Liberty Uses Big Second Half To Rally Past GWU, 51-28, Saturday
November 14, 2009 | Football
BOILING SPRINGS - Gardner-Webb held a 28-27 halftime lead over
No. 16 Liberty Saturday, but the Flames responded with 24 points -
including 14 in the fourth quarter - to capture a 51-28 win in
Spangler Stadium.
The win by Liberty (8-2, 5-0 Big South), coupled with Stony Brook's
loss at Charleston Southern Saturday, gives the Flames at least a
share of the 2009 Big South Conference title.
Gardner-Webb wasted little time jumping on the two-time defending
league champs, as David Montgomery took the opening kickoff 100
yards for a touchdown. The return marked the first time since
September 20, 1997 that a Runnin' Bulldog had taken a kickoff to
the house. Kareem Jordan did so that season against West Virginia
State.
Liberty responded quickly, however, going 62 yards to score on Mike
Brown's two-yard run out of the wildcat formation with 10:34
remaining in the quarter. The Flames captured the lead on another
Brown run out of the wildcat, this time from one yard away to cap
an 11-play, 72-yard drive with 2:31 left in the quarter.
Gardner-Webb's offense clicked on the ensuing drive, with Stan
Doolittle hitting all five of his pass attempts to get the 'Dogs
down to the Liberty four-yard line. James Perry III took a handoff
on an end around to score from that point, knotting the game,
14-14, with 13:53 left before halftime.
Liberty went back in front, 21-14, after Tommy Beecher hit tight
end Tommy Shaver on a five-yard scoring play with 11:05 left in the
half.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (5-5, 2-3 Big South) answered with a 66-yard
run by Patrick Hall to tie the score again at the 10:37 mark, but
the Flames broke that tie with a 33-yard field goal from Matt
Bevins.
Gardner-Webb scored once more before the break, as Doolittle
scrambled to find Montgomery behind the Flames' secondary for a
43-yard touchdown with just 55 seconds remaining in the first half
- keeping up with the game's video game pace.
A kickoff return past midfield put the Flames in business again,
with Beecher's pinpoint passing moving Liberty to the GWU 10-yard
line with 1.3 seconds on the clock. Bevins connected on a 27-yard
field goal as time expired, pulling Liberty back within one, 28-27,
at the break.
The two teams combined for 507 yards of total offense in the half
(Liberty 257, GWU 250) and 28 first downs.
Both defenses made solid adjustments during halftime, as neither
team scratched until late in the third quarter. Bevins put Liberty
in front for good with 3:26 left in the period, connecting on a
42-yard field goal for a 30-28 edge.
Brown provided the back breaker just three minutes later, shaking
free on a slant route for an 80-yard touchdown hookup from Beecher
that gave Liberty a 37-28 lead and control of the game. Liberty's
Demetrius Ward scooped a fumble with 9:55 left in the game for an
18-yard defensive touchdown, and Beecher capped the scoring with a
25-yard strike to Chris Summers with 3:36 left in the game for the
final margin.
Beecher had a career day passing the football, going 23-of-32 for
337 yards and three touchdowns. Brown caught 10 of those passes for
198 yards and a score, and carried the football 11 times for 52
yards and a pair of touchdowns. Brown, a sophomore, finished with
265 all-purpose yards and a school-record for receiving yards in a
game.
Liberty manufactured 510 yards of total offense on the day and 27
first downs, while holding onto the football for more than 34
minutes. Gardner-Webb finished with 372 yards offensively, with
Doolittle going 25-of-42 for 221 and a score - and rushing for 24
yards on 10 carries. Perry hauled in six passes for 62 yards,
giving him 52 receptions for the season. The Greensboro, N.C., is
the first Gardner-Webb player to post at least 50 catches in both
his freshman and sophomore seasons in school history. He has 107
receptions in 19 career games to date.
Hall nearly eclipsed the century mark rushing, finishing with 12
carries for 98 yards and a score. Montgomery finished with 233
all-purpose yards on the day and two touchdowns, piling up 164
return yards on four kickoff chances. Marty Patterson finished with
a career-high 15 tackles (nine solo), and Devin Johnson added 11
hits in his first career start - taking over for injured
All-America Jeffery Williams (out for season).
Wes Cheek had 13 tackles (10 solo) to pace Liberty's defensive
effort. Gardner-Webb will wrap up its season next Saturday at
Presbyterian (0-10, 0-5 Big South). Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm in
Clinton, S.C. Liberty will travel to Stony Brook, N.Y., with hopes
of wrapping up an outright Big South Conference title for the third
straight year.
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