Defense stymies

The Liberty Flames football team improved to 1-1 on the season as they shutout the Norfolk State Spartans (1-1) 17-0. This was the first time the Flames had seen the Spartans since Liberty fell short 31-24 in 2012.

Spartan quarterback Terrance Ervin drove the offense all the way down to Liberty’s 18-yard line when the senior cornerback and team captain Jacob Hagen forced a fumble, which Liberty cornerback Tyrin Holloway recovered. However, the Flames did not capitalize on the turnover, as it led to zero points for Liberty.

After marching down the field for 88 yards, the Flames hit the scoreboard first when freshman kicker Avery Echols hit his first collegiate career field goal, a 22-yarder, to give Liberty the lead.

With a 3-0 lead midway through the second quarter, quarterback Josh Woodrum led the offense to scoring the first touchdown of the game on a seven-yard quarterback keeper, Woodrum’s seventh career rushing touchdown.

The two scores were good for a 10-0 lead by halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Liberty began to attack. Around the six-minute mark, Flames Head Coach Turner Gill called D.J. Abnar’s number. Following two handoffs to the freshman running back, Woodrum hit Abnar for a 22-yard touchdown pass to go up 17-0, ultimately ending any chance of a Norfolk State comeback. The Flames last shutout an opponent Oct. 26, 2013 against conference opponent Gardner-Webb.

The defense for the Flames gave the Spartans trouble throughout the entire game. Defensive linemen Toby Onyechi and Chima Uzowihe combined for a total of 12 tackles and four sacks. Senior linebacker Dylan Lewellyn finished with a career-high 11 tackles to lead all Flames, according to liberty.edu/flames. Hagen, who forced the early fumble, also picked off Norfolk State quarterback Ervin. The Spartans were held to only 56 passing yards and 159 rushing yards.

All-conference wide receiver Darrin Peterson led the Flames receiving core for the second straight week with four receptions for 69 yards. The junior receiver eclipsed 1,000 career receiving yards, putting him at 1,050 yards in his three years at Liberty. He was one of Woodrum’s seven targets.

Woodrum is only 66 yards away from hitting the 5,000-career-passing-yards mark, which he will likely hit in the Flames home opener Sept. 13 against the Brevard College Tornadoes at Williams Stadium. Last season when the Flames played Brevard, Woodrum threw for 247 yards with three touchdowns. According to liberty.edu/flames, only six Flames quarterbacks have ever reached this milestone.