The Liberty Flames found themselves unable to keep pace during a back-and-forth shootout on Saturday afternoon falling, 44-34, to Rutgers at SHI Stadium.
The 10-point loss snapped Liberty’s five-game win streak (5-3) and gave the Scarlet Knights their first win in six games (2-6, 0-5 Big Ten). The game marked the first time in program history Liberty has matched up against a Big Ten Conference opponent.
The two teams each finished the game with 400-plus yards of offense (463 Rutgers, 413 Liberty), but the Scarlet Knights dominated the time of possession (40:48 to 19:12). Rutgers scored on 10 of their 12 possessions in the game, which included a drive where they took a knee after recovering an on-side kickoff on the game’s final drive.
The Flames rushed for 100 yards during the first quarter, but was unable to keep up the run game success. Liberty finished the contest with 131 rushing yards on 27 carries.
Stephen Calvert finished the game completing 17-of-31 passing attempts for 244 yards, which included a 29-yard passing touchdown to Antonio Gandy-Golden. Liberty’s top wide receiver finished the day with five receptions for 68 yards.
Joshua Mack paced the Flames’ rushing efforts on the ground, rushing 11 times for 109 yards. He scored twice during his second 100-yard game of the season.
Liberty had a pair of defenders finish with double digit tackles. Jessie Lemonier matched his career high and led the team with 11 tackles. Javon Scruggs finished with a new career best 10 stops.
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