Flames football extends their winning streak to three

• Flames score big in first half of game against Presbyterian College on Senior Night.
• Flames had 317 rushing yards to contribute to their victory.

 

The Flames (6-4, 2-2) were able to snap their tendency to start the game in an offensive slump, as Liberty produced 33 points in the first half of their 47-28 win over Presbyterian College (3-7,0-4) on Senior Night.

 

“Tonight felt good,” junior defensive end Juwan Wells said. “We always come out lackadaisical in the first half and pick it up in the second half, like we have done in the past two ball games. So it felt pretty good just coming out and holding the opponent and knowing the offense was moving the ball well.”

 

The 10 seniors on the team prepared speeches for their teammates earlier in the morning. Sophomore running back Frankie Hickson said it was those speeches that got the players fired up before the game.

 

“We depend on our brothers and our seniors are our leaders,” Hickson said. “We just wanted to win for them.”

 

After the Flames won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball first, they did not waste any time. Hickson returned the opening kickoff all the way to Presbyterian’s 11-yard line. Senior running back Carrington Mosley finished the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run on third down.

 

Mosley said the speeches were emotional and heartwarming and would be something that he would remember for the rest of his life. The senior running back finished the day with 149 rushing yards on 27 carries and one touchdown.

 

“(Mosley) is a hard worker,” head coach Turner Gill said. “He is a guy that took on this team in a great way and he encourages his teammates. When you do that, sooner or later, good things are going to happen for you.”

 

Mosley said he thought the run game was the key to the win, as the Flames had 317 total rushing yards.

 

The Flames have struggled this season in the rushing game, only averaging 129.3 rushing yards per game, but quarterback Stephen “Buckshot” Calvert said that the running game was something that they worked on in practice.

 

“That has been the plan all season,” Calvert said. “Start with the running game and pound the ball, pound the ball, pound the ball, and then take shots down the field.”

 

Calvert completed 14 passes for 311 passing yards and three touchdowns on the night.

 

“You never have to worry about getting a bad ball with Buckshot; he puts it on the money and he does some amazing things,” junior receiver Cephas Reddick said.

 

In the first quarter alone, Liberty’s offense scored 24 points, 17 of which went unanswered. After Mosley’s early score, sophomore kicker Alex Probert made a 35-yard field goal on the Flames second drive. The third drive resulted in a 68-yard touchdown pass to Reddick.

 

Presbyterian was only able to score once in the first half, on a 1-yard run on its third possession. However, during the second half Liberty’s defense let up by allowing the Blue Hose to score three more touchdowns.

 

Coach Gill said the area that needed to be cleaned up was the turnovers. The Flames lost the turnover battle due to two fumbles within the red zone, while Presbyterian went without a turnover in the game.

 

Mosley fumbled early on in the second quarter within Presbyterian’s five-yard line and Kentory Matthews also lost the ball at Presbyterian’s four-yard line during the fourth quarter. Fortunately for the Flames, neither of these resulted in points for the Blue Hose.

 

“I think offensively, we stopped ourselves,” Gill said. “They did not necessarily stop us; we just didn’t execute properly as far as that goes.”

 

While this was the last home game for the Flames, they will play at Charleston Southern next Saturday, Nov. 18, to conclude their season.