Game: Football loses on the road in New Jersey

When Liberty Flames (5-3) football traveled to Rutgers (2-6), it was clear after the first half that the first team to make a defensive stop was going to win the game.

Rutgers snapped the Flames five-game win streak with a 44-34 victory over Liberty Saturday, Oct. 26. For the second week in a row, the Flames gave up 44 points to their opponent, but this time their offense was unable to keep up with the Rutgers attack.

After trading touchdowns during the first half, Rutgers opened the second half with a touchdown and then stopped the Flames on third-and-goal at the 1-yard line before a false start forced Liberty to settle for a field goal.

“It’s frustrating for sure,” Head Coach Hugh Freeze said. “You have to score in this kind of game – you don’t have enough possessions to kick field goals.”

While Liberty generated 413 yards of offense, including 282 from Stephen Calvert, the Flames defense gave up 463 yards to Rutgers. Johnny Langan and Isaih Pacheco each rushed for over 100 yards for the Scarlet Knights.

The Flames will look to rebound against UMass (1-7) next Saturday, Nov. 2, at noon, as they continue their search for two more wins to secure a chance at a
bowl game.