Tag: Liberty football

Kennesaw State fans rushed the field a second too soon in historic upset of Liberty

Missed it by that much!

If not for Vanderbilt shocking the world by beating a top-ranked Alabama earlier this month, Kennesaw State might have the biggest upset of the 2024 college football season.

The winless Owls earned their first FBS victory in program history on Wednesday night in a 27-24 upset of undefeated Liberty.

As they darn well should’ve, the Kennesaw State fans in attendance for the historic home victory stormed the field in celebration. However, they were about a second too soon on their first attempt (really at no fault of their own).

There was about a second left on the clock when it looked like the game was over, and Liberty had the ball down three points. If there would be some sort of last-ditch Hail Mary in the team’s arsenal of plays, the Flames would technically have a second to try it.

Of course, whatever play Liberty ran didn’t work. Kennesaw State fans got their second attempt to storm the field victorious with no time on the clock. It all worked out in the end.

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Most intriguing transfer portal options at defensive tackle

Most intriguing transfer portal options at defensive tackle #GoBucks

We already broke down our expectations for how Ohio State could handle the quarterback position (which it has handled) and then dove into the possible running backs (which it has also handled). We also recently covered the wide receiver position (if things break a certain way), tight ends, and offensive tackle, guards, and of course, the center position that was also already addressed by the staff. But now, we have also moved onto the defensive side of the ball and hit on the defensive ends and we want to now dive into the interior at defensive tackle.

Again, as we have been saying, we are pretty late into the portal game, but I wanted to highlight some guys that would have been interesting fits for Ohio State and a few that may still be available. The big takeaway on this list is that the Michigan State Spartans are making moves to keep some of their best studs, but let’s dive into the list.

Liberty Transfer CB set to visit Texas A&M this weekend

It has been reported that former Liberty CB Preston Hodge will visit Texas A&M this weekend.

Texas A&M and new head coach Mike Elko will host several players from the transfer portal this weekend, including three players from Oregon State (cornerback Jermod McCoy, safety Akili Arnold, and linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold), and now, former Liberty cornerback Preston Hodge will reportedly join for an official campus visit. The news was first reported by AggiesToday, and confirmed by Rivals’ Adam Gorney.

Focusing on building depth in the secondary, Elko has already secured a commitment from former Kansas State CB Will Lee Jr., who is essentially a plug-and-play cornerback heading into the 2024 season.

Needing more starting-caliber production to pair with Lee, Hodge, a Texas native, produced 48 tackles and two interceptions during his 2023 sophomore season, and stands at 5’11” and nearly 200 pounds.

While some still helmet scout, production is production, and the last thing the Aggies need is more inexperience and lack of size at one of the more vital positions on the field. Elko and his staff must secure commitments from at least two or three more defensive packs to feel safe heading into spring.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Watch: Former Clemson quarterback receives an emotional feature

The Liberty football program released an awesome and emotional feature on former Clemson quarterback Willy Korn.

A former Tiger received an awesome and emotional feature from his current program, and it is worth watching from Clemson fans.

Former Clemson quarterback Willy Korn is wrapping up his first season as Liberty’s co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Korn has picked up a lot of experience, spending time with Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern, honing his coaching skills and developing his talents.

Korn was Dabo Swinney’s first quarterback as head coach, an important piece to the start of Swinney’s career. Injuries derailed his time with the Tigers, but Korn didn’t let the injuries stop him from playing the game he loved. He transferred to North Greenville University, starting as a junior and a senior, while earning All-American honors for his performance.

It was a wild ride for Korn and an emotional one. The Liberty football program released an amazing feature on Korn and how the challenges he faced in life built him into the man he is today.

Check out the video below to watch the awesome feature.

No, Liberty’s Jamey Chadwell wasn’t at Mississippi State on Monday

Mississippi State fans, you might want to hold off on those Jamey Chadwell rumors right now.

After Mississippi State fired head coach Zach Arnett on Monday, rampant speculation immediately mounted about who might replace him.

One very popular name in many a coaching circle will be Liberty’s Jamey Chadwell, formerly of Coastal Carolina.

Chadwell has the Flames at 9-0, and he’s expected to land a bigger job if he wants it during this year’s college coaching cycle.

Well, Mississippi State fans started churning the rumor mill when a viral tweet started circulating that seemed to hint Chadwell was in Starkville, Mississippi, on Monday night.

The image going around showed one of Chadwell’s social media posts with a Starkville location tag on the bottom of it.

Here’s the actual post below with no location tag present.

Now, this wouldn’t make much sense to be somehow related to the Bulldogs very new coaching search, as Mississippi State just shared news of Arnett’s firing on Monday morning, and the post in question from Chadwell was sent out on Monday afternoon.

That means that Chadwell would’ve had to been invited to visit with Mississippi State officials well before word of Arnett’s firing broke.

The simple logistics of Mississippi State firing Arnett on Monday morning, arranging a flight to get Chadwell from Virginia to Mississippi at a moment’s notice and have him arrive in Starkville by Monday afternoon for a meeting just don’t work out.

Also, it’s more than likely a virtual call would be set up between Mississippi State and Chadwell this soon after the Bulldogs fired Arnett. There isn’t much use in having him fly out spontaneously on a Monday for a hiring that wouldn’t get done until December at the earliest.

Bud Elliott of 247Sports cast continued doubt on this viral image being anything but a hoax likely concocted on a message board somewhere.

Also, the spacing between the featured image in Chadwell’s original post and the Twitter analytics don’t really line up in the likely doctored image with how much normal spacing there usually is between those two features.

Take a look at these two posts again and see the difference.

Chadwell may very well be a candidate for the Mississippi State job when it’s all said and done, but the simple logistics of the situation and the pervasive nature of doctored images going viral on social media make the odds of him actually being in Starkville on Monday a bit ludicrous.

Plus, Twitter — also known as X — has done away with retweets, calling them reposts instead, giving more credit to the image being doctored.

We’ll see if Chadwell eventually makes a trip to Mississippi this year, which would most likely happen after both the Mississippi State and Liberty football seasons end.

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2 California and Arizona teams faced off and the result skewed heavily to Cali

Sierra Canyon and Centennial high schools took down Saguaro and Liberty, respectively, the night before USC traveled to Tempe to play ASU.

Ahead of this weekend’s college football game between the University of Southern California and Arizona State University, two of the top California high school teams faced off against two of the top Arizona teams. In what may be a precursor to the result of USC vs. ASU this weekend, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) and Centennial (Corona, Calif.) took down Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.), respectively.

We’ll start with Sierra Canyon vs. Saguaro because this game was brutal. Saguaro is a historically dominant team that once again reached the Open Division championship last year, but with the departure of head coach Jason Mohns at the end of last season, there has been some transition. Nevertheless, between the classes of 2024 and 2025, there are seven three-star players on the Sabercats, who entered the evening 3-1.

No matter. It was a 63-6 beat-down in which the Trailblazers took a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and continued racking up points through the third quarter. Wyatt Becker, ranked a three-star QB by 247Sports and four-star on the 247 Composite Ranking, had twice as many total touchdowns (8) as he did incompletions (4) as he finished the game 18-22 with 364 yards, seven passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, according to Dan Lovi of the Los Angeles Daily News.

According to ArizonaVarsity, Saguaro’s worst loss previously had been 65-0 in 2011. Friday’s game comes close.

Across Los Angeles County, past Anaheim, and into Corona, No. 17 Liberty was putting up a much better fight against Centennial. The Lions took a 35-21 lead over Centennial at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and it looked like they may hold on to beat what is widely regarded as a top-3 team in California.

Arizona’s optimism quickly turned as Centennial drove down the field in less than two minutes, with four-star QB Husan Longstreet connecting on a deep pass to three-star receiver Cory Butler, and then Cornell Hatcher ran in a 17-yard touchdown.

Hatcher has been playing absolutely out of his mind this month. Against No. 2 Bishop Gorman two weeks ago, he rushed for 233 yards and four touchdowns. This week, he one-upped himself and practically dragged Centennial to a win, rushing for 300 yards and four touchdowns, according to MaxPreps.

He scored that 17-yard TD to cut the deficit to a single touchdown. He punched in a one-yard touchdown that cut Liberty’s lead to one point after a missed PAT. And then he punched home the game-winning 13-yard run that preceded a two-point conversion, leading the way for 21 Centennial points in the fourth quarter alone.

With his rushing and tough fourth-quarter defense that caught an interception midway through the fourth and then iced it at the end, the Huskies eked out the victory and improved to 3-2, with their two losses coming against top-2 teams in the Super 25. Liberty’s loss is its first of the season.

As for USC and ASU, who will meet in Tempe on Saturday night? There’s definitely a chance it’ll look more like the Saguaro-Sierra Canyon game than that of Liberty-Centennial. Southern California will look to go 3-for-3 this weekend.

More:

61-yard field goal! Keelen Anderson sets Wyoming state record

Let’s all appreciate Micah Hudson’s athleticism for a moment

Wide receiver, defensive back standouts from East-West Shrine Bowl: Day 2  

A look at the wide receivers and defensive backs that stood out on Day 2 of the East-West Shrine Bowl.

The second day of practices for the East and West teams at the Shrine Bowl wrapped up, and several players upgraded their stock with impressive performances.

Today, I observed the wide receiver and defensive backs. The Chargers are likely entering the market for a pass catcher that can stretch the field and has the speed to match quarterback Justin Herbert’s big arm.

Head coach Brandon Staley has also said in the past that his team can never have enough men in the secondary, and his versatile defense requires specific athletes and smart football minds.

Here is a look at four players who captured my curiosity on day two that could be a fit for the Chargers.

Former Chargers EDGE Jessie Lemonier passes away at 25

Former Chargers edge defender Jessie Lemonier has passed away at the age of 25.

Former Chargers edge defender Jessie Lemonier has passed away at the age of 25. The cause of death has not been reported at this time.

Lemonier started his career in 2020 as an undrafted free agent out of Liberty University, signing with the Chargers.

Lemonier appeared in six games that year. Then, competing for one of the last spots on the roster, he flashed during the preseason of 2021, finishing with five quarterback pressures and two sacks. But he ended up being waived.

Lemonier was quickly picked up by the Lions and appeared on their practice squad. He was called up to the active roster, in which he recorded 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss in seven games.

Detroit re-signed him in April of 2022, but he was waived a month later.

Lemonier went on to play for the Cardinals, the XFL’s Arlington Renegades, and the USFL’s Houston Gamblers and Birmingham Stallions.

Toledo 21, Liberty 19 Boca Raton Bowl What Happened, What It All Means

Toledo 21, Liberty 19: RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl what happened, player of the game, and what it all means

Toledo beat Liberty 21-19 to win the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?

Toledo 21, Liberty 19 RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means

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RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl What Happened

– Toledo overcame a 7-0 deficit by getting the ground game going on a 21-point run, and then hung on late for the Boca Raton Bowl win. Shedro Louis got it all started with a nine-yard scoring run for the Flames, but Thomas Cluckey hit two field goals and QB Dequan Finn ran for a score and threw a short touchdown pass to put the Rockets in the lead for good.

– Liberty made it interesting. Trebon Sibley caught a 29-yard touchdown pass, but the extra point went wide – that mattered. On a trick play, tight end CJ Daniels took a double pass 67 yards for a touchdown in the final minutes, but down 21-19 Liberty had to go for two, didn’t connect, and Toledo was able to grind out the clock.

– The weather mattered. It started raining early on, and that made it come down to getting physical on the offensive line. Liberty owned the tempo early, and then it all flipped as the Toledo offense was able to grind it out the rest of the way. The Flame defense couldn’t get off the field.

100 Best Bowl Players | Ranking How Good the Bowls Were

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Player of the Game

Durrell Johnson, DE Liberty 
In a losing cause, the veteran end got banged up, but he still made nine tackles  seven of them solo – with a sack and five tackles for loss.

CFN Experts Picks Dec 20-27 | CFP NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Fun Stats

– Toledo RB Jacquez Stuart took over with a physical 23 carries for 111 yards averaging close to five yards per carry.

– Liberty LB Mike Smith made a game-high 16 stops with half a sack and two tackles for loss.The Flames came up with a total of 12 tackles for loss.

– Time of Possession: Toledo 40:03 – Liberty 19:57. The Rockets converted 10-of-17 third down chances. Liberty converted 2-of-8 tries.

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl What It All Means

This was massive for the Jason Candle era. Not only did his Rockets win the MAC Championship, but it came up with nine wins for the best season since his 11-win run in 2017.

It was also the first bowl win – Candle was 0-4 after winning his first game in the 2015 Boca Raton in an interim status – in the last seven years. His team was getting beaten up early, got more physical, and was able to pull it off in the rain.

It was a brutal end to the season for a Liberty team that looked to be in the mix for a New Year’s Six game as late as November 12th. And then it all collapsed with a four-game losing streak to close. The team did what it could under rough coaching circumstances, but it fought well in this and had a chance to tie it up late.

Even so, it was still the fifth season in five in the FBS without a losing campaign, it was still a fourth straight year with eight wins or more, and while it might have been the first bowl loss in the FBS, it wasn’t a horrible performance. Now it’s on to the Jamey Chadwell era.

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– 2022-2023 Bowl Schedule, Predictions

Liberty vs. Toledo, live stream, preview, TV channel, time, how to watch Boca Raton Bowl

The Liberty Flames and Toledo Rockets will face off in the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday night at FAU Stadium.

The Liberty Flames and Toledo Rockets will face off in the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday night at FAU Stadium, marking the first time the two teams have met on the field since 2007. Liberty enters the game with an 8-4 record, but they have had several key players transfer out of the program in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the Rockets come into the game with an 8-5 record and are fresh off a 17-7 victory over Ohio in the MAC Championship Game.

This will be a great game tonight, here is everything you need to know to watch and stream the action.

Boca Raton Bowl: Liberty vs. Toledo

  • When: Tuesday, December 20
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN, ESPN Deportes
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

NCAA Football Odds and Betting Lines

NCAA odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds were updated at 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Liberty vs. Toledo (-4)

O/U: 51

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