No. 22 Liberty tries to finish 1st perfect regular season in trip to UTEP

Updated Nov. 22, 2023 4:46 p.m. ET

Associated Press

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — No. 22 Liberty is a win from the first perfect regular season in the program's six years at the Football Bowl Subdivision level and already set to host the Conference USA championship in its league debut.

There is one thing beyond the control of the Flames (11-0, 7-0 C-USA), who just showed up in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time at No. 25.

Even with wins in the final two games, Liberty needs a loss from 18th-ranked Tulane for a shot at the Group of Five bid in the New Year's Six bowls.

The regular-season finale is Saturday at UTEP (3-8, 2-5), with Liberty trying to become the first Division I team from Virginia to win 12 games in a season.

“We have an opportunity to finish those 12 games that we’re guaranteed undefeated, and so I believe our team knows the importance of it,” coach Jamey Chadwell said. “Obviously there are distractions that are going on with the travel, with Thanksgiving. There’s a lot of things that can take us away.”

The Flames are 3-0 in their first November under Chadwell after going 1-6 the past two seasons with Hugh Freeze, who took the Auburn job. The Tigers just lost to New Mexico State, Liberty's opponent in the C-USA title game Dec. 1.

“I think we’re getting closer and closer to playing that best game. But it’s important that we play well all the time,” said Chadwell, who came from Coastal Carolina and is 42-6 since the start of 2020. “But especially in November, when there’s so many different things that are going on.”

RECORD BREAKER?

Liberty's Kaidon Salter has passed for 28 touchdowns and rushed for 11 this season. He joins Caleb Williams (USC) and Dillon Gabriel (Oklahoma) as the only FBS quarterbacks in the top 20 nationally for passing TDs and rushing scores.

Salter needs two passing TDs and two total touchdowns to break Liberty's single-season records in both categories. Malik Willis, a third-round draft pick by the Tennessee Titans last year, had 40 total TDs in 2021 (27 passing, 13 rushing).

HOW ABOUT SOME RESPECT

C-USA made a pretty good argument for some respect with New Mexico State's 31-10 stunner at Auburn last weekend. It came on so-called “cupcake weekend” for the Southeastern Conference. The Flames beat the Aggies 33-17 at home in their second game.

“I think there is a lack of respect,” Chadwell said. “Maybe it is for the conference or what they deem our schedule. I think if you look at some of the teams in our league and who they played and who they beaten and who we’ve played and who we’ve beaten out of conference and obviously in conference, I think it stacks up.”

CHASING HISTORY

The 12th win would accomplish something that Virginia Tech hasn't despite six seasons with 11 victories, all under Frank Beamer. All of those came in a 13-season span starting in 2009, when the Hokies were 11-0 before losing to Florida State in the BCS championship game.

LIMPING TO THE FINISH

Before the national splash at Auburn, New Mexico State beat UTEP 28-7 in the 100th meeting of the Texas-New Mexico border rivals. That loss sparked a 1-3 stretch heading into the finale for the Miners, who will finish with a losing record for the fifth time in coach Dana Dimel's six seasons.

“You don’t very much run across a team in Week 12 that’s undefeated like this,” Dimel said. “And so that’s an opportunity for us to try to do something special.”

BOTH SIDES

Liberty leads the nation with an average of 282.2 rushing yards, and with 19 interceptions.

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