Playing for a sold-out crowd in Williams Stadium, the Liberty University Football team fell to the James Madison University Dukes 31-13 Sept. 20 in the inaugural Battle of the Blue Ridge game.
Liberty and JMU will continue this new tradition in over 10 matchups across the next 16 seasons, according to Liberty Athletics. However, this game was the first time these two teams have met on the field since 2014.
The Flames returned from a loss on the road with sights set on turning things around at their home field. JMU drove the ball to the Liberty 20-yard line on the opening drive but had to settle for a field goal after redshirt junior defensive lineman Eli Hall knocked the ball loose from JMU redshirt junior quarterback Alonza Barnett III on a third-and-14. The score was 3-0 for JMU as the Flames offense received the ball to begin its drive.
On the second play of Liberty’s drive, redshirt junior quarterback Ethan Vasko scrambled, gaining 19 yards and pushing the Flames closer to the 50-yard line. After almost forcing a turnover on fourth-and-1, Vasko pulled off a successful QB sneak, allowing the Flames a fresh set of downs. Yet that momentum was quickly extinguished as the JMU defense stopped the Flames at the 30-yard line.
With five minutes remaining in the quarter, redshirt senior kicker Jay Billingsley picked up three points for the Flames with a successful field goal, tying the score 3-3.
A few penalties on the Liberty defense brought JMU to the red zone with a handful of seconds left in the opening quarter. Just before the Dukes got a chance to break the tie, senior safety Brylan Green intercepted a pass in the end zone, keeping Liberty level with the Dukes going into the second quarter.
“It was a good play,” Green said. “… (We) tried to get the offense some momentum, but we came up short.”
The intensity was evident among both teams as neither could capitalize on possession at the beginning of the second quarter. However, Liberty managed to break the stalemate as Vasko connected on a 21-yard pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Donte Lee Jr., bringing the Flames past the 50-yard line.
After a few plays and an unsuccessful challenge on Liberty’s end, the Flames opted to take a chance on a fourth-and-1. Vasko once again scrambled to keep his team in the fight, and his efforts were not in vain, gaining 3 yards to bring in another set of downs.
Once in the red zone, Vasko continued his momentum by running the ball into the end zone, barely getting over the line to give the Flames a 10-3 lead with just over five minutes left in the half.
The Dukes responded with a touchdown of their own to tie the game back up, prompting Liberty to push for some extra points before the half concluded. However, Vasko was injured during the drive, giving redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Merdinger his first chance to play on the home field. The half ended 10-10.
At the start of the third quarter, the Flames returned the ball on the opening drive. Merdinger earned a couple of first downs on scrambles as he brought the offense toward the 50-yard line. The drive continued before losing steam in the red zone where Billingsley brought in another field goal, increasing the Flames’ lead to 13-10.
The Dukes came back on the following drive, slicing and dicing their way through the Flames defense to add another touchdown for a 17-13 score. The clock expired, setting up for an intense Flames Quarter.
JMU started the fourth quarter with a touchdown drive, extending their lead 24-13 with 11:07 remaining on the clock. Both teams traded possession of the ball until JMU took over with 6:36 remaining. From there, the Dukes secured one more touchdown before kneeling to end the game 31-13.
“We had some plays there on a couple of third downs where, if we make the right throw then we could get a chance to at least hold the ball, let our defense wrestle a bit, try to get some explosive plays, but we were unfortunately not able to do that,” Head Coach Jamey Chadwell said.
Despite the loss, Chadwell recognized his team’s effort and mentioned where the team is looking to improve.
“I was proud of our team as far as the opportunity that we presented ourselves,” Chadwell said. “We had an opportunity there, you know going into the fourth quarter, even when our quarterback went down, but we are not making the necessary plays when we need to, whether that’s to sustain drives or get them off the field. I was disappointed in that.”
The Flames hit the road again to play Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia Sept. 27 at 6:00 p.m. EST. Stream live on ESPN+.
Warden is the opinion editor for the Liberty Champion.