Liberty at James Madison

Liberty at James Madison

This is Missed It. Liberty at James Madison, Saturday, September 5, 72 and drizzling at Bridgeforth Stadium, with the Flames. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It is game day, Flames fans, and we are on the road in hostile territory. Liberty Flames against the James Madison Dukes, and we have the ball first. The air is electric, the crowd is loud, and we are ready to go to work. James Madison has that home-field energy, but we came here to play. Let's see what we're made of.

Q1

We start with the football, and our first drive is a feeling-out process. Nine plays, we move it a little, but we can't sustain it, and we punt it away. No harm done, but we need to find our rhythm. Then James Madison takes over, and right away they test us. On their very first play, Evans drops back and fires one to Collins, but the pass falls incomplete. Only it doesn't stay incomplete. The flag comes out, pass interference on McShane, fourteen yards from the sixteen down to the two. First down, and just like that, they're knocking on the door. That one stings. We had them stopped, and a penalty gives them life. That's the kind of thing that can swing a game, and we have to shake it off. They keep grinding, fourteen plays total, and they chew up the clock. Then Pettaway takes the handoff, rushes right, and he finds the edge. Seven yards to the end zone, touchdown, and the kick is good. We're down seven, zero to seven, and we have to answer. And answer we do. We take over and we put together a marathon. Nineteen plays, we're moving the ball, we're eating clock, we're fighting for every blade of grass. Early in the second quarter, Davis takes it up the middle for just a yard, but it's enough. First down, we're into James Madison territory at their forty-three. That's a big down, keeping the chains moving, keeping the drive alive. We keep pushing, and finally we get our points. Reeves lines up for a thirty-yard field goal, and it's good. Three points, we're on the board. It's three to seven, and we're right back in this thing.

Q2

We're down four, and we need a stop. But James Madison comes right back at us. Evans drops back and finds Keller deep over the middle, thirty yards down to our thirty-four. That's a big play, and it sets them up. They drive it down, and they add a field goal of their own. Now it's three to ten, and the margin is growing. We get the ball back, but we can't do anything with it. Five plays, and we turn it over on downs. That's a killer. We give it right back, and James Madison makes us pay. Cromwell takes the handoff up the middle, and he bursts through. Fifty-one yards, all the way down to our thirteen. That's a momentum swing, and the crowd is roaring. They're in our red zone, and we're in trouble. Evans throws to Wisloski, eight yards to the two, first down. Then Evans rolls left and finds Scott for five yards, and it's a touchdown. The kick is good, and now we're down fourteen. Three to seventeen, and we're staring at a mountain. But we don't quit. We get the ball back with under two minutes, and we move. Purdie drops back and fires deep to Randolph, twenty-one yards to the James Madison forty. That's a big completion, and we're in business. We drive it down, and we get another field goal from Reeves. Three more points, it's six to seventeen at the half.

Halftime

Alright, Flames fans, let's take a breath. We're down eleven at the break, six to seventeen, and it could be worse. But it could be a whole lot better, too. The play that turned this half was that one-yard run by Davis early in the second quarter. It doesn't sound like much, but it kept our long drive alive, got us into James Madison territory, and led to our first points. Without that, we might be looking at a shutout right now. We've been fighting, but we've made mistakes, and James Madison has capitalized. We need to come out in the second half with fire. We need to stop them early, get the ball back, and put together a touchdown drive. We're not out of this, not by a long shot. But we need to be better. We need to be sharper. Let's go.

The Sequence

The second half starts, and this is where the game gets decided. James Madison takes the ball and grinds out a twelve-play drive, and they add another field goal. Now it's six to twenty, and the hole is getting deeper. We get the ball back, and we have to respond. Five plays, and we punt it away. Not good enough. We're giving them everything, and they're taking it. James Madison gets the ball back, but this time we hold. Five plays, and they punt. Finally, a stop. Now we have to do something with it. We take over and we move. Twelve plays, we're driving, we're eating clock, we're giving ourselves a chance. But we can't finish, and we punt it away again. The frustration is building. James Madison gets the ball back, and we need another stop. Four plays, and we get it. They turn it over on downs. Now it's our ball, and we have a real opportunity. We take over at the end of the third quarter, and we start to march. Purdie drops back and throws incomplete, and we're facing a big down. Then Purdie finds Jackson short left, eighteen yards to the James Madison twenty-five. That's a momentum swing, and we're in business. Purdie goes right back to the well, finding Wimbush for ten yards to the fifteen. First down, we're knocking on the door. We're inside the red zone, and we have a chance to make this a one-score game. Purdie drops back, he looks for Person in the end zone, and the pass falls incomplete. Turnover on downs. We had them, and we let it slip away. The drive dies at the fifteen, and we have nothing to show for it. That's the game right there, Flames fans. That's the sequence that decided it.

Q4

We're down eleven, and we need a miracle. James Madison gets the ball back, but we hold them. Four plays, and they turn it over on downs. We're getting another chance. And this time, we make it count. Purdie drops back and finds Coleman short left, twenty-three yards to the James Madison thirty-four. First down, and we're moving. Then Purdie goes deep, finding Jackson over the middle. He catches it at the four, and he's in. Touchdown. The kick is good, and it's thirteen to twenty. We're within seven, and there's still time. We need a stop, and we get it. James Madison runs seven plays, and they punt. Now it's our ball, and we have a chance to tie this thing. We take over, and we move. Davis rushes right for two yards, and it's a first down. That's a momentum swing, keeping the drive alive. Then Purdie finds Jackson again, twenty-one yards to the LU forty-one. Another first down, and we're in business. We're driving, we're eating clock, and we're giving ourselves a shot. But we can't finish. Purdie drops back, he looks for Johnson, Jr. down the field, and the pass is broken up by Harvey. Turnover on downs. The drive dies, and so does our hope. James Madison takes over, and they run out the clock. Pettaway rushes up the middle for six yards, and it's a first down. That's the dagger. They're going to kneel it out, and that's going to be the game. We get one last play, but it's a turnover, and that's it. The clock hits zero, and it's over.

Wrap-up

Final score, Liberty thirteen, James Madison twenty. We came up short, Flames fans. We fought, we never quit, but we couldn't get over the hump. That red zone turnover in the fourth quarter, that's the one that hurts. We had our chances, and we just couldn't finish. We go home with a loss, but we go home knowing we gave everything we had. We'll be back. Go Flames.

By the Numbers

The Flames by the numbers. Final score, Liberty 13, James Madison 20. 321 yards of offense to their 291, 230 through the air and 91 on the ground. 19 first downs. 7 of 16 on third down. 0 turnovers for us, 0 for them. We held the ball for just over 37 minutes.

Outro

That was Liberty at James Madison, from the Flames side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.