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.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Liberty Flames football
Venues	City Stadium (1973–1989) Williams Stadium (1989–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Coastal Carolina
Culture & lore	Sparky "Fan the Flames!" Spirit of the Mountain
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

2024 Liberty Flames football team

Preseason

C-USA media poll

Schedule

Game summaries

Campbell (FCS)

at New Mexico State

UTEP

East Carolina

at Appalachian State

FIU

at Kennesaw State

Jacksonville State

at Middle Tennessee

at UMass

Rankings

References

€4.95