G5 Football Daily

Liberty Move To 6-0 After Taming Jacksonville State

The Flames become the first G5 team to reach bowl eligibility this season

Joe Londergan

© Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Tuesday evening gave us a pair of CUSA matchups in the national spotlight. One of these was meeting of an undefeated Liberty Flames team and a surging 5-1 Jacksonville State.

Ultimately, Liberty were able to secure the win, moving them to 6-0 on the season and securuing bowl eligibility for the CUSA frontrunners.

Within the Flames' victory, these things stood out as significant in determining why things shook out the way they did. 

Keeping It Cooley

Liberty junior running back Quinton Cooley had the strongest performance of his college career on Tuesday. The Wake Forest transfer finished with 28 carries for 163 yards and two touchdowns, all career highs. The 5'7", 210-pounder showcased an aggressive running style all night. That helped Liberty put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, spearheading a drive that lasted 16 plays and nearly ten minutes. 

QB Depth Isn't Enough

Jacksonville State head coach Rich Rodriguez made it clear at the beginning of the season that he wanted to have options at quarterback. Going between Logan Smothers and Zion Webb for the first part of the season, it's worked out pretty well. Their good fortune in that department ran out on Tuesday. Webb started, but left after getting banged up early. Smothers took the reins, but ultimately struggled passing the ball. Freshman Ashton Frye also saw the field for a while. The three quarterbacks combined for 184 yards on 14 completions out of 31 attempts with two interceptions.

Kobe Singleton

Defensive back Kobe Singleton continues to prove himself as one of CUSA's better defensive playmakers. Singleton grabbed this third interception of the season tonight which ties him for the CUSA lead. Singleton also picked up four tackles and a pass deflection in the win.

Published
Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe covers college sports from the Group of Five ranks and beyond. He has worked in the sports industry since 2008, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville, and a Master's degree from Seattle University.

Home/CUSA