Liberty Football played in their first FBS game ever and dominated every facet of the game in a 52-10 blowout win over Old Dominion.
Liberty is now an FBS football program, and they did not disappoint in their opening game. Many people questioned if a team that finished 6-5 last season in FCS play could compete at the highest level of college football.
The Flames did not disappoint and proved many of the skeptics wrong. They had a balanced attack and simply outplayed Old Dominion on Saturday night.
Starting quarterback Stephen “Buckshot” Calvert led the way with 345 passing yards and four touchdowns. Star receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden had six receptions for 53 yards and three touchdowns. Also, DJ Stubbs had seven receptions for 155 yards and one touchdown.
In the rushing game, senior running back Kentory Matthews led the way with 101 yards on 17 carries and also had a touchdown. Backup running back Peyton Picket had 87 rushing yards on only 10 carries, which included a 53-yard touchdown run late in the game.
Liberty finished with 595 total yards of offense and held Old Dominion to only 301 total yards and 10 points.
I expected Liberty to only have an effective passing game and struggle running the ball, but their balanced attack kept the Monarchs’ defense honest. Also, Liberty’s defense was surprisingly effective and caused multiple turnovers.
Generally, Liberty does not struggle to score points, but their defense allows too many big plays and does not keep them in the game. Old Dominion may not have been an elite FBS opponent, but they have had some success the past few seasons, which makes Liberty’s performance that much more impressive.
Old Dominion won five games in 2017 and made it to a bowl game in 2016. They did return their starting quarterback this season and a few impact players from their defense last season, but they did not look very good to start 2018.
This was a decisive win for the Flames that will give them a major confidence boost heading into an away game against Army this Saturday. The Golden Knights will be the favorites entering the game, but Liberty could pull off a major upset that would silence any doubts about Liberty’s readiness to be in the FBS.