Liberty’s first-ever matchup against the nation’s elite FBS conference lived up to its billing, as the Flames ended a three-game road trip with a 53-0 shutout loss to the Auburn Tigers, Saturday afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Tigers came into the game with the No. 14 ranked defense in the country, as Auburn had held its opponents to 18.3 points per game. The result gave Liberty its first shutout loss since Sept. 24, 2005, ending a streak of 153-straight games without scoring.
The Flames opened the game with a 12-play, 42-yard drive, but ended up turning the ball over on downs after not getting enough yardage on a fourth-and-four play. Liberty finished the game with 134 total offensive yards, its lowest offensive output of the season.
Auburn’s stout defense forced the Flames to turn the ball over four times, including two interceptions by Liberty quarterback Stephen Calvert. The junior, who has been intercepted 11 times in the last four games, finished the afternoon completing 9-of-28 attempts for 79 yards.
The game was played in front of 81,129 fans, marking it the largest crowd to see a Flames football game in program history. The figure surpassed the attendance figure of 62,234 for the Liberty vs. Virginia Tech game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., on Sept. 3, 2016.
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Chris Graham
