2024 Liberty Flames football team

2024 Liberty Flames football
2024 Liberty Flames football
Conference	Conference USA
Record	5–2 (3–2 C-USA)
Head coach	Jamey Chadwell (2nd season);
Co-offensive coordinator	Willy Korn (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Newland Isaac (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Up-tempo spread
Co-defensive coordinator	Skylor Magee (2nd season)
Base defense	Multiple 4–2–5
Home stadium	Williams Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Conference USA football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Western Kentucky	4	–	0	6	–	2
Jacksonville State	4	–	0	5	–	3
Sam Houston	4	–	1	7	–	2
Liberty	3	–	2	5	–	2
FIU	2	–	3	3	–	6
Louisiana Tech	2	–	3	3	–	5
Middle Tennessee	1	–	3	2	–	6
Kennesaw State*	1	–	3	1	–	7
New Mexico State	1	–	4	2	–	6
UTEP	1	–	4	1	–	7
Championship: December 6, 2024
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules As of November 1, 2024 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2024 Liberty Flames football team will represent Liberty University during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Flames play their home games at Williams Stadium located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and compete as a second-year member of Conference USA. They are led by second-year head coach Jamey Chadwell.

Preseason

C-USA media poll

The Conference USA preseason media poll was released on July 19. The Flames were predicted to finish first in the conference.^[1]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll
1	Liberty	197 (18)
2	Western Kentucky	173 (2)
3	Jacksonville State	166
4	Middle Tennessee	98
5	New Mexico State	97
5	Sam Houston	97
7	Louisiana Tech	88
8	FIU	81
9	UTEP	76
10	Kennesaw State	27

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	6:00 p.m.	Campbell*	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	ESPN+	W 41–24	21,573
September 7	10:15 p.m.	at New Mexico State	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM	ESPN2	W 30–24	16,562
September 14	6:00 p.m.	UTEP	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	ESPN+	W 28–10	21,805
September 21	6:00 p.m.	East Carolina*	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	ESPN+	W 35–24	24,076
September 28	3:30 p.m.	at Appalachian State*	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC	ESPN+	Canceled^[2]
October 8	7:00 p.m.	FIU	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	CBSSN	W 31–24 ^OT	16,343
October 23	7:00 p.m.	at Kennesaw State	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	CBSSN	L 24–27	8,209
October 30	7:00 p.m.	Jacksonville State	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	CBSSN	L 21–31	18,069
November 9	1:00 p.m.	at Middle Tennessee	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	CBSSN
November 16	12:00 p.m.	at Massachusetts*	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA	ESPN+
November 23	1:00 p.m.	Western Kentucky	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	ESPN Networks
November 29	3:30 p.m.	at Sam Houston	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	CBSSN
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Eastern time

^[3]^[4]

Game summaries

Campbell (FCS)

Game One – Campbell Fighting Camels (FCS) (0–0) at Liberty Flames (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Campbell (FCS)	3	7	7	7	24
Liberty	7	10	10	14	41

at Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, Virginia

Date: August 31, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CAMP	LIB
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Campbell	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Liberty	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at New Mexico State

Game Two – Liberty Flames (1–0) at New Mexico State Aggies (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Liberty	3	6	0	21	30
New Mexico State	10	7	0	7	24

at Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, New Mexico

Date: September 7, 2024
Game time: 10:15 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 16,562
Referee: Rodney Burnette
TV announcers (ESPN2): Brian Custer (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst) and Lauren Sisler (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(7:23) NMSU – Abraham Montano 29 yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 4:16; NMSU 3–0)
(5:39) NMSU – Monte Watkins 64 yard pass from Parker Awad, Abraham Montano kick (Drive: 1 plays, 64 yards, 0:12; NMSU 10–0)
(2:53) LIB – Colin Karhu 39 yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 7:21; NMSU 10–3)

Second quarter

(13:15) NMSU – Seth McGowan 5 yard pass from Parker Awad, Abraham Montano kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:38; NMSU 17–3)
(5:55) LIB – Colin Karhu 31 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 3:31; NMSU 17–6)
(0:37) LIB – Colin Karhu 29 yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 41 yards, 2:56; NMSU 17–9)

Third quarter
Fourth quarter

(9:45) LIB – CJ Bazile Jr. 22 Yd fumble return, Kaidon Salter run for two-point conversion (Drive: 6 plays, 4 yards, 3:22; NMSU 17–15)
(7:42) NMSU – Parker Awad 2 yard run, Abraham Montano kick (Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 1:55; NMSU 24–15)
(5:12) LIB – Quinton Cooley 27 yard run, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 6 plays, 82 yards, 2:26; NMSU 24–22)
(1:05) LIB – Quinton Cooley 44 yard run, Kaidon Salter pass to Reese Smith for two-point conversion (Drive: 7 plays, 90 yards, 1:54; LIB 30–24)

Statistics	LIB	NMSU
First downs	18	18
Total yards	473	275
Rushing yards	217	117
Passing yards	256	158
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–29–0	9–22–0
Time of possession	28:56	31:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing	Kaidon Salter	16/29, 256 yards
	Rushing	Quinton Cooley	12 carries, 111 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Treon Sibley	5 receptions, 155 yards
New Mexico State	Passing	Parker Awad	9/22, 158 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Seth McGowan	15 carries, 66 yards
	Receiving	Monte Watkins	1 reception, 64 yards, TD

UTEP

Game Three – UTEP Miners (0–2) at Liberty Flames (2–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
UTEP	0	0	0	0	0
Liberty	0	0	0	0	0

at Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, Virginia

Date: September 14, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UTEP	LIB
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UTEP	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Liberty	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

East Carolina

Game Four – East Carolina Pirates (2–1) at Liberty Flames (3–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	14	3	7	0	24
Flames	0	7	14	14	35

at Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, Virginia

Date: September 21, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SW at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: Rain
Game attendance: 24,076
Referee: Ron Hudson
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter

(9:52) ECU – Jake Garcia 6 yard run, Andrew Conrad kick (Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 3:35; East Carolina 7–0)
(3:18) ECU – Marlon Gunn Jr. 1 yard run, Andrew Conrad kick (Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:05; East Carolina 14–0)

Second quarter

(11:52) ECU – Andrew Conrad 35 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 23 yards, 4:31; East Carolina 17–0)
(2:53) LIB – Elijah Canion 14 yard pass from Kaidon Salter, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:32; East Carolina 17–7)

Third quarter

(9:16) LIB – Reese Smith 17 yard pass from Kaidon Salter, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:44; East Carolina 17–14)
(2:52) LIB – Reese Smith 14 yard pass from Kaidon Salter, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 4:27; Liberty 21–17)
(0:41) ECU – Rahjai Harris 44 yard run, Andrew Conrad kick (Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 2:03; East Carolina 24–21)

Fourth quarter

(8:10) LIB – Reese Smith 15 yard pass from Kaidon Salter, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 7:31; Liberty 28–24)
(2:00) LIB – Quinton Cooley 21 yard run, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 4:05; Liberty 35–24)

Statistics	ECU	LIB
First downs	21	26
Total yards	331	414
Rushing yards	127	191
Passing yards	204	223
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	20–36–1	19–32–1
Time of possession	23:17	36:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Carolina	Passing	Jake Garcia	20/36, 204 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Rahjai Harris	13 carries, 47 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Chase Sowell	5 receptions, 72 yards
Liberty	Passing	Kaidon Salter	19/32, 223 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Quinton Cooley	19 carries, 105 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Reese Smith	6 receptions, 80 yards, 3 TD

at Appalachian State

Game Five – Liberty Flames (4–0) at Appalachian State Mountaineers (2–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Flames	0	0	0	0	0
Mountaineers	0	0	0	0	0

at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina

Date: September 28, 2024
Game time: Canceled

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	LIB	APP
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Appalachian State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

FIU

Game Six – FIU Panthers (2–3) at Liberty Flames (4–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
FIU	3	7	0	14	0	24
Liberty	3	14	0	7	7	31

at Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, Virginia

Date: October 8, 2024
Game time: 7:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: SE at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
Game attendance: 16,343
Referee: Garrett Dickerson
TV announcers (CBSSN): Jordan Kent (play-by-play) and Donte Whitner (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

(8:34) LIB – Colin Karhu 28-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 3:43; Liberty 3–0)
(4:16) FIU – Alejandro Prado 31-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 48 yards, 4:10; Tied 3–3)

Second quarter

(14:50) FIU – Dean Patterson 17-yard run, Alejandro Prado kick (Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 2:02; FIU 10–3)
(8:15) LIB – Quinton Cooley 4-yard run, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 6:27; Tied 10–10)
(0:20) LIB – Kaidon Salter 20-yard run, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 2:26; Liberty 17–10)

Third quarter

No scoring plays

Fourth quarter

(10:43) LIB – Quinton Cooley 9-yard run, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 4:12; Liberty 24–10)
(6:23) FIU – Kejon Owens 3-yard run, Alejandro Prado kick (Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 4:13; Liberty 24–17)
(1:42) FIU – Keyone Jenkins 1-yard run, Alejandro Prado kick (Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 3:44; Tied 24–24)

Overtime

(0:00) LIB – Kaidon Salter 9-yard run, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 15:00; Liberty 31–24)

Statistics	FIU	LIB
First downs	18	21
Total yards	344	406
Rushing yards	99	281
Passing yards	245	125
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	19–29–0	9–16–1
Time of possession	29:18	30:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
FIU	Passing	Keyone Jenkins	19/29, 245 yards, INT
	Rushing	Kejon Owens	15 carries, 52 yards, TD
	Receiving	Dean Patterson	6 receptions, 90 yards
Liberty	Passing	Kaidon Salter	9/16, 125 yards
	Rushing	Quinton Cooley	29 carries, 174 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Reese Smith	4 receptions, 68 yards

at Kennesaw State

Game Seven – Liberty Flames (5–0) at Kennesaw State Owls (0–6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Liberty	7	7	3	7	24
Kennesaw State	7	7	7	6	27

at Fifth Third Stadium • Kennesaw, Georgia

Date: October 23, 2024
Game time: 7:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind: SE 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
Game attendance: 8,209
Referee: Reed Brotherton
TV announcers (CBSSN): Jason Knapp (play-by-play) and Brock Vereen (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

(5:43) LIB – Treon Sibley 15 yard pass from Kaidon Salter, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 5:22; LIB 7–0)
(2:49) KENN – Christian Moss 41 yard pass from Davis Bryson, Austin Welch kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:54; TIE 7–7)

Second quarter

(10:21) KENN – Michael Benefield 1 yard run, Austin Welch kick (Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 2:04; KENN 14–7)
(0:48) LIB – Donte Lee Jr. 15 yard pass from Kaidon Salter, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 12 plays, 81 yards, 2:12; TIE 14–14)

Third quarter

(8:02) KENN – Qua Ashley 6 yard run, Austin Welch kick (Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 5:31; KENN 21–14)
(5:05) LIB – Colin Karhu 47 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 2:57; KENN 21–17)

Fourth quarter

(11:43) KENN – Austin Welch 31 yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 62 yards, 0:00; KENN 24–17)
(4:13) KENN – Austin Welch 41 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 0:00; KENN 27–17)
(1:49) LIB – Elijah Canion 0 yard pass from Kaidon Salter, Colin Karhu kick (Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 2:18; KENN 27–24)

Statistics	LIB	KSU
First downs	22	18
Total yards	386	323
Rushing yards	180	134
Passing yards	206	189
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	22–40–1	16–20–0
Time of possession	27:41	32:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing	Kaidon Salter	22/40, 206 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Kaidon Salter	9 carries, 87 yards
	Receiving	Elijah Canion	5 receptions, 61 yards, 1 TD
Kennesaw State	Passing	Davis Bryson	16/20, 189 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Michael Benefield	16 carries, 54 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jaden Robinson	3 receptions, 72 yards

Jacksonville State

Game Eight – Jacksonville State Gamecocks (4–3) at Liberty Flames (5–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jacksonville State	0	0	0	0	0
Liberty	0	0	0	0	0

at Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, Virginia

Date: October 30, 2024
Game time: 7:00 p.m.
TV announcers (CBSSN): Carter Blackburn (play-by-play) and Luke Kuechly (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	JVST	LIB
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Liberty	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Middle Tennessee

Game Nine – Liberty Flames (0–0) at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Liberty	0	0	0	0	0
Middle Tennessee	0	0	0	0	0

at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
TV: CBSSN

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	LIB	MTSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Middle Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at UMass

Game Ten – Liberty Flames (0–0) at UMass Minutemen (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Liberty	0	0	0	0	0
UMass	0	0	0	0	0

at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, Massachusetts

Date: Saturday November 16, 2024

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	LIB	UMASS
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
UMass	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—
CFP	Not released																Not released

References

^ "FB: CUSA Announces Media's Predicted Order of Finish". conferenceUSA.com. Conference USA. July 19, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
^ "Helene forces App State-Liberty cancelation, hampers Broncos". ESPN. September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
^ "2024 Liberty Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
^ "Liberty Flames 2024 Regular Season NCAAF Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved January 22, 2024.

[1] "FB: CUSA Announces Media's Predicted Order of Finish". conferenceUSA.com. Conference USA. July 19, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.

[2] "Helene forces App State-Liberty cancelation, hampers Broncos". ESPN. September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.

[3] "2024 Liberty Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 22, 2024.

[4] "Liberty Flames 2024 Regular Season NCAAF Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved January 22, 2024.

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[4]

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