our team we want to host it, too. We’ve got a great opportunity in our next game to take care of business and be able to host it,” Chadwell said.
Liberty will welcome the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs to Lynchburg for a Homecoming battle with hosting rights for the 2023 Conference USA Championship game on the line. The two teams are slated to take the gridiron Saturday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. in Williams Stadium.
Cory is the sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X
