Kennesaw State may have just ruined Christmas for Liberty football fans.
While I’m sure many were hoping to watch the Flames play on Dec. 21 or Dec. 22, it’s probably safe to say other plans can be made. Those are the dates for the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, where all but the top four seeds will be playing.
If Liberty were to finish as the top Group of Five team for the second consecutive season and earn a spot in the CFP, it likely would have been playing on one of those days.
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Following Kennesaw State’s 27-24 upset over the Flames on Wednesday night, however, that’s not likely to happen. I think chances were already slim for Liberty to be considered for a bid in the CFP, and now it’s almost certain it won’t be. The Flames have struggled against below-average teams this season and needed overtime to defeat FIU two weeks ago.
The Owls’ victory was their first as an FBS program. They were 0-6 entering this game and coming off a 14-5 loss to Middle Tennessee. KSU snapped Liberty’s 18-game regular season win streak and handed the Flames their first-ever Conference USA loss. Liberty was even coming off a bye and had an extra week to prepare.
College football betting odds had the Owls as a 26.5-point home underdog. The Flames were one of five remaining unbeaten teams in the nation, and the Owls were one of two remaining winless teams in the country in their first year in the FBS.
KSU fans even had the chance to storm the field twice to celebrate the win. After what was thought to be the end of the game and the first storming, it was determined that there was one second remaining on the clock following a Liberty incompletion. Fans had to go back to their seats, and the field needed to be cleared. All for it to happen a second time.
And who says Wednesday nights aren’t for college football?
Not only did the Owls have the chance to pick up this win while casual fans were hopefully tuned in as there was hardly any competition for viewership, but they played their best game of the season. They needed to if they wanted to win.
Early in the second quarter, Kennesaw State took a 14-7 lead and never trailed again. Its defense played great for the whole game, and especially in the second half, holding Kaidon Salter and the Flames’ offense to just 10 points in the final 30 minutes. The Owls played well at all three levels and consistently made plays on the ball. The defensive line was disruptive, and the secondary held Salter to a 55% completion percentage.
Owls quarterback Davis Bryson made some timely throws when his team needed them most and led KSU on scoring drives on three of their four second-half possessions. The only drive they didn’t score was when they turned it over on downs with six seconds remaining in the game. Davis finished 16-of-20 passing for 189 yards and one touchdown.
Let’s not forget about KSU kicker Austin Welch, who buried a pair of critical field goals in the second half, including a 41-yarder to extend the Owls’ lead to 10 with just over four minutes to play.
It was truly a team effort from the Owls to pull off this upset, and a well-deserving win for head coach Brian Bohannon, who has been the program’s lone coach in its short 10-year history.
I don’t know if the Owls will win another game this season, but they couldn’t have asked for a better way to secure their first-ever FBS win.
