Reviewing the first five: Taking a look back at Flames football so far

The Liberty University Football team is about halfway through its 2024 season. To say the least, the Flames haven’t had a very normal start, and aside from giving me a constant heart attack every game until the fourth quarter, they’ve encountered other obstacles that have led to this roller coaster of a season.
Liberty’s home opener against the Fighting Camels was a back-and-forth game in the first quarter. The Flames scored 20 unanswered points in the second and third quarters, and for a short period of time, my heart attack subsided.
Liberty closed out that matchup with a 41-24 victory over the Camels. After that game, it looked like the Flames were doing well and that they were going to have a fairly smooth season to mimic their last, where they went 13-0 and won the 2023 CUSA Championship.
The next week, the Flames faced off against New Mexico State for their first away game of the season. The Aggies put points on the board first with a field goal and the first touchdown of the game while Liberty, once again, struggled to get it together until the fourth quarter.
The Flames went into the fourth quarter with only 9 points gained from three field goals. I was certain that this win was out the window until the Flames scored three touchdowns in the final quarter and secured a 30-24 victory. Why are they only performing well in the fourth quarter, and why couldn’t they play like this during the entire game? I get that the fourth quarter is Flames Quarter, but if they want to win, they should rebrand and make it the Flames Game, not just one quarter.
With the Flames back at home against UTEP Sept. 14, this might have been Liberty’s only game so far that didn’t make me want to rip my hair out. I hold nothing against Head Coach Jamey Chadwell; I think he is doing a fantastic job. By the way, Chadwell was just added to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list, so I feel that justifies my belief.
But anyway, something has to be said about the players. What is it about these games that makes them unable to click and communicate as a group until the fourth quarter, especially the offense? Do they thrive so much under pressure that they subconsciously tank the game until they have enough time to score three touchdowns and manage a huge comeback? Don’t get me wrong, it makes a great game to write about, but at what point does it get tiresome having to watch them trail for three quarters? But I digress — Liberty beat UTEP 28-10.
Then Liberty faced off against East Carolina University the following weekend, and it might have been my favorite game to watch so far this season. Although we had that lovely four-hour rain delay and we weren’t even sure if we were going to get to play football, it was definitely worth the wait when the game started around 10:45 p.m.
But who’s surprised that once again we saw the Flames trail until the second half? Not me — at least anymore. Junior wide receiver Reese Smith absolutely owned ECU’s defense and basically took the game into his own hands with the help of junior quarterback Kaidon Salter. Smith scored three touchdowns to bring the Flames into the lead.
However, during the 2 a.m. postgame press conference, Chadwell even said that Liberty is a fourth-quarter team. But I want to ask, why does it have to be that way, and why is everyone just accepting that? Why can’t the Flames perform in all four quarters? I believe that’s a question in everyone’s mind when they watch Liberty play. Why can’t they perform like they do in the fourth quarter straight out of the gate? It is frustrating to see this happen over and over again.
As sad as it was that the Flames’ next game against Appalachian State was canceled, I’m happy that both schools could make sure that their players and staff were safe, because that should be first priority. Unfortunately, though, the loss of this game on the schedule could affect Liberty’s chances at a bowl game this year because it will have only played 11 games at the end of the season, while a majority of the other bowl game contenders will have played 12.
If Liberty can’t schedule a new game, that could put the university’s bowl game chances in jeopardy. I think the Flames deserve to have the chance to play in another bowl game. I think their nerves got to them last year, when they played the Oregon Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl. If Liberty got a second chance to play a bowl game, I believe that it would perform better.
Liberty’s most recent game was against FIU Oct. 8. This was supposed to be an easy win for the Flames, but for some reason, that fourth-quarter team that thrives under pressure just vanished. FIU scored two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 24 and send the game into overtime. What happened? That’s the question I was asking myself during this entire game. Where did our team even go? Liberty thankfully got a touchdown in overtime, but I truly believe that the only reason the Flames won this matchup was because FIU fumbled the ball and Liberty recovered it. Otherwise, I feel that FIU would’ve won the game, ending Liberty’s four-game winning streak.
With its current five-game winning streak, Liberty will face off against Kennesaw State for an away game Oct. 23. When these two teams meet, Liberty will have not played a game for two weeks. I hope that during this two-week break, the Flames figured out how to perform throughout the whole game and not rely so heavily on their defense during the first three quarters so the offense can show up at the end.
Of course, it’s easy for me, a 20-year-old girl, to sit here and say, “You guys just need to play better.” I know that it is difficult to go out there and perform and meet everyone’s expectations, but the Flames need to work out their kinks soon before they come back to bite them, leaving them without the chance or the time to redeem themselves in the fourth quarter like they have been.
Schlösser is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.
Hopefully this game with Kennesaw State will put Liberty back on the offense again and get their wheels turning. They need to win this game by about 30 and it would do great for the team.