Liberty Flames football dominates Hampton 62-27 in Saturday showdown

On a sunny warm Saturday evening where nonstop offense reigned supreme, the Flames put on an explosive show against the Hampton Pirates for the families visiting Williams Stadium for Family Weekend, catapulting the program to a 62-27 win in its second home win of the season (2-2). 

A chaotic first quarter saw the Flames churn out 215 total yards for a 27-12 lead to set the tone for a one-sided battle with the FCS Pirates, with Liberty star wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden scoring two touchdowns and gaining 181 yards in four receptions, leveling him with Darrin Peterson (LU class of 2015) for the school record of 27 touchdown receptions. 

Though the Flames never looked like relinquishing their lead after blazing through the opening drive of the game for an early 6-0 lead, their defensive backfield often looked vulnerable, with Hampton scoring 27 points without a single trip to the red zone. Quarterback Deondre Francois, Florida State’s former starting quarterback, threw for three touchdowns and 288 yards throughout the frenzied evening. 

But the Flames roaring start, churning out 64 yards in four plays before slipping Frankie Hickson into the endzone for the lead on their first drive, set the tone for a strong performance by senior quarterback Stephen Calvert, who threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns before redshirt freshman Brandon Robinson subbed in during the third quarter to finish the game. Though Calvert has not thrown an interception since the game against Louisiana, completing 10-of-16 passes against the Pirates, Head Coach Hugh Freeze still believes Calvert can improve his play within the new system. 

“He should have been 13-of-16,” Freeze said. “There were three (passes) where I have to get him on the same page with me, and one was so easy and I know he knows it, but I have to get him to see that and get his correct fundamentals. But two straight games with no interceptions – we’ll celebrate that.” 

Although the Pirates only gained a total of 11 yards on their first two drives of the game, they still managed to put 20 points on the board in an entertaining performance, going for the two-point conversion on every touchdown in the first half. 

Unusual plays also hallmarked a night with Liberty’s second-highest attendance this season (18,944). Hampton scored its first touchdown before even gaining a first down after a Hampton punt bounced off a Liberty player’s helmet and the Pirates Damon Woodcock recovered in Liberty’s endzone to make the game 13-6 Liberty. 

But the drama did not stop there. Liberty returned three different kicks for touchdowns that were called back on penalties, leaving the players frustrated as the game progressed. 

“It’s disappointing,” linebacker Ceneca Espinoza said. “We watched film for the past games, and all the returns for the past three weeks have been one block away, one yard away, one inch away, and it’s just crazy how in the game of football one yard, one foot means so much. We finally got that one yard, one inch, one foot, and then we had foolish penalties that cost us a lot. … It’s good to finally see that we can do it, but now we just have to cut out the foolish mistakes.” 

The second half saw Freeze begin rotating backup players onto the field, with Calvert and Gandy-Golden coming off to give fringe players of the squad some playing time. 

Though Robinson said he has not been practicing passing reps and only attempted one pass Saturday night, he was thrilled to finally take the field for the Flames, scoring two touchdowns, including a 75-yard run straight down the center of the field into the endzone. 

“It was great – I’ve been waiting for this moment since November 2017,” Robinson said. “It was good to get in and get my feet wet – this was my first time touching the field in a long time – so now I’ve got to see the speed of the game. It’s a lot different. … I’m going to be better throwing now once I get my reps with it.” 

But Liberty’s second win in a row was marred by an injury sustained by freshman backup quarterback Jonathan Bennett, who injured his knee while celebrating a touchdown in the first quarter. Bennett was walking on the sidelines on crutches later in the game, and Bennett later confirmed that he will be out for the season on Twitter. 

With Robinson as the new official backup to Calvert with Bennett’s injury and transfer Malik Willis’ ineligibility this season, Freeze said that Robinson’s game time against Hampton will be crucial as the season goes on.

“It was hugely important to get him some plays,” Freeze said. “Hopefully we’ll be healthy with our starter (Calvert) and not have to worry about that, but you have to prepare for that (possibility).” 

Though Bennett’s injury and some chaotic defending meant the Flames go into Saturday’s game against New Mexico State with a lot to adjust to in practice, Freeze walked off the field confident that his team is growing. 

 “The day we stop celebrating victories is a sad day,” Freeze said. “I’ve been in locker rooms before where they didn’t know how to enjoy a victory – that one counts as much as last week’s. Are there a lot of things we can improve on, and were we sloppy, (were there) too many penalties? Absolutely. It’s frustrating when you’re coaching it like that, but we’re going to celebrate that tonight and (we’re) thankful for another victory.” 

The Flames will complete their three-game home stand against New Mexico State at 6 p.m. Saturday evening.