The Liberty University Football team defeated the University of Delaware 59-30 Nov. 1 in front of the sold-out Homecoming Weekend crowd at Williams Stadium.
Delaware returned the kickoff after the Flames won the coin toss,driving the ball down to the Liberty 25-yard line before being halted by the Flames defense. After a failed long pass into the end zone, the Blue Hens were forced to attempt a field goal, securing the lead 3-0.
Liberty responded quickly on its opening drive as redshirt junior quarterback Ethan Vasko connected on multiple run plays to push the Flames down the field. A successful connection between Vasko and redshirt sophomore running back Evan Dickens allowed the Flames to net 15 yards, breaching Blue Hens territory.
After a couple successful handoffs, Liberty found itself with its first opportunity of the game to score a touchdown. A motion play leading to a fake handoff gave Vasko an open lane to cruise into the end zone.
A successful extra point by redshirt senior kicker Jay Billingsley allowed Liberty to take the lead 7-3 with 6:02 remaining in the first quarter.
Delaware’s momentum was stifled on the following drive. A recovered fumble and two fourth-down conversions highlighted the offense, and Delaware made it to the Liberty 10-yard line before the clock expired in the opening quarter.
The start of the second quarter saw the Flames cage the Blue Hens at the end zone to force another field goal and keep the scoreboard narrowed to 7-6 Liberty lead.
The Flames’ next drive began with style as Vasko completed a pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Elijah Canion, who hurdled an oncoming defender to claim a few more yards before running out of bounds.
Despite the panache, Delaware killed the Flames’ momentum on their own 42-yard line, forcing the special teams to punt downfield.
The following drive was cut short due to senior safety Elijah Auguste disrupting a deep pass on third down.
The Blue Hens gambled with a fake punt, but the attempt went up in smoke as Liberty busted through the offensive line and brought the ball to the ground, forcing a turnover on downs at the Delaware 21-yard line.
Liberty’s momentum carried into the next drive, and the Flames found themselves 5 yards from the end zone at the end of the first play. Vasko and Dickens then converted on a 5-yard handoff, resulting in a touchdown for the Flames.
“I got to give credit to the O-line,” Dickens said after the game. “They blocked their tails off all game, and I also got to give credit to the coaching staff. They put together a really good game plan.”
Billingsley’s kick was enough to bring the score to 14-6 with over 11 minutes to the half.
Liberty forced another turnover shortly after and began another drive toward the end zone. Vasko converted on multiple long passes to redshirt junior wide receiver Donte Lee Jr. as the Flames pushed into the red zone. Lee rushed the ball up 19 yards after converting on a short pass with Vasko.
Just before Lee could reach the red, Delaware junior safety KT Seay knocked him out of bounds at the 1-yard line.
That did not stop the Flames as a handoff from Vasko to Dickens two plays later resulted in Dickens weaving through the Blue Hens’ defensive wall into the end zone, upping the lead to 21-6.
The following Blue Hens drive was halted after redshirt junior defensive lineman Eli Hall sacked Delaware junior quarterback Nick Minicucci on the opening play.
Later, senior cornerback Amarian Williams intercepted Delaware’s pass at the 42-yard line. Liberty used the turnover to send Dickens on a 30-yard rush into the end zone. Another successful point after touchdown from Billingsley extended Liberty’s lead 28-6 with 1:39 left in the first half.
“I was really pleased with taking care of the ball,” Head Coach Jamey Chadwell said. “We didn’t put ourselves in any bad situations. We thought our quarterback played well. Obviously our running back, Evan Dickens, was fantastic running the ball.”
Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Brenton Williams earned a sack of his own when he broke through the offensive line, pushing the Blue Hens back 8 yards. Despite making up 22 yards on a rush, the woes continued for the Blue Hens after a personal foul moved them back 15 yards.
Delaware almost earned their first touchdown of the game, but an ineligible receiver barred them from scoring with 13 seconds to the break. The first half concluded with another Delaware field goal, leaving the halftime score at 28-9.
Liberty came out with guns ablaze at the start of the third. After connecting with Vasko, Dickens took the ball and powered around the Blue Hens defense on a 72-yard rush for his fourth touchdown of the game. Billingsley notched another, lifting Liberty to 35-9.
Delaware pressed on and found a touchdown of its own after multiple deep passes downfield to inch closer to Liberty, 35-16.
This momentum carried as the Blue Hens defense stopped the next drive. Delaware continued the beatdown, pushing the defending Flames closer to the end zone. The drive resulted in another touchdown, and after a successful two-point conversion, the Blue Hens came back into contention 35-24.
On the next drive, Dickens helped get the ball midfield, setting up Vasko for a long pass to redshirt senior tight end Jacob Jenkins for 43 yards. A few plays later, Vasko found Jenkins again, this time in the end zone to bring the lead to 42-24.
“I think the offense, since fall camp, we know we have talent in our room, so I think it was just trusting the process like Coach Chadwell was talking about — just trusting our coaches, trusting our game plan. And eventually we knew this thing was going to click, and tonight it clicked,” Jenkins said.
Later in the quarter, Delaware lost the ball on downs, and Vasko took the opportunity to find Lee on a 31-yard pass into the end zone for a 49-24 lead to end the third.
The Flames quarter took place under the lights as the sun retired behind the horizon. While Delaware mounted a comeback, the Blue Hens were unable to extinguish the Flames. A quick touchdown gave the Blue Hens more markers on the board, but a failed two-point conversion left the score 49-30.
The Flames offense powered its way down the field, setting up for a 12-yard rush into the end zone courtesy of redshirt sophomore running back Vaughn Blue for a 56-30 lead with 9:05 remaining. The Flames then forced the Blue Hens to punt on the next drive. Redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Merdinger came in to sub for Vasko after the touchdown.
Merdinger connected with redshirt freshman wide receiver Jon Monteiro on a 40-yard pass to bring the Flames back toward the end zone, eventually having to rely on Billingsley to bring in another field goal on fourth down.
“We’re thankful to be at home, great to be in front of a Homecoming crowd, and I don’t know what we ended up having there, but it was good to get a big victory and actually have one that you can sort of breathe on a little bit too,” Chadwell said.
The Flames knelt to drain the final 30 seconds for a final score of 59-30.
The Flames return to Williams Stadium to take on Missouri State University Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. EST. Stream the game live on ESPN+.
Warden is the opinion editor for the Liberty Champion.