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
Conference	Big South Conference
Record	6–5 (2–3 Big South)
Head coach	Turner Gill (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Dailey (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Co-defensive coordinator	Robert Wimberly (6th season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Vantz Singletary (6th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Williams Stadium
Seasons ← 2016 2018 →

2017 Big South Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
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

School president 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]

Preseason

Media poll

The 2017 Big South preseason prediction poll was released on July 18. The Flames were ineligible due to their transition to the FBS.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	at Baylor*		McLane Stadium Waco, TX	FS2	W 48–45	45,784
September 9	6:00 p.m.	Morehead State*	No. 20	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	BSN, ESPN3	W 58–17	17,118
September 16	6:00 p.m.	Indiana State*	No. 19	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	BSN, ESPN3	W 42–41	16,060
September 23	7:00 p.m.	at No. 5 Jacksonville State*	No. 16	JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL	OVCDN	L 10–31	23,944
September 30	6:00 p.m.	Saint Francis (PA)*	No. 22	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	BSN, ESPN3	L 7–13	15,886
October 14	6:00 p.m.	Kennesaw State		Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	ESPN3	L 28–42	17,726
October 21	1:00 p.m.	at Monmouth		Kessler Field West Long Branch, NJ	ESPN3	L 39–56	4,235
October 28	12:00 p.m.	at Gardner–Webb		Ernest W. Spangler Stadium Boiling Springs, NC	Stadium	W 33–17	3,850
November 4	3:30 p.m.	Duquesne*		Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	BSN, ESPN3, MASN	W 27–24	14,634
November 11	3:30 p.m.	Presbyterian		Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	CFDS	W 47–28	18,001
November 18	12:00 p.m.	at Charleston Southern		Buccaneer Field Charleston, SC		L 19–20	3,345
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

• Source: Schedule

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	RV	20	19	16	22	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches*	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

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

Game summaries

At Baylor

See also: 2017 Baylor Bears football team

Liberty @ Baylor

1 2 3 4 Total • Flames 6 11 17 14 48 Bears 0 17 14 14 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 1 11:27 Liberty Alex Probert 27 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 3:33 3–0 1 2:35 Liberty Alex Probert 41 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 35 yards, 2:24 6–0 2 13:59 Baylor Denzel Mims 45 yard pass from Anu Solomon (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:36 6–7 2 11:38 Liberty Antonio Gandy-Golden 40 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Mitchell Lewis run for two-point conv.), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:21 14–7 2 9:38 Baylor JaMycal Hasty 14 yard run (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:00 14–14 2 5:17 Liberty Alex Probert 33 yard field goal, Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 4:21 17–14 2 0:12 Baylor Connor Martin 39 yard field goal, Drive: 14 plays, 68 yards, 5:05 17–17 3 13:53 Liberty Chris Turner 32 yard interception return (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 3 plays, 8 yards, 1:07 24–17 3 13:31 Baylor Chris Platt 20 yard pass from Anu Solomon (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:22 24–24 3 5:48 Liberty Alex Probert 31 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 2:48 27–24 3 5:37 Baylor Chris Platt 75 yard pass from Anu Solomon (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:11 27–31 3 0:24 Liberty Antonio Gandy–Golden 13 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 15 plays, 73 yards, 5:13 34–31 4 12:11 Liberty Stephen Calvert 8 yard run (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 2:27 41–31 4 10:39 Baylor John Lovett 3 yard run (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:32 41–38 4 6:12 Liberty Spencer Jones 26 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 4:27 48–38 4 5:00 Baylor John Lovett 34 yard run (Connor Martin kick), Drive: 3 plays, 43 yards, 1:12 48–45

Statistics	LIB	BAY
First downs	31	22
Total yards	585	532
Rushing yards	138	254
Passing yards	447	278
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	38:16	21:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	44/60, 447 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Carrington Mosley	28 rushes, 122 yards
	Receiving	Antonio Gandy-Golden	13 receptions, 192 yards, 2 TD
Baylor	Passing	Anu Solomon	14/29, 278 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Anu Solomon	6 rushes, 97 yards
	Receiving	Chris Platt	3 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TD

Morehead State

See also: 2017 Morehead State Eagles football team

Morehead State @ Liberty

1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 10 7 0 17 • No. 20 Flames 24 21 7 6 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 1 13:47 Liberty B.J. Farrow 25 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 1:13 7–0 1 10:01 Liberty Damian King 42 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 3 plays, 49 yards, 1:04 14–0 1 7:20 Liberty Alex Probert 33 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, -1 yard, 0:37 17–0 1 2:41 Liberty Antonio Gandy-Golden 10 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:16 24–0 2 14:50 Morehead State Andrew Foster 53 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 2:51 24–3 2 13:44 Liberty B.J. Farrow 76 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 1:06 31–3 2 3:37 Liberty Kentory Matthews 2 yard run (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 8 plays, 28 yards, 3:25 38–3 2 1:43 Morehead State Jake Sutherland 11 yard pass from Lawson Page (Sam McDonogh kick), Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:54 38–10 2 0:24 Liberty B.J. Farrow 45 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 4 plays, 77 yards, 1:07 45–10 3 9:02 Morehead State Logan Holbrook 9 yard run (Sam McDonogh kick), Drive: 13 plays, 92 yards, 5:49 45–17 3 2:47 Liberty Kentory Matthews 2 yard run (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 2:40 52–17 4 14:20 Liberty Alex Probert 37 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 14 yards, 2:06 55–17 4 9:03 Liberty Alex Probert 38 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 3:33 58–17

Statistics	MORE	LIB
First downs	16	24
Total yards	300	523
Rushing yards	64	196
Passing yards	236	327
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	33:31	26:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Morehead State	Passing	Lawson Page	18/31, 187 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Logan Holbrook	13 rushes, 44 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jarin Higginbothom	2 receptions, 64 yards
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	13/21, 281 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	Kentory Matthews	13 rushes, 103 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	B. J. Farrow	6 receptinos, 177 yards, 3 TD

Indiana State

See also: 2017 Indiana State Sycamores football team

Indiana State @ Liberty

1 2 3 4 Total Sycamores 7 17 14 3 41 • No. 19 Flames 14 14 14 0 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 1 11:35 Liberty B.J. Farrow 3 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 4 plays, 30 yards, 0:41 7–0 1 9:27 Indiana State Jaquan Keys 1 yard run (Jerry Nunez kick), Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 2:00 7–7 1 5:02 Liberty Carrington Mosley 1 yard run (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:19 14–7 2 9:59 Liberty Carrington Mosley 22 yard run (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 2:42 21–7 2 8:26 Indiana State Jerry Nunez 43 yard field goal, Drive: 5 plays, 49 yards, 1:33 21–10 2 4:35 Indiana State Jacquet McClendon 31 yard pass from Jeremy Patterson (Jerry Nunez kick), Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 2:25 21–17 2 3:18 Liberty Antonio Gandy-Golden 13 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:17 28–17 2 2:02 Indiana State Bob Pugh 64 yard pass from Cade Sparks (Jerry Nunez kick), Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:16 28–24 3 11:31 Indiana State Lemonte Booker 1 yard run (Jerry Nunez kick), Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:29 28–31 3 9:09 Liberty Damian King 32 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 5 plays, 93 yards, 2:17 35–31 3 5:22 Liberty B.J. Farrow 6 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:35 42–31 3 1:58 Indiana State Bob Pugh 31 yard pass from Cade Sparks (Jerry Nunez kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:24 42–38 4 11:46 Indiana State Jerry Nunez 43 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 1:25 42–41

Statistics	INST	LIB
First downs	21	28
Total yards	543	500
Rushing yards	107	121
Passing yards	436	379
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	31:28	28:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana State	Passing	Cade Sparks	22/36, 405 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Lemonte Booker	26 rushes, 95 yards, TD
	Receiving	Bob Pugh	8 receptions, 260 yards, 2 TD
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	30/42, 379 yards, 4 TD, INT
	Rushing	Carrington Mosley	22 rushes, 102 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Antonio Gandy-Golden	7 receptions, 171 yards, TD

At Jacksonville State

See also: 2017 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team

Liberty @ Jacksonville State

1 2 3 4 Total No. 16 Flames 3 0 7 0 10 • No. 5 Gamecocks 0 10 14 7 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 1 1:57 Liberty Alex Probert 28 yard field goal, Drive: 12 plays, 57 yards, 6:25 3–0 2 11:02 Jacksonville State Trae Barry 80 yard pass from Bryant Horn (Cade Stinnett kick), Drive: 1 play, 80 yards, 0:12 3–7 2 1:20 Jacksonville State Cade Stinnett 49 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 2:21 3–10 3 11:59 Jacksonville State Roc Thomas 11 yard run (Cade Stinnett kick), Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 2:56 3–17 3 8:31 Jacksonville State Kendrick Doss 15 yard run (Cade Stinnett kick), Drive: 1 play, 15 yards, 0:06 3–24 3 8:08 Liberty B.J. Farrow 65 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 3 plays, 65 yards, 0:23 10–24 4 5:04 Jacksonville State Roc Thomas 13 yard run (Cade Stinnett kick), Drive: 9 plays, 90 yards, 5:20 10–31

Statistics	LIB	JVST
First downs	17	19
Total yards	316	385
Rushing yards	31	140
Passing yards	285	245
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	30:17	29:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	22/47, 285 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Carrington Mosley	14 rushes, 36 yards
	Receiving	Antonio Gandy-Golden	7 receptions, 126 yards
Jacksonville State	Passing	Bryant Horn	9/19, 181 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Roc Thomas	18 rushes, 87 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Trae Berry	1 reception, 80 yards, TD

Saint Francis (PA)

See also: 2017 Saint Francis Red Flash football team

Saint Francis (PA) @ Liberty

1 2 3 4 Total • Red Flash 0 6 7 0 13 No. 22 Flames 0 0 0 7 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 2 0:18 St. Francis (PA) Matt Valenzuela 9 yard pass from Bear Fenimore (Eric Bofenkamp kick blocked), Drive: 4 plays, 19 yards, 1:30 0–6 3 4:39 St. Francis (PA) Kamron Lewis 23 yard pass from Bear Fenimore (Eric Bofenkamp kick), Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 2:32 0–13 4 2:35 Liberty Cephas Reddick 32 yard pass from Stephen Calvert (Alex Probert kick), Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 1:27 7–13

Statistics	SFU	LIB
First downs	14	15
Total yards	275	338
Rushing yards	92	119
Passing yards	183	219
Turnovers	0	4
Time of possession	35:33	24:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Saint Francis (PA)	Passing	Bear Fenimore	23/35, 183 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jymere Jordan-Toney	22 rushes, 105 yards
	Receiving	Kamron Lewis	10 receptions, 95 yards, TD
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	21/42, 219 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Kentory Matthews	5 rushes, 50 yards
	Receiving	Cephas Reddick	3 receptions, 70 yards, TD

Kennesaw State

See also: 2017 Kennesaw State Owls football team

Kennesaw State @ Liberty

1 2 3 4 Total • Owls 7 21 7 7 42 Flames 7 0 7 14 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 –

Statistics	KENN	LIB
First downs	26	20
Total yards	507	337
Rushing yards	498	103
Passing yards	9	234
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	38:38	21:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kennesaw State	Passing	Chandler Burks	2/7, 9 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Shaquil Terry	9 rushes, 126 yards, TD
	Receiving	Justin Sumpter	2 receptions, 9 yards, TD
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	19/26, 234 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Carrington Mosley	14 rushes, 75 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Antonio Gandy-Golden	4 receptions, 89 yards, TD

At Monmouth

See also: 2017 Monmouth Hawks football team

Liberty @ Monmouth

1 2 3 4 Total Flames 7 12 20 0 39 • Hawks 21 14 14 7 56 Date: October 21 Location: Kessler Field West Long Branch, NJ Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game attendance: 4,235

Scoring summary 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 –

Statistics	LIB	MON
First downs	24	26
Total yards	529	608
Rushing yards	121	364
Passing yards	408	244
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	26:32	33:28

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	25/50, 408 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Carrington Mosley	10 rushes, 71 yards
	Receiving	Antonio Gandy-Golden	9 receptions, 127 yards, 2 TD
Monmouth	Passing	Kenji Bahar	14/25, 244 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Eric Zokouri	18 rushes, 193 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Reggie White Jr.	10 receptions, 187 yards, 2 TD

At Gardner–Webb

See also: 2017 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team

Liberty @ Gardner–Webb

1 2 3 4 Total • Flames 6 6 7 14 33 Runnin' Bulldogs 0 7 3 7 17 Date: October 28 Location: Ernest W. Spangler Stadium Boiling Springs, NC Game start: 12:00 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 3,850

Scoring summary 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 –

Statistics	LIB	WEBB
First downs	22	24
Total yards	458	483
Rushing yards	125	277
Passing yards	333	206
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	26:56	33:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	21/34, 333 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Carrington Mosley	20 rushes, 123 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Antonio Gandy-Golden	4 receptions, 123 yards, TD
Gardner–Webb	Passing	Tyrell Maxwell	13/32, 206 yards, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Jayln Cagle	24 rushes, 179 yards, TD
	Receiving	Brody Rollins	3 receptions, 61 yards, TD

Duquesne

See also: 2017 Duquesne Dukes football team

Duquesne @ Liberty

1 2 3 4 Total Dukes 14 10 0 0 24 • Flames 7 3 7 10 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 –

Statistics	DUQ	LIB
First downs	15	29
Total yards	434	421
Rushing yards	295	210
Passing yards	139	211
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	25:23	34:37

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Duquesne	Passing	Tommy Stuart	13/23, 139 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	A. J. Hines	25 rushes, 253 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Chavas Rawlins	5 receptions, 51 yards, TD
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	23/46, 211 yards, TD
	Rushing	Carrington Mosley	30 rushes, 151 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Antonio Gandy-Golden	8 receptions, 65 yards

Presbyterian

See also: 2017 Presbyterian Blue Hose football team

Presbyterian @ Liberty

1 2 3 4 Total Blue Hose 7 0 14 7 28 • Flames 24 9 7 7 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 –

Statistics	PRES	LIB
First downs	16	30
Total yards	452	628
Rushing yards	155	317
Passing yards	297	311
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	29:28	30:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Presbyterian	Passing	Will Brock	16/33, 297 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	C. J. Marable	23 rushes, 126 yards
	Receiving	Darquez Watson	2 receptions, 67 yards
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	14/26, 311 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Carrington Mosley	27 rushes, 149 yards, TD
	Receiving	Cephas Reddick	4 receptions, 125 yards, 2 TD

At Charleston Southern

See also: 2017 Charleston Southern Buccaneers football team

Liberty @ Charleston Southern

1 2 3 4 Total Flames 0 7 9 3 19 • Buccaneers 0 7 0 13 20 Date: November 17 Location: Buccaneer Field Charleston, SC Game start: Noon Game attendance: 3,345

Scoring summary 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 –

Statistics	LIB	CHSO
First downs	19	18
Total yards	306	415
Rushing yards	51	229
Passing yards	255	186
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	24:46	35:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing	Stephen Calvert	25/44, 255 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Frankie Hickson	11 rushes, 33 yards
	Receiving	Antonio Gandy-Golden	10 receptions, 113 yards, 2 TD
Charleston Southern	Passing	London Johnson	13/27, 186 yards
	Rushing	Noah Shuler	13 rushes, 84 yards, TD
	Receiving	Kameron Brown	4 receptions, 106 yards