Hokies beat the heat
Virginia Tech cruises in season opener against Flames
The last time the Liberty Flames football team won a season opener on the road was 1988. Exactly 28 years later, that losing streak continues as the Flames dropped their 12th consecutive season opener on the road Sept. 3 at Virginia Tech, 36-13 in front of 62,234 people.
ALPHA MALE — Senior safety Alpha Jalloh (38) darted to the endzone after recovering a Virginia Tech fumble, giving the Flames their only lead. Photo credit: Michela Diddle
Junior quarterback Stephon Masha, in his first start since 2014 against Coastal Carolina, went 9 for 25 with two interceptions and 70 yards against the Hokies. Junior runningbacks Todd Macon and Carrington Mosley combined for 49 yards on the ground and one touchdown.
“We just never could get anything going on offense today,” Liberty Head Coach Turner Gill said. “That was … kind of the momentum killer.”
The game turned ugly early for the Flames as a bad snap in the first quarter led to a fumble, which two plays later led to a quick touchdown for the Hokies.
On the next Flames series, the offense was unable to get the ball moving as the team was called for five false starts, four of which were called on redshirt freshman right tackle Sam Isaacson, forcing Liberty to punt.
“This game, the penalties hurt us,” Masha said. “We practiced all week with the noise. I was just trying to tell them to calm down — just listen to me — listen to my voice.”
After both teams traded three and outs, sophomore defensive end Juwan Wells forced a fumble, allowing the Flames to take over at the Hokies 10-yard line. Eventually, on a first and goal from the 2-yard line, Macon punched it in for his sixth career touchdown against an FBS opponent.
Early in the second quarter, the Hokies added a field goal to increase the lead to 10-6. On the ensuing drive for the Flames, Masha threw his first interception of the game and Virginia Tech took over 34 yards from the end zone.
“It’s very frustrating,” Masha said. “But it’s the first game of the season, mistakes are gonna happen. You just gotta build off it — learn from it.”
On a second-down run by Tech’s junior wide receiver Cam Phillips, sophomore cornerback Chris Turner was able to knock the ball loose and senior safety Alpha Jalloh scooped and scored for a 71-yard fumble return touchdown, giving the Flames a 13-10 lead.
ON THE RUN — Frankie Hickson carries the ball behind the Flames’ offensive line. Photo credit: Michela Diddle
“I believe our defense can play with anyone in the country,” Turner said. “If we execute the way we were taught — the way we practice.”
The Flames found themselves leading a power five conference FBS team for the first time since 2014 when the Flames led North Carolina 22-21 early in the third quarter. Much like that game, the lead was short-lived and the score quickly turned lopsided.
Later in the second quarter, the Hokies started a drive from their own 37-yard line and six minutes and 21 seconds later found the end zone to take back the lead, 17-13.
After the kickoff, the Flames took over at the 25-yard line but took only 51 seconds off the clock and punted the ball back to the Hokies with 2:40 still to play in the half. Eight plays later, junior quarterback Jerod Evans found redshirt junior tight end Bucky Hodges for a touchdown to extend the lead to 24-13 and effectively end the half.
“As (Evans) continued to play, I think he got a little bit better,” Gill said. “He got better like you wanna see your quarterback do.”
The Hokies got the ball to start the second half and were quickly forced to punt, but any hopes of a Liberty comeback were squashed when sophomore wide receiver Damian King fielded a punt at his own 2-yard line before running backwards and being tackled in the end zone for a safety.
Virginia Tech scored their final touchdown on their very next drive making the score 33-13.
The Flames’ final scoring opportunity came when Masha put together a string of passes while leading Liberty down to the Virginia Tech 20-yard line before a sack and delay of game penalty on the kicking team pushed Liberty out of field goal range.
With 22 seconds left in the third quarter, the Hokies sent in their backup quarterback, redshirt senior Brenden Motley, to lead the offense the rest of the way. In his first drive, Motley took the Hokies down to the Flames 17-yard line where they eventually settled for a field goal and pushed the lead to its final score of 36-13.
BUSY — Various Liberty athletic teams played across different courts and fields this past weekend. Photo credit: Michela Diddle
Despite the 23 point loss to Virginia Tech, Liberty’s defense remained optimistic about the future.
“I think we proved that we won’t get run over,” Wells said. “Even though the score may not say that. … This is a learning process for us, going against a power five school and playing at a high level.”
The Flames look to bounce back next week when they play their first home game of the season against FCS opponent Jacksonville.
“I think if we remain going down the path we’re going down, keeping everybody positive and doing it the way we did it today, we’ll see a lot of success in this season,” senior linebacker Dexter Robbins said.
Schmieg is the sports editor.