The Shadow
NEWARK, Del. (VR) – Liberty scored 30-unanswered points and rushed for a season-high 282 yards en route to a 30-14 Conference USA opening victory, Friday night, at Delaware Stadium.
With the victory, Liberty’s fourth in a row, the Flames move to 4-1 on the season and open Conference USA play with a 1-0 record. Delaware falls to 2-3 on the year and 0-1 in conference action.
The Flames entered the game as the only FBS team in the country to not have allowed a point in the fourth quarter. Liberty entered the final quarter tonight with a 30-0 lead, but allowed two touchdowns during the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Liberty dominated the stat sheet, finishing the game with 446 total offensive yards to Delaware’s 359 yards.
The Flames have upped their rushing total in each game of the 2026 season. Liberty finished the night rushing for a season high 6.0 yards per carry and matched their season high with three touchdowns.
Kam Davis surpassed the 100-yard mark for the second-straight game, finishing the night with a 147 yards and a career high two touchdowns.
Deshawn Purdie completed 13-of-20 passing attempts for 157 yards with Makai Jackson leading six receivers with five receptions for 90 yards.
Aidan Vaughan led the Flames’ defensive efforts with a career high nine tackles, while Izaiah Guy followed with five stops.
The Flames’ win today:
- Gives the Flames their first four-game winning streak since Liberty opened the 2024 season with five consecutive victories (Aug. 31-Oct. 8, 2024).
- Makes the Flames 3-1 all-time in CUSA openers and 13-7 all-time in conference openers.
- Boosts the Flames’ all-time record against CUSA foes (at time of meeting) to 27-9, including an 18-8 mark since Liberty joined the conference in 2023.
- Improves the Flames’ record in October contests to 8-2 under Jamey Chadwell.
- Pushes the Flames’ all-time record when playing on Friday to 3-6, including a 3-2 mark at the FBS level.
- Gives the Flames a 7-2 record when playing in the state of Delaware.
- Snaps Delaware’s five-game home winning streak and dealt the Fightin’ Blue Hens only their second home defeat since the start of the 2024 season. Delaware entered Friday with a 15-1 record in its last 16 home games.
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 30-14 (Liberty)
Liberty (4-1, 1-0 CUSA)
Delaware (2-3, 0-1 CUSA)
Location: Delaware Stadium (Newark, Del.)
Attendance: 19,182
Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
- The Flames scored on their first drive of the game for the fourth consecutive game, taking a 3-0 lead on a 47-yard field goal by Chase Reeves at 9:00. Liberty got into the red zone on its opening drive, but the Flames were stopped for a 10-yard loss on a third-and-five play from the Delaware 19-yard line the play prior to the field goal.
- Liberty doubled its lead on its next drive, this time getting a 30-yard field goal from Reeves with 1:47 left in the quarter. The drive started with a 50-yard pass play from Deshawn Purdie to Makai Jackson, but the effort stalled once again inside the red zone.
Second Quarter
- The Flames found the end zone on the longest play of the first half. Kam Davis found a hole on the right side of his offensive line and scampered 56 yards downfield for a touchdown to give Liberty a 13-0 edge at 7:35 mark.
- Just before halftime, Purdie found Jamari Person open on the sidelines for an 18-yard reception, setting up Liberty’s dominant run game inside the red zone. Peyton Jones scored from three yards out on the next play, giving Liberty a 20-0 lead with 38 seconds to play and 199 first half rushing yards.
Third Quarter
- While the first half featured a combined 526 total offensive yards (Liberty – 338; Delaware – 188 yards), the third quarter saw a different story. The third 15-minute period saw a combined 48 total offensive yards, with Liberty accounting for 33 of those yards.
- The only points put on the board during the third quarter came on a 22-yard field goal by Reeves at the 3:22 mark. The scoring opportunity was set up by the Flames’ second forced turnover of the game, Deuce Spurlock’s first career interception.
Fourth Quarter
- Davis capped his career night and pushed Liberty’s lead to 30-0 when he scored from five yards out at the 11:19 mark.
- The Flames stranglehold on the fourth quarter came to an end with two late touchdowns by Delaware. Braden Streeter completed a 58-yard pass play to Donovan Lewis at 9:38, while Tyler Bell threw a 27-yard scoring strike to Matthew McKinley-Daniels at 1:35.
