NCAAF

Liberty Flames at Kennesaw State Owls

· NCAA - Football
5-1, 1-1 Away
Final
24 - 27
1-6, 1-3 Home

Kennesaw State gets program's first FBS victory and ends Liberty's 17-game regular-season win streak

Winless Kennesaw State stuns unbeaten Liberty

Kennesaw State (1-6, 1-2 Conference USA) also picked up its first win against a Division I team since topping FCS-member UT Martin on Nov. 5, 2022. The Owls had wins over lower-level Tusculum, Lincoln (Calif.) and Virginia Lynchburg last season.

Liberty (5-1, 3-1), which entered as one of 11 unbeaten teams in FBS, had the longest active regular-season winning streak end at 17 games.

Kennesaw State held a 24-17 lead when Liberty decided to go for it on fourth-and-6 with eight minutes left. The Flames were flagged for a false start to move out of field-goal range at the 34-yard line, and the Owls pressured Kaidon Salter into a throw out of bounds to get the ball back.

Then Bryson completed passes of 15 yards to Christian Moss and 25 to Blake Bohannon to get into Liberty territory. Austin Welch capped the drive with his 11th straight made field goal, from 42-yards out, for a 27-17 lead with 4:13 remaining.

Liberty went down the field quickly, ending in a 17-yard toss from Salter to Elijah Canion with 1:49 left to get within three points.

Preston Daniels recovered the onside kick but the Owls were unable to pick up a first down to give the ball back to Liberty with six seconds left at its 35-yard line. Salter's throw went out of bounds and the fans rushed the field, but the officials put one second back on the clock. After the fans returned to the stands, Liberty fumbled a lateral play to end it.

Salter threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns for Liberty.

ESPN reported it was the first time in 23 years a team 0-5 or worse defeated a team 5-0 or better.

How To Watch

How can I watch Liberty Flames vs. Kennesaw State Owls?
  • TV Channel: Flames at Owls 2021 College Football, week 9, is broadcasted on CBSSN.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Owls: 13.5%
Flames: 86.5%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

LIB TD 1st Period 5:43 Treon Sibley 15 Yd pass from Kaidon Salter (Colin Karhu Kick)
KENN TD 1st Period 2:49 Christian Moss 41 Yd pass from Davis Bryson (Austin Welch Kick)
KENN TD 2nd Period 10:21 Michael Benefield 1 Yd Run (Austin Welch Kick)
LIB TD 2nd Period 0:48 Donte Lee Jr. 15 Yd pass from Kaidon Salter (Colin Karhu Kick)
KENN TD 3rd Period 8:02 Qua Ashley 6 Yd Run (Austin Welch Kick)
LIB FG 3rd Period 5:05 Colin Karhu 47 Yd Field Goal
KENN FG 4th Period 11:43 Austin Welch 31 Yd Field Goal
KENN FG 4th Period 4:13 Austin Welch 41 Yd Field Goal
LIB TD 4th Period 1:49 Elijah Canion 17 Yd pass from Kaidon Salter (Colin Karhu Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2335.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originLIB https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/338.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originKENN
22 1st Downs 18
6-14 3rd down efficiency 7-14
3-5 4th down efficiency 0-1
386 Total Yards 323
206 Passing 189
22/40 Comp/Att 16/20
5.2 Yards per pass 9.5
180 Rushing 134
31 Rushing Attempts 42
5.8 Yards per rush 3.2
9-100 Penalties 6-40
1 Turnovers 0
0 Fumbles lost 0
1 Interceptions thrown 0
27:41 Possession 32:19

Game Information

Venue: Fifth Third Stadium

Location: Kennesaw, GA
Attendance: 8,209 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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