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Last Updated: November 19, 2023, 03:30 IST
LYNCHBURG, Va.: Kaidon Salter threw for 225 yards, rushed for 118 and accounted for four touchdowns Saturday as No. 25 Liberty defeated UMass 49-25.
Salter averaged better than 20 yards per pass while completing 11 of 16. He tossed touchdowns of 13 of 5 yards to Austin Henderson and scored on runs of 1 and 12 yards.
The Flames (11-0) struck early, scoring on four straight first-half drives to take a 28-0 lead.
Taisun Phommachanh threw for 239 yards on 22-of-38 passing for UMass (3-8), but Liberty intercepted him twice. Preston Hodge had a 62-yard pick-six in the third quarter to give Liberty a 42-10 lead.
Quinton Cooley, who ran for 102 yards, broke loose for a 60-yard touchdown in the first quarter, bowling over a defender at the line of scrimmage, hurdling another as he entered the open field and running untouched down the sideline for a 21-point lead.
Liberty, which entered the game averaging a Bowl Subdivision-best 278 yards rushing per game, ran for 324.
THE TAKEAWAY
Liberty: The Flames set a program record for wins and can finish its first perfect regular season with a victory next week.
UMass: The Minutemen, which had won its previous two games, have one more chance to reach the four-win mark for only the third time since they joined the FBS in 2012.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Liberty is poised to move up after occupying the No. 25 spot for two weeks.
“What we’ve got to do is control what we can and keep winning and keep playing well and let the dominos fall,” Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell said when asked about the team’s ranking earlier in the week.
UP NEXT
UMass: Hosts UConn on Saturday.
Liberty: Visits UTEP on Saturday.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)
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