Quinton Cooley could not be stopped! He was making every NMSU player bounce right off him. He came to ball-out and set the tone for this game. The game was pretty much over in the first half. New Mexico state has a new qb in Parker Awad and it wasnt pretty when his O-line couldn't hold their blocks for him and rb Monte Watkins. The wr"s couldn't run their route and tight ends didnt help either. Liberty was ready for the visiting Aggies and controlled this game from the start. There is really not much info to report about New Mexico state. They just failed to show up and make it a competitive for Liberty.
Good game coach and good luck wioth the rest of the season.
Venue: Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, VA
Final Score: New Mexico State 7, Liberty 34
In a thrilling matchup last season, the Liberty Flames looked to come out with a vengeance, losing in their season opener too Charlotte last week in a heartbreaker.
First Half: Strong Start for Liberty
The game kicked off with Liberty establishing early momentum, as their offense moved efficiently down the field. Quarterback Kaidon Salter was sharp, completing a series of short passes and the help from both of their backs, Quinton Cooley and Billy Lucas, in the rushing attack. On the first drive of the game, the Flames opened the scoring with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Salter to running back Billy Lucas. The Flames' defense, led by linebacker Teylor Jackson, kept New Mexico State's offense off balance, stifling their early attempts at a rhythm.
Liberty, however, was going to come into this game and make a statement. The Flames were hot early in this game and Quinton Cooley wasn't going to let that cool down, when he broke off a 47-yd touchdown run late in the first quarter to put Liberty up 14-0. The Liberty defense looked different and was playing with a chip on their shoulder. Parker Awad and the Aggies offense couldn't find rhythm on offense and looked to find themselves in trouble in this year's matchup. The Aggies defense showed a little hope when they forced a long field goal attempt by Liberty, and Nick Brown drills it from 47 yards deep, pushing the score to 17-0. The Aggies looked to put up some points before halftime and not let this game slip away. However, Liberty had other plans, Kaidon Salter and the offense had the ball with under a minute to play of the half, and that's when Salter found Tyson Mobley on a 65-yd touchdown pass to put the Flames up at the half, 24-0.
Second Half: Liberty dominant
The second half began right where the first half ended. However, New Mexico State’s defense came out and played better in the second half, but it wasn't enough to stop the Flames from scoring, when Nick Brown hits his second field goal of the game to give Liberty a 27-0 lead. The Aggies appeared to be on the ropes, but Awad refused to back down. Toward the end of the third quarter Awad and the offense got the ball back and looked to establish some sort of rhythm, up until Teylor Jackson picks off Parker Awad and returns it 23 yards to put a stamp on this game.
With time running down in the fourth quarter, Awad led an impressive drive, capped by a 11-yard touchdown pass from Parker Awad to Jordan Smith. With seconds to go in the game.
The Flames stifling defense was the key takeaway from this game and how it played out. Liberty looked to come out strong and they did just that with an impressive performance from Kaidon Salter. Liberty goes on the road the next couple weeks, and hope to pick up a couple big road wins against Utep and South Carolina.
CONNECT WITH US ONLINE:
WHOS ONLINE:
Dcanady1 and 17 Guests in the last 5 minutes Legend: NDL Admin | Conference Commish | Media Team | NDL Coaches
NDL Hall of Fame:
664 Coaches Newest Member: OracleHCR
HOME
Discord