2017 Liberty Flames football team

The 2017 Liberty Flames football team represented Liberty University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Turner Gill and played their home games at Williams Stadium. They were a member of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 2–3 in Big South play to finish in fourth place.

2017 Liberty Flames football
ConferenceBig South Conference
Record6–5 (2–3 Big South)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJoe Dailey
Co-defensive coordinatorRobert Wimberly
Co-defensive coordinatorVantz Singletary
Home stadiumWilliams Stadium
(Capacity: 19,200)
2017 Big South Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 8 Kennesaw State $^  5 –0   12 –2  
Monmouth ^  4 –1   9 –3  
Charleston Southern  3 –2   6 –5  
Liberty *  2 –3   6 –5  
Presbyterian  1 –4   4 –7  
Gardner–Webb  0 –5   1 –10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * Liberty ineligible for postseason due to FBS transition
Rankings from STATS Poll

The school owned by Jerry Falwell Jr. announced plans to undergo the two-year transition period join the Division I FBS as a football independent, while remaining in the Big South Conference in all other sports.[1] While normally against NCAA rules to transition to FBS without a conference invite, Liberty was granted a waiver.[1]

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 27:00 p.m.at Baylor*
FS2W 48–4545,784
September 96:00 p.m.Morehead State*No. 20
BSN
ESPN3		W 58–1717,118
September 166:00 p.m.Indiana State*No. 19
  • Williams Stadium
  • Lynchburg, VA
BSN
ESPN3		W 42–4116,060
September 237:00 p.m.at No. 5 Jacksonville State*No. 16
OVCDNL 10–3123,944
September 306:00 p.m.Saint Francis (PA)*No. 22
  • Williams Stadium
  • Lynchburg, VA
BSN
ESPN3		L 7–1315,886
October 146:00 p.m.Kennesaw Statedagger
  • Williams Stadium
  • Lynchburg, VA
ESPN3L 28–4217,726
October 211:00 p.m.at Monmouth
ESPN3L 39–564,235
October 28Noonat Gardner–Webb
STADIUMW 33–173,850
November 43:30 p.m.Duquesne*
  • Williams Stadium
  • Lynchburg, VA
BSN
ESPN3
MASN		W 27–2414,634
November 113:30 p.m.Presbyterian
  • Williams Stadium
  • Lynchburg, VA
CFDSW 47–2818,001
November 18Noonat Charleston Southern
L 19–203,345

Game summaries

At Baylor
See also: 2017 Baylor Bears football team
Liberty @ Baylor
1 234Total
• Flames 6 111714 48
Bears 0 171414 45
  • Date: September 2
  • Location: McLane Stadium
    Waco, TX
  • Game start: 7:00 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:48
  • Game attendance: 45,784
  • Game weather: 92 °F (33 °C) • Fair Skies • SSE 5–10 MPH
  • Referee: Dan Lewis
  • TV announcers (FS2): Eric Collins, AJ Hawks and Danny Kanell
Scoring summary
111:27LibertyAlex Probert 27 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 3:333–0
12:35LibertyAlex Probert 41 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 35 yards, 2:246–0
213:59BaylorDenzel Mims 45 yard pass from Anu Solomon (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:366–7
211:38LibertyAntonio Gandy-Golden 40 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Mitchell Lewis run for two-point conv.), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:2114–7
29:38BaylorJaMycal Hasty 14 yard run (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:0014–14
25:17LibertyAlex Probert 33 yard field goal, Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 4:2117–14
20:12BaylorConnor Martin 39 yard field goal, Drive: 14 plays, 68 yards, 5:0517–17
313:53LibertyChris Turner 32 yard interception return (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 3 plays, 8 yards, 1:0724–17
313:31BaylorChris Platt 20 yard pass from Anu Solomon (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:2224–24
35:48LibertyAlex Probert 31 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 2:4827–24
35:37BaylorChris Platt 75 yard pass from Anu Solomon (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:1127–31
30:24LibertyAntonio Gandy–Golden 13 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 15 plays, 73 yards, 5:1334–31
412:11LibertyStephen Calvert 8 yard run (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 2:2741–31
410:39BaylorJohn Lovett 3 yard run (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:3241–38
46:12LibertySpencer Jones 26 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 4:2748–38
45:00BaylorJohn Lovett 34 yard run (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 3 plays, 43 yards, 1:1248–45

Morehead State
See also: 2017 Morehead State Eagles football team
Morehead State @ Liberty
1 234Total
Eagles 0 1070 17
• No. 20 Flames 24 2176 58
  • Date: September 9
  • Location: Williams Stadium
    Lynchburg, VA
  • Game start: 6:00 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:12
  • Game attendance: 17,118
  • Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Partly Cloudy • NE 4 MPH
  • Referee: Stuart Mullins
  • TV announcers (BSN/ESPN3): Mike Tilley, Matt Warner and Rett McGibbon
Scoring summary
113:47LibertyB.J. Farrow 25 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 1:137–0
110:01LibertyDamian King 42 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 3 plays, 49 yards, 1:0414–0
17:20LibertyAlex Probert 33 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, -1 yard, 0:3717–0
12:41LibertyAntonio Gandy-Golden 10 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:1624–0
214:50Morehead StateAndrew Foster 53 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 2:5124–3
213:44LibertyB.J. Farrow 76 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 1:0631–3
23:37LibertyKentory Matthews 2 yard run (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 8 plays, 28 yards, 3:2538–3
21:43Morehead StateJake Sutherland 11 yard pass from Lawson Page (Sam McDonogh kick), Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:5438–10
20:24LibertyB.J. Farrow 45 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 4 plays, 77 yards, 1:0745–10
39:02Morehead StateLogan Holbrook 9 yard run (Sam McDonogh kick), Drive: 13 plays, 92 yards, 5:4945–17
32:47LibertyKentory Matthews 2 yard run (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 2:4052–17
414:20LibertyAlex Probert 37 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 14 yards, 2:0655–17
49:03LibertyAlex Probert 38 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 3:3358–17

Indiana State
See also: 2017 Indiana State Sycamores football team
Indiana State @ Liberty
1 234Total
Sycamores 7 17143 41
• No. 19 Flames 14 14140 42
  • Date: September 16
  • Location: Williams Stadium
    Lynchburg, VA
  • Game start: 6:00 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:29
  • Game attendance: 16,060
  • Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Cloudy • NE 5 MPH
  • Referee: Jerry Magallanes
  • TV announcers (BSN/ESPN3): Mike Tilley and Matt Warner
Scoring summary
111:35LibertyB.J. Farrow 3 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 4 plays, 30 yards, 0:417–0
19:27Indiana StateJaquan Keys 1 yard run (Jerry Nunez kick), Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 2:007–7
15:02LibertyCarrington Mosley 1 yard run (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:1914–7
29:59LibertyCarrington Mosley 22 yard run (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 2:4221–7
28:26Indiana StateJerry Nunez 43 yard field goal, Drive: 5 plays, 49 yards, 1:3321–10
24:35Indiana StateJacquet McClendon 31 yard pass from Jeremy Patterson (Jerry Nunez kick), Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 2:2521–17
23:18LibertyAntonio Gandy-Golden 13 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:1728–17
22:02Indiana StateBob Pugh 64 yard pass from Cade Sparks (Jerry Nunez kick), Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:1628–24
311:31Indiana StateLemonte Booker 1 yard run (Jerry Nunez kick), Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:2928–31
39:09LibertyDamian King 32 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 5 plays, 93 yards, 2:1735–31
35:22LibertyB.J. Farrow 6 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:3542–31
31:58Indiana StateBob Pugh 31 yard pass from Cade Sparks (Jerry Nunez kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:2442–38
411:46Indiana StateJerry Nunez 43 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 1:2542–41

At Jacksonville State
See also: 2017 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team
Liberty @ Jacksonville State
1 234Total
No. 16 Flames 3 070 10
• No. 5 Gamecocks 0 10147 31
  • Date: September 23
  • Location: JSU Stadium
    Jacksonville, AL
  • Game start: 7:00 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 2:57
  • Game attendance: 23,944
  • Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Clear • ENE 3 MPH
  • Referee: Dustin Whitehead
  • TV announcers (OVCDN): Mickey Shadrix and Butch Barker
Scoring summary
11:57LibertyAlex Probert 28 yard field goal, Drive: 12 plays, 57 yards, 6:253–0
211:02Jacksonville StateTrae Barry 80 yard pass from Bryant Horn (Cade Stinnett kick), Drive: 1 play, 80 yards, 0:123–7
21:20Jacksonville StateCade Stinnett 49 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 2:213–10
311:59Jacksonville StateRoc Thomas 11 yard run (Cade Stinnett kick), Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 2:563–17
38:31Jacksonville StateKendrick Doss 15 yard run (Cade Stinnett kick), Drive: 1 play, 15 yards, 0:063–24
38:08LibertyB.J. Farrow 65 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 3 plays, 65 yards, 0:2310–24
45:04Jacksonville StateRoc Thomas 13 yard run (Cade Stinnett kick), Drive: 9 plays, 90 yards, 5:2010–31

Saint Francis (PA)
See also: 2017 Saint Francis Red Flash football team
Saint Francis (PA) @ Liberty
1 234Total
• Red Flash 0 670 13
No. 22 Flames 0 007 7
  • Date: September 30
  • Location: Williams Stadium
    Lynchburg, VA
  • Game start: 6:00 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 2:59
  • Game attendance: 15,886
  • Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) • Clear • NE 11 MPH
  • Referee: Jeff Pumphrey
  • TV announcers (BSN/ESPN3): Mike Tilley, Matt Warner and Rett McGibbon
Scoring summary
20:18St. Francis (PA)Matt Valenzuela 9 yard pass from Bear Fenimore (Eric Bofenkamp kick blocked), Drive: 4 plays, 19 yards, 1:300–6
34:39St. Francis (PA)Kamron Lewis 23 yard pass from Bear Fenimore (Eric Bofenkamp kick), Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 2:320–13
42:35LibertyCephas Reddick 32 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 1:277–13

Kennesaw State
See also: 2017 Kennesaw State Owls football team
Kennesaw State @ Liberty
1 234Total
• Owls 7 2177 42
Flames 7 0714 28
  • Date: October 14
  • Location: Williams Stadium
    Lynchburg, VA
  • Game start: 6:00 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 2:54
  • Game attendance: 17,726
  • Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C) • Sunny • SSE 3 MPH
  • Referee: Stuart Mullins
  • Television network: ESPN3
Scoring summary
1–
2–
3–
4–

At Monmouth
See also: 2017 Monmouth Hawks football team
Liberty @ Monmouth
1 234Total
Flames 7 12200 39
• Hawks 21 14147 56
Scoring summary
1–
2–
3–
4–

At Gardner–Webb
See also: 2017 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team
Liberty @ Gardner–Webb
1 234Total
• Flames 6 6714 33
Runnin' Bulldogs 0 737 17
Scoring summary
1–
2–
3–
4–

Duquesne
See also: 2017 Duquesne Dukes football team
Duquesne @ Liberty
1 234Total
Dukes 14 1000 24
• Flames 7 3710 27
  • Date: November 4
  • Location: Williams Stadium
    Lynchburg, VA
  • Game start: 3:30 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 14,634
Scoring summary
1–
2–
3–
4–

Presbyterian
See also: 2017 Presbyterian Blue Hose football team
Presbyterian @ Liberty
1 234Total
Blue Hose 7 0147 28
• Flames 24 977 47
  • Date: November 11
  • Location: Williams Stadium
    Lynchburg, VA
  • Game start: 3:30 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 18,001
Scoring summary
1–
2–
3–
4–

At Charleston Southern
See also: 2017 Charleston Southern Buccaneers football team
Liberty @ Charleston Southern
1 234Total
Flames 0 793 19
• Buccaneers 0 7013 20
Scoring summary
1–
2–
3–
4–

Ranking movements
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.
Week
PollPre123456789101112Final
STATS FCSRV20191622RVRVRV——————
Coaches*——————————————

* Due to their transition to FBS, they are not eligible to be ranked in the FCS Coaches Poll.

References
  1. Sordelett, Damien (February 16, 2017). "LU to be FBS bowl eligible starting in 2019". The News & Advance. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
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