New on Sports Illustrated: No. 23 Liberty outlasts No. 9 Coastal Carolina in Cure Bowl

-

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Liberty ended Coastal Carolina's perfect season with a blocked kick in overtime.

Elijah James blocked Massimo Biscardi's 42-yard field goal attempt to give No. 23 Liberty a 37-34 victory over No. 9 Coastal Carolina in a wild finish Saturday night in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl.

Liberty (10-1) took the lead on Alex Barbir's 44-yard field goal on the first extra possession.

Coastal Carolina (11-1) got a huge break in regulation when Liberty's Joshua Mack fumbled inside the 1 with 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Safety Alex Spillum recovered the fumble to end the long drive.

''I thought it was a touchdown but they called it a fumble,'' said Liberty quarterback Malik Lewis, who set several records in the game. ''But the next opportunity we got, we took advantage of it.''

Willis ran for 137 yards and four touchdowns and completed 19 of 29 passes for 220 yards with two interceptions.

The Flames' only loss came to North Carolina State on a blocked field goal.

''No question this is the best season Liberty University has ever had,'' safety Javon Scruggs said.

Coastal Carolina overcame an early 14-0 deficit, and drove 72 yards to tie it in the fourth quarter. Grayson McCall ran in a 2-point conversion to make it 34-34 after throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Greg Latushko with 3:01 remaining

Coastal Carolina had won 12 straight.

''We couldn't do anything with their quarterback,'' Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell said. ''You see why he was a five-star player.''

McCall had a big game for Coastal Carolina, completing 21 of 32 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. The red-shirt freshman also ran for 96 yards

It was the first time any ranked team had played in the six-year-old bowl, which was moved to prime time after being scheduled in the early afternoon. The teams were scheduled to meet Dec. 5, but that game was canceled because of COVID-19.

Willis led touchdown drives of 64 and 66 yards on the Flames' first two possessions, running 7 yards for the first touchdown and 6 yards to make it 14-0 late in the first quarter.

Braden Matts' interception turned the game in Coastal Carolina's direction early in the second quarter. Biscardi's 21-yard field goal got the Chanticleers on the board, and McCall connected with tight end Isaiah Likely on a 25-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-10 with 2:02 left in the half.

Biscardi added a 33-yard field goal on the final play of the half after Barbir kicked a 37-yarder for Liberty.

Scruggs' 59-yard interception return set up the Flames at the Costal Carolina 10 early in the second half, and Willis' third TD run made it 24-13. Coastal Carolina answered quickly on McCall's 43-yard scoring pass to Latushko.

Javon Heiligh caught 16 passes for 168 yards for the Chanticleers, who never led in the game.

TAKEAWAY

Coastal Carolina: Missed a chance for a perfect season.

Liberty: Willis set school records for total touchdowns (passing and rushing) with 34, and for rushing yardage by a quarterback (944).

.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Draft Big Board 3.0: Top 80 Prospect Rankings

-
Image
Ranking the top 80 players in the 2021 NBA draft with the NCAA tournament in the rearview. View the original article to see embedded media. With three months until draft night and the NBA’s regular season winding down , the league at large has begun shifting full focus to the off-season. Players have until May 30 to declare as early entrants for the draft, after which point the predraft process will open up in full, leading up to the combine and lottery at the end of June . Our Big Board is long overdue for an update, and fully expanded out to 80 prospects as we all attempt to make sense of the big picture moving forward. As usual, the Big Board is primarily based on my personal evaluations from both live viewings and on film, in many cases dating back several years. The rankings also incorporate feedback and opinions I glean from NBA executives, scouts, and others around the industry. This is not a mock draft, and team fit is not considered, but it is also intended to be somewhat
Read more

New on Sports Illustrated: The Patriots’ Post-Brady Era Begins Now

-
Image
In Mac Jones, Bill Belichick drafted a Round 1 quarterback for the first time ever—and looks to usher in a return to dominance. Of course the first time Bill Belichick drafts a first-round quarterback, it’s one for whom he could get an unvarnished scouting report from good buddy Nick Saban —and without even having to do any draft-day maneuvering. Now, the post-Tom Brady era in New England really begins. The Patriots treated 2020 as something of a gap year, with a league-high eight opt-outs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a starting quarterback, Cam Newton, who didn't sign with the team until June. They were, for the first time in two decades, mediocre, but that 7–9 record bought them the ticket to a fresh start: the No. 15 pick, which they used Thursday night on Alabama QB Mac Jones. The oft-cited statistic that Belichick had never drafted a QB higher than pick No. 62—used on Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014—was inherently flawed, given that Belichick had Brady as a starter for 19 of
Read more

New on Sports Illustrated: NCAA Board of Governors Unanimously Votes to Extend Mark Emmert’s Contract

-
Despite recent controversy, the NCAA Board of Governors voted unanimously to extend Mark Emmert's contract through 2025. The NCAA Board of Governors unanimously voted to extend president Mark Emmert's contract through Dec. 31, 2025. The news was announced Tuesday as a one-line news item buried within a larger update after the board's quarterly meeting. He's the fifth president in NCAA history and has been in the role since 2010. Emmert previously held high-ranking roles at Washington, LSU, Connecticut and Montana State. His base salary is reportedly $2.7 million.  Within the announcement, the Board reaffirmed its commitment to updating name, image and likeness rules. Dellenger: Inside the Hidden Industry of Name, Image and Likeness and the Changing World for College Athletes Emmert came under fire after disparities were shown between the men's and women's college basketball tournaments this year, specifically the weight room. Prior to the public backlash,
Read more