Cure Bowl 2020: 3 takeaways from Liberty’s wild win over Coastal Carolina

Liberty was able to hold off Coastal Carolina in a frantic finish to the 2020 Cure Bowl by a score of 37-34. What did we learn?

Bowl season is fully underway and the Cure Bowl was the home to a matchup between two schools coming off great seasons. Both Coastal Carolina and Liberty had a 20-1 combined record which is the highest combined winning percentage of any bowl game outside the CFP.

The Flames picked up momentum early on by making a stop on fourth-and-2 inside their own territory on the first possession. They followed this up with a 64-yard drive capped off with a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Malik Willis.

After giving up another touchdown, the Chanticleers were in a tough spot down 14-0. In fact this was the first time all year they were down 10-plus points. But Brayden Matts was able to pick off Willis shifting the momentum back to the Coastal Carolina sideline. The Chanticleers responded with 10 straight points to get back in this game.

The second half was a back and forth battle as both teams went blow for blow. Each team scored points on six consecutive drives. And then things got even crazier.

With a chance to run out the clock, Liberty had an unusual way of killing clock. Instead of a traditional kneel, Liberty decided to slowly run the ball up the middle. Josh Mack would then fumble the ball at the Coastal 1-yard-line, sending this game into overtime.

In overtime, both offenses were held in check which led to the kickers needing to step up. Liberty got their three points and then blocked Massimo Biscardi’s attempt which ended Coastal Carolina’s perfect season.

Two great teams put on a show in Orlando that ended with a wild finish. What did we learn?