Kaidon Salter floated a precise pass mere inches above an outstretched Oregon defender and into the hands of Bentley Hanshaw for a Liberty touchdown. And less than three minutes into the Fiesta Bowl, the Flames had hope.
Hope of being competitive with one of the top teams in the country. Hope of once again proving they were the Group of Five program that deserved a New Year’s Six bowl berth. Hope of ending the 2023 season with an undefeated record.
But those hopes rapidly faded and eventually vanished.
The Ducks scored on their next possession. Then scored again quickly soon after to take the lead. Then kept scoring with little to no answer from Liberty.
No. 8-ranked Oregon routed No. 23 Liberty 45-6 on Monday in the Fiesta Bowl, which represented the G5’s opportunity to compete in a NY6 bowl.
And while Oregon quarterback Bo Nix finished his record-breaking Ducks career with a triumph, it was a blemish for the Flames.
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Liberty University Football Sees Winning Streak Snapped
Liberty hadn’t lost once this season going into the Fiesta Bowl. But the Flames (13-1) also hadn’t faced a team like Oregon (12-2).
Competing in Conference USA for the first time in 2023, Liberty went undefeated during the regular season. Their strength of schedule was an argument against the Flames for being the G5 team to compete in a NY6 bowl game, but they rarely came close to losing against the FBS teams they faced.
With Salter, the HERO Sports G5 Player of the Year, and Co-Coach of the Year Jamey Chadwell, the Flames hadn’t won by fewer than 10 points since October. They only won by a single possession just twice all season.
The Flames ranked in the top five in the country with 40.8 points per game and 514.9 yards per game, and they were one of the top defenses in CUSA in terms of points and yards as well.
But all of that proved inconsequential against a program like Oregon.
Oregon Ducks Football Dominates In Fiesta Bowl
After the Flames scored the first touchdown of the game, they never scored again. The Ducks, however, scored 45 unanswered points.
The highlight plays Liberty pulled off early, like Salter’s touchdown throw or C.J. Daniels’ catch along the sidelines early on, started happening less often. And the Flames’ pass rushing and coverage, which was excellent to start, began deteriorating.
Ducks quarterback Bo Nix had few issues against Liberty’s defense. He completed 28 of 35 passes to eight different receivers. He finished the game with 363 yards and five touchdowns through the air.
Bucky Irving paced the Ducks with 117 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Tez Johnson led Oregon with 172 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions.
The Ducks outgained the Flames 588-294 and had 28 first downs compared to Liberty’s 15. Liberty committed six penalties and two turnovers while Oregon was penalized just twice and never turned the ball over.
Salter was 15-for-24 passing with 126 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while rushing for 31 yards. Daniels caught eight passes for 79 yards, but no other Liberty receiver had more than two catches or more than 21 yards. Quinton Cooley led Liberty with 79 rushing yards on eight attempts.
A decisive victory like this further emphasizes the disparity between the G5 and the Power Five. Only two Group of Five teams – Memphis and USF – beat Power Five opponents during bowl season as G5 teams were 15-20 in bowl games overall.
But for Liberty, the 2023 season does seem to signal a possibility for the future. As long as Chadwell remains the Flames’ head coach, they might continue to dominate Conference USA.
And as the College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams next season, the Flames also have the potential to contend for a CFP spot for years to come.
