After a semester of rigorous practices and early morning workouts, Liberty football enjoyed a day of community and sunshine in its annual spring game at Williams Stadium on April 15.
With the defense in white jerseys and the offense in red, a new-look Flames football team competed against each other in Head Coach Jamey Chadwell’s first spring game with the program.
More than just football, Saturday’s game brought the Flames community back to Williams Stadium in an interactive way. With a fan’s zone on one end of the field and tables set up afterwards for autographs, the sunny afternoon on the Mountain celebrated a season of steady progress for Chadwell and the new coaching staff, while commemorating a semester of hard work for each student-athlete on the roster.
“Our team is bought in to what we are trying to do here with our program and the values we believe in,” Chadwell said after the game. “We still have a long way to go this summer, but it’s going to be important to our growth. We have a good foundation laid, and then hopefully, we will continue to build off it.”
Unlike a traditional football game, the offense and defense were split into two separate teams, requiring the coaching staff to get creative with the scoring. In addition to touchdowns and field goals, specific plays on both sides of the ball earned points as well. Sacks and tackles for loss plays earned the defense two points, while turnovers were worth three. On the offensive side, first downs earned one point, and fourth down conversions earned two points.
The defense, fitted in white uniforms, proved its supremacy over the offense, winning 66-55. Only allowing three touchdowns on 14 drives, the defense had crunching hits and intelligent reads the entire game. Sophomore defensive end CJ Bazile’s strip sack had the whole defense dancing, and senior defensive back Brandon Bishop had the best play of the afternoon when he intercepted senior quarterback Johnathan Bennett’s pass, running it back for a touchdown into the fan’s zone.
“It was a 3-to-2 read, and I broke on the out and I just picked it off,” Bishop said. “Before the game, I said that I was going to jump in the bouncy house, but I saw the kids everywhere and decided not to do that … It was a good play.”
The offense, on the other hand, struggled to find a rhythm. After an impressive first drive led by Bennett, the Flames’ leading passer last season, the offense stalled. Later in the game, however, sophomore quarterback Kaidon Salter threw a dart over the middle to BYU transfer tight end Bentley Hanshaw to revive the offense. The last score of the game came through a four-yard rush to the left pylon by redshirt freshman running back James Jointer Jr., capped off by walk-on freshman kicker Josh Salehi’s extra point.
“(Getting in the end zone) is a lot of fun. It is definitely a feeling that never gets old,” Hanshaw said.
Despite the touchdowns, big tackles and impressive plays, the highlight of the afternoon came at halftime when Chadwell announced the most improved players at each position. Sophomore quarterback Nate Hampton, senior wide receiver Treon Sibley, freshman running back Vaughn Blue and senior safety Jaylon Jimmerson were just a few recipients of the most improved award in each of their respective positions.
Chadwell ended the halftime festivities by awarding sophomore punter Max Morgan the most improved specialist award with a full academic scholarship to go along with it. Morgan, a native of Greenville, South Carolina, was quickly engulfed by his teammates in a raucous celebration.
The sun-drenched field, accompanied by music and games, marked a joyful end to a hard-fought spring semester. The Flames, with a new offensive playbook and philosophy, look to continue to improve as they prepare for the fall season. Liberty opens the 2023 season against Bowling Green in its Conference USA inaugural season home-opener Sept. 2 at Williams Stadium.
Rivas is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter