Dead giveaway

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Turnovers spoil Flames upset bid against UNC

Jacob Hagen had just taken the breath out of Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, returning a fumble 27 yards to give Liberty a 22-21 lead over Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) foe North Carolina (UNC).

And then it all fell apart.

Four minutes and 28 points later, the Flames found themselves down 49-22 after a series of turnovers and defensive lapses, effectively ending an upset bid of the No. 23 Tar Heels. When the clock ran out, the Heels walked away with a 56-29 victory.

During the UNC scoring deluge — stretching from 5:55 to 2:06 in the third quarter — the Flames turned the ball over three times and allowed the Tar Heels to score a touchdown off of each giveaway. It took only 13 seconds of game time for Liberty’s 22-21 lead to evaporate into a 35-22 UNC advantage. Those three turnovers were part of six total on the evening for the Flames.

“I’ve never been in a game where we’ve had six turnovers,” Flames quarterback Josh Woodrum said. “Last season, we were the No. 1 team in the nation in turnover margin (editor’s note: the Flames were actually third) and that was not our team tonight.”

Woodrum — making his 22nd consecutive start — was uneven on the day, completing 16 of his 33 attempts for 189 yards. He passed for only 37 yards in the second half, while throwing a pair

of interceptions. Wide receiver Darrin Peterson and running back Todd Macon were responsible for all four of the Flames’ fumbles. Peterson, who left the game with a shoulder injury after his second fumble, coughed the ball up after a 39-yard gain in the first quarter, as well as putting one on the ground during UNC’s 28-0 run. Both of Macon’s fumbles came during the second half while fighting for extra yardage.

Despite their turnover issues, Peterson and Macon were two of the game’s most dynamic players, with Peterson reeling in four catches for 96 yards and Macon scampering for 67 yards on 13 carries while scoring twice in his first college game. Peterson routinely beat UNC coverage, particularly on deep routes, and Liberty’s unproven running back duo of Macon and D.J. Abnar ran for a total of 132 yards, balancing the Flames offensive attack.

The Flames defense kept them in the game in the first half, but ran out of gas in the second, when the Tar Heels outgained the Flames 229-106 and piled on 35 points.

“For the most part, defensively, we were very tough,” Flames Head Coach Turner Gill said. “They had so many snaps in the third quarter, it was just unbelievable. Physically, you’re just not going to be able to hold up.”

Even though he made some big plays, Flames defensive captain Hagan was visibly emotional after the loss. When some of Liberty’s body language went south late in the game, he was still as active as he was during the first quarter. Hagen said he did not buy into the excuse of fatigue as a valid reason for giving up so many points during the third quarter.

“We gotta control what we can control,” Hagan said. “None of us (defensive players) play offense. If they’re in that red zone, we gotta keep them to field goals. That’s our job.”

With their first game ever played against a ranked FBS opponent behind them, the Flames can now look forward to the rest of their schedule and know they will probably not face another team of UNC’s caliber. A trip to Norfolk State Sept. 6 looms and will be key toward bucking a recent trend of early-season stumbles.

The last time the Flames faced the Spartans, they lost 31-24 en route to beginning Gill’s inaugural season 0-4. It will be the first time since 2003 that Liberty has begun the season with consecutive road games.