ORLANDO, FL – The Liberty Flames won their first-ever bowl game in the fifth annual Cure Bowl in place in Orlando, Florida. They beat the Georgia Southern Eagles 23-16, as senior QB Stephen “Buckshot” Calvert threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns. It was a defensive struggle, as the two squads combined for 658 punt yards off of 15 attempts. Defensive end Jessie Lemonier was named game MVP, racking up two sacks and eight total tackles.
Liberty won the toss and deferred to the second half, so Georgia Southern and their triple-option attack took the field first. The two teams traded punts to begin the afternoon, as both offenses struggled early. The two squads combined for five straight punts throughout the first quarter of play, picking up a combined two first downs in that span. The Flames got on the board first, as senior quarterback Stephen Calvert connected with tight end Johnny Huntley for a 57-yard score. With 3:31 remaining in the opening quarter, Liberty was leading, 7-0. The Eagles’ offense responded, as Georgia Southern finally started to move the ball downfield. They were helped immensely by a 35-yard double reverse that put them in Liberty territory as the first quarter came to a close. Liberty held a 7-0 advantage, outgaining the Eagles 85-8 through the air.
The Flames didn’t hold the lead for very long, as Georgia Southern’s Wesley Kennedy III ran in a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. The PAT knotted things up at seven. Liberty quickly took back the lead, going 75 yards in just 1:31. The drive was capped off with a three-yard touchdown run by Joshua Mack. The Flames missed the extra point, and it was 13-7 with 13:22 remaining in the half.
The Eagles punted the ball right back to them, but Liberty could not capitalize, missing a 48-yard field goal attempt. Both offenses disappeared after this, trading punts for much of the remaining half. Disaster struck for Georgia Southern with less than two minutes remaining in the half, as QB Shai Werts was picked off by sophomore corner Javon Scruggs. The Flames were able to capitalize off the turnover, as kicker Alex Probert hit a 46-yard field goal to extend the Liberty lead to 16-7, with just 1:02 remaining in the first half of action. That’s where the score would stay for the remainder of the half. Liberty outgained Georgia Southern by over 100 yards in the half, going for 264. The Eagles managed to muster up just 115 yards of total offense, 95 of which came on the ground. Calvert threw for 220 yards and a touchdown, leading the Liberty attack early.
The Flames received the second-half kickoff and went to work. Boosted by a 36-yard scamper from senior RB Frankie Hickson, Liberty found the end zone in less than three minutes. The drive was capped off by Antonio Gandy-Golden catching a jump ball in the back of the endzone. The 6’4, 220lb wideout has drawn the attention of NFL scouts at that NFL playmaking ability was on full display on the touchdown grab. The extra point extended the Liberty lead to 16. With 12:01 to go in the third, it was 23-7, Flames.
The Eagles’ defense created a much-needed turnover, as free safety Java’n Singletary picked off Calvert to set up Georgia Southern at the Liberty 30. Liberty’s defense hunkered down and forced a 28-yard field goal, which kicker Tyler Bass knocked through the uprights. With 6:20 remaining in the third, it was 23-10, Liberty. Calvert then made another costly mistake, throwing his second INT of the half, this one to senior corner Kindle Vildor. The Eagles offense quickly took advantage, as senior wideout Mark Michaud made a spectacular one-handed grab for a 45-yard gain to put his team in the red zone. Georgia Southern was only able to get three out of the drive, as Bass hit a 30-yard attempt to cut their deficit to 10. That’s where the deficit would stay for the remainder of the third quarter. At the end of three, Liberty held a 23-13 lead. Despite only being down 10, Georgia Southern was getting outgained 401-191 after three-quarters of play.
Georgia Southern had the ball to begin the fourth but was quickly forced to punt it away after a Liberty sack. After exchanging punts yet again, Liberty moved the ball down the field, taking precious seconds off the clock in the process. However, they went for the first on fourth down and were denied, and the Eagles’ offense was able to take over at their own 27, down 10, with 6:35 remaining in the contest. Georgia Southern got a field goal out of the drive, but took nearly five minutes off the clock, as just 1:44 remained. They were unable to recover the onside kick, and Liberty ran out the clock to secure their first-ever bowl victory.
Liberty finished the game with 402 yards of total offense, compared to 289 for Georgia Southern. Liberty running back Frankie Hickson ran for 120 yards on 22 carries, while Wesley Kennedy III went for 104 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles. The Flames ended their historic season 8-5, and Georgia Southern finished 7-6.
Written by Michael Hull
