Liberty fans cheer team to hard-fought victory in first Midweek on the Mountain game

The Liberty Flames narrowly defeated Sam Houston 21-16 Thursday in the program’s first of two Midweek on the Mountain games this season, giving the 17,100 fans at Williams Stadium the chance to watch college football on a weeknight.

The game, which was broadcast on CBS Sports Network, ended with a goal line stand for the Flames and gave Liberty its fifth win of the season and third against Conference USA opposition. Fans expressed excitement for the weekday matchup.

“(The Thursday night game) is fire. The atmosphere is electric,” student Quinn Mackey said, noting that he appreciated that Liberty classes ended early to prepare for the game.

Other fans were happy the game was broadcast on national television and some said with it being on a weekday, the energy made it felt like a “Friday Night Lights” high school football game. Fans enjoyed all the same gameday experiences as Saturday games, with families attending tailgating and the Flames Fan Fest before kickoff.

The game marked the first Thursday night game for the Flames since 2015, when Liberty defeated Coastal Carolina on Nov. 19. The Flames (5-0, 3-0 in Conference USA) will next face Jacksonville State (5-1, 3-0 in Conference USA) on Oct. 10 for the first of three straight Tuesday night games. On Oct. 17, Liberty will return to Williams Stadium for a battle against Middle Tennessee State (1-5, 0-2 in Conference USA), with kickoff set for 7 p.m.

Head Coach Jamey Chadwell said the energy of the fans and students had a heavy impact on the game.

“Our crowd on the last drive was outstanding,” he said. “It was loud and made the opposing team really have to listen. They were tremendous. We have an unbelievable home field advantage here. I want to give our student body and fans a lot of credit. They made that a challenging place there, especially in the fourth quarter.”

Liberty finished the night outgaining Sam Houston 448 to 327 yards, sharing its offensive workload on the ground (191 rushing yards) and through the air (257 passing yards). Flames quarterback Kaidon Salter completed 11-of-19 passing attempts for 257 yards and his 12^th passing touchdown of the year.

The redshirt sophomore also ran for another score, while carrying the ball 12 times for 38 yards.

Daniels posted his fifth career 100-yard game. He led all receivers with five receptions for a career-high 157 receiving yards, including a 51-yard scoring play in the second quarter.

Late in the fourth quarter, a Flames’ defensive stand and a punt pinned the visiting Bearkats at their own one-yard line with 3:36 left to play.

Sam Houston systemically marched down the field 96 yards to Liberty’s three-yard line on the next 11 plays, setting up a dramatic finish for the national TV audience.

Facing a first-and-goal at the three-yard line, Flames’ cornerback Kobe Singleton recorded two of his three pass breakups on the final drive at the goal line, including his last on a fourth-down throw to the end zone ending the game.

For full game coverage and ticket information, visit LibertyFlames.com.