The Liberty University football team fell to the Missouri State University Bears 21-17 in a fourth-quarter misfire, falling 3-2 in Conference USA.
“It’s hard. … Obviously, there was a pathway for us to get back to the championship game, which is what we wanted to do,” Head Coach Jamey Chadwell said. “You get what you deserve, and we didn’t deserve to win.”
With the Bears winning the coin toss and kicking off, the Flames took advantage to strike the stone early on the return. Redshirt sophomore running back Evan Dickens pushed through an army of defenders to put the Flames on the board first. With an extra point attempt from redshirt senior kicker Jay Billingsley, the Flames were up 7-0 to take control of the first quarter.
The Bears looked to respond but failed to answer as redshirt sophomore Christian Bodnar sacked senior quarterback Jacob Clark, forcing a fourth-down punt. The Bears landed on the 10-yard line to set up the Flames’ next drive.
Vasko landed a 12-yard pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Reese Smith for a first down to set up the Flames at the 24-yard line. With another bullet 16 yards deep to redshirt senior wide receiver Tyson Mobley, the Flames set up at the 40-yard line for another first-and-10.
Liberty looked to gain more yardage, but an illegal blindside block by Vasko sent the Flames back to the 43-yard line. More yellow flags toppled onto the gridiron, but this time in Liberty’s favor. The Flames earned a trip up to the 35-yard line, but a fourth down brought in senior punter Max Morgan, resulting in a touchback to end the first quarter.
Missouri State set up at the 20-yard line to start the second quarter where they broke through Flames defense for a first down. On the next drive, a Liberty penalty set up the Bears for an automatic first down at the 46-yard line.
Missouri State’s momentum was stifled as redshirt sophomore lineman Brenton Williams sacked Clark for a third down. After a failed pass, the Bears opted for a field goal attempt from 47 yards, although not enough to put them on the board.
The next drive saw Vasko’s pass to Dickens drive the Flames to the Liberty 40-yard line, and after several failed passing attempts, Vasko kept the ball to gain 4 yards. Yet the Bears defense held him, resulting in another punt from Morgan.
Keeping defensive efforts high, senior linebacker CJ Bazile Jr. stopped Clark at the 28-yard line on second down, and redshirt junior defensive lineman Eli Hall ended the Bears’ run with a sack for a loss of 3 yards.
With the Flames offense back in possession, sights were set on another trip to the end zone before halftime.
With barely four minutes left in the quarter, Vasko sent a 23-yard dart to Smith where he was held at the Missouri State 43-yard line. After two incomplete passes, the Flames opted to punt, resulting in a fair catch on the 11-yard line for the Bears.
Despite the Bears’ grizzly attempts to gain some yardage, they could not get past Liberty defense as Bodnar earned his second sack of the game, taking down Clark at the 6-yard line.
In a last-ditch effort by the Flames to return to the end zone, Vasko beamed a shot to junior wide receiver Jamari Person, earning a fresh set of downs. Dickens rushed for a gain of 18-yards, as the Flames inched closer to the red. Vasko found Smith with a 14-yard pass up the middle on a third-and-10 to give the Flames another set of downs.
Vasko made a quick decision to run it himself in a scramble, sliding to a knee at the Missouri State 20-yard line. With an incomplete pass, the Flames set up for a field goal from the 38, successfully made by Billingsley for 10-0 at the break.
To begin the second half, Morgan kicked for the Flames to set up the Bears for a first-and-10 from the 29-yard line. Missouri State was unable to capitalize, and each team traded possession for a few drives.
With under five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Clark sent a 28-yard pass to junior wide receiver Jmariyae Robinson, who shook off two Flames defenders in the end zone to earn the first touchdown for the Bears, a good extra point attempt bringing the score to 10-7.
In response, Vasko beamed a pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Donte Lee Jr. for a gain of 23 yards. The Flames’ run was cut short, however, after Vasko was sacked and possession was handed back to the Bears.
As the Flames Quarter began, each team sprung into formation ready to strike. Missouri State was first to do so with Clark earning a rushing touchdown to begin the quarter, taking their first lead of the game 14-10.
In response, redshirt sophomore running back Vaughn Blue rushed for 22 yards, pushing the Flames closer to touchdown territory. Freshman running back Jaylon Coleman gained 23 more yards for the Flames, and Vasko then ran one in himself to put the Flames back in the lead 17-14 after an extra point by Billingsley.
The Flames were looking to back the Bears into their cave to seal the win, but Missouri State managed to show its claws and resurrect its offense.
With 27 seconds ticking down on the clock, Clark connected with a receiver for a 13-yard pass that resulted in a touchdown, giving Missouri State the final lead of the game. And after Vasko’s pass was intercepted on the next drive, Clark knelt to run out the game clock, and the Bears took home the 21-17 victory.
“We’ve been saying in practice this week, these next four games are elimination games. … We’ve got to just find a way to win these next three games and finish the season off good,” Bodnar said.
The Flames travel to face their next CUSA opponent at Florida International University Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. EST. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
“We’re not just going to give up because the conference championship chances are a little lower. … We’re going to go back to work next week … and try to end the season on a high note,” Dickens said.
White is the sports editor for the Liberty Champion.