Liberty University’s Football team faced off against New Mexico State University for Midweek on the Mountain Oct. 14 to secure a 30-27 win over the Aggies.
Coming out of a four-game slump, this win was the second in a row for the Flames after they defeated the University of Texas at El Paso Oct. 8. Let’s break down why the Flames have reached a turning point as they continue in conference play.
JuJu on that beat
After redshirt senior kicker Jay Billingsley opened up scoring for the Flames with a field goal, redshirt senior running back Julian (JuJu) Gray secured the top scoring drive of the game.
In the second quarter, New Mexico graduate student kicker Ryan Hawk made a kickoff return after the Aggies made their first field goal of the game. Gray caught the return and took off running to secure a 96-yard touchdown and put the Flames up 10-3.
This run was his fourth and longest kick-return touchdown of the season so far. The Flames offense was quick to shut down numerous New Mexico tackle attempts to give Gray an open lane to run down the sideline without stopping until his feet hit the end zone.
Liberty’s record for longest kickoff return is currently held by Frankie Hickson against Kennesaw State University in 2016 when he returned the ball for 99 yards.
The Vasko Variety Show
He can run, and he can throw! After coming back from an injury suffered against James Madison University, redshirt junior quarterback Ethan Vasko has led the Flames to two consecutive victories.
Vasko completed 20-of-30 pass attempts against the Aggies, throwing for 179 yards and suffering only two interceptions. Two of Liberty’s biggest rushing plays came from Vasko running up the middle for a gain of 15 yards and a gain of 13 yards, both resulting in first downs.
With the game-winning drive starting with 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, Vasko completed a 13-play, 92-yard drive. On this possession, Vasko was 7-for-7 in passing for 66 yards. The drive was completed with an 8-yard rushing touchdown by redshirt sophomore running back Evan Dickens to secure the 30-27 win.
Two sides of the same Flame
Liberty’s offense is currently ranked 10th in the Conference USA football overall team statistics. This standing is not the cleanest start for the Flames as there are only 12 teams in the conference. Since dominating the CUSA in 2023, going 8-0 in conference play, and falling to 5-3 last season, the Flames have an uphill battle if they hope to continue their conference reign.
On the other side of things, Liberty’s defense showed promise by completing 59 total tackles throughout the game against the Aggies, with senior linebacker Joseph Carter and cornerback Damond Harmon leading the charge. The Flames defense is outperforming the offense as they are ranked third in CUSA football overall team statistics.
Burning for a bowl bid
This win over New Mexico bumped Liberty up to an overall record of 3-4 and 2-1 in the CUSA. With the slow start the Flames had, two back-to-back victories may reignite their momentum as they continue in conference play.
CUSA requires teams to have at least six wins and a minimum winning percentage of .500 to be bowl-game eligible.
This means that the Flames must win three of their five next competitions if they want to punch a ticket to another bowl game. If they do not accomplish this, it will be the first time the Flames have not been bowl eligible since joining the FBS in 2019.
Liberty’s next game will be against the University of Delaware back in Williams Stadium Nov. 1 at 3:30 p.m.
The matchup against Missouri State University Nov. 8 is statistically expected to fall in Liberty’s favor since Missouri is a newer program in CUSA, but the Flames have been caught by surprise before this season by underdog teams. If Liberty falls short in these two home games, that puts some serious pressure on their back-to-back road games.
Two major contests for Liberty are the matchups against Florida International University Nov. 15 and Louisiana Tech University Nov. 22. If the Flames can deliver wins on the road against these teams, they will strengthen their conference reputation and standings.
Schlösser is the assistant sports editor for the Liberty Champion.