Liberty Routs FIU 49-10 on Homecoming for Seventh Straight Win and Stays Unbeaten in Conference USA

A year ago, FIU beat Liberty 34-27 in Miami and put a dent in the Flames' season. On Saturday, Liberty got its rematch on its own homecoming, and it turned the afternoon into a demolition.

Liberty beat FIU 49-10 at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, building a 42-0 lead before the Panthers scored at all. For the first 50 minutes, FIU's running game produced negative yardage. The Flames won their seventh straight game and moved to 7-1 and 4-0 in Conference USA. FIU lost its third in a row and fell to 3-5 and 1-3.

Liberty came in as roughly a two-touchdown favorite. The Flames had covered that before the second quarter was half over.

A short field and a long drive

The first score came easy. Liberty started its opening touchdown drive at the FIU 34, and three plays later Jaylon Coleman ran it in from 14 yards out with 11:15 left in the first quarter. Coleman, the sophomore who scored twice against Kennesaw State nine days earlier, has a knack for being the first name on the scoring summary.

The second score was the one that set the tone. Liberty went 81 yards in 14 plays and ate 7:18 off the clock, and Kam Davis finished it with a 3-yard run with 11:49 left in the second quarter. FIU's defense did not get beaten by one big play on that march. It got worn down, one snap at a time, and it never really got its legs back.

The second-quarter avalanche

Liberty scored twice more before halftime. Ethan Vasko, the Flames' starting quarterback a year ago, came on to punch in a 1-yard touchdown that capped an eight-play, 77-yard drive with 4:11 left in the half. Then Liberty got the ball back in FIU territory and needed only six plays to cover 39 yards, with Davis scoring from 2 yards out with 41 seconds left.

That made it 28-0 at the break, and the game was effectively over. Liberty had scored touchdowns on four of its first-half possessions. FIU had three first downs, 68 total yards and minus-3 rushing yards at halftime, and it was 0-for-4 on third down. With no running game, Kohl kept dropping back into a pass rush that knew what was coming.

The turning point: 14 plays, 7:18

Every blowout has a moment where the losing team realizes it cannot get off the field. For FIU, it was that 14-play Liberty drive in the first and second quarters. The Panthers were only down 7 when it started, still very much in a road game. By the time Davis crossed the goal line, Liberty had a two-score lead and had kept FIU's offense on the sideline for more than seven minutes. A defense that spends that long on the field pays for it later, and FIU's paid for it the rest of the half.

Liberty converted 5 of 8 third downs on the day, and that drive was the template. The Flames punted just twice.

Purdie, Jackson and a lot of red zone efficiency

Deshawn Purdie did not need to be a hero, and he was not trying to be. He completed 16 of 19 passes for 227 yards and threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zeke Wimbush that made it 35-0 with 10:43 left in the third quarter, finishing a seven-play, 65-yard drive. His only blemish was an interception by FIU's Shamir Sterlin. Purdie also ran for 24 yards on four carries.

Purdie came to Liberty after stops at Wake Forest and Charlotte and won the starting job over Vasko, who started for the Flames in 2025 after time at Coastal Carolina and Kansas. On Saturday, the arrangement worked for everyone. Purdie ran the passing game, and Vasko handled the goal line.

Makai Jackson was Purdie's favorite target, catching six passes for 86 yards, including a 36-yarder. Darius Copeland and LaKelsey Johnson Jr. each added 31 receiving yards.

Vasko added his second 1-yard score with 5:13 left in the third to finish a four-play, 48-yard drive, and it was 42-0. Chase Reeves was perfect on six extra points, and Carson Jones added a seventh late. Liberty's backs split the work: Davis scored twice, Coleman once, and Kanye Udoh added a 1-yard touchdown with 6:40 to play after FIU turned the ball over on downs. Liberty finished with 142 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, which is a nice way to spend a homecoming.

FIU could not run, so it could not hide

The number that defines this game is FIU's rushing total. With 10 minutes left, the Panthers had carried 16 times for minus-5 yards. Sacks count against rushing yards in college football, and JJ Kohl absorbed the bulk of the damage, finishing with minus-40 yards on six carries. Devonte Lyons, who ran for 115 yards against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 20, found more room once the outcome was settled and finished with 52 yards on 10 carries. FIU ended the day at 34 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Liberty's pass rush did the rest. Brenton Williams and Markus Clark each recorded a sack, Lorenzo Payne finished with 1.5, including a shared fourth-down takedown of Kohl early in the fourth quarter, and Izaiah Guy had two tackles for loss. Samuel Cohen intercepted Kohl, the only turnover the Flames forced and the only one they needed.

Kohl was not bad on paper. He completed 21 of 28 passes for 164 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Kyle McNeal, who caught a 49-yard touchdown against Middle Tennessee, led FIU with six catches for 56 yards, and Maguire Anderson had five catches for 28 yards. But completions that go nowhere do not move a scoreboard. FIU finally broke through with a 14-play, 54-yard drive early in the fourth quarter, and Robert Czeremcha's 38-yard field goal with 13:57 left ended the shutout bid. Czeremcha missed his other attempt. The Panthers' only touchdown came with 3:26 left, when Kohl found Jojo Stone for 14 yards.

Defensively, DeAndre Boykins, Da'Vontae Floyd and Demetrius Hill each made eight tackles for FIU, and Sterlin added seven tackles to go with his interception.

The numbers that tell the story

Liberty outgained FIU 391-210 and won the first-down battle 24-15. FIU went 2 of 10 on third down and was flagged eight times for 75 yards. The turnovers were even at one apiece, which is a good reminder that turnover margin does not explain everything. Sometimes one team is just bigger, faster and better prepared. The full numbers are in the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab).

What it means

Liberty is 7-1 and unbeaten in Conference USA, with a seven-game winning streak. The Flames entered the day having won seven straight homecoming games, and they made it eight. They locked up bowl eligibility by beating Kennesaw State 34-6 on Oct. 22, so the conversation now is about the league title. Jacksonville State entered the weekend at 4-0 in league play, so the top of the standings is crowded. Liberty plays at New Mexico State on Nov. 7.

FIU had 11 days to regroup after its 26-23 home loss to Middle Tennessee and came back flat. The offense that put 34 points on Liberty last November did not find the end zone on Saturday until the final four minutes. FIU returns home to host Missouri State on Nov. 7.

The last word

Revenge games are supposed to be tense. This one was not. Liberty set the tone with one long, patient drive, kept piling on behind a pass rush that never let up, and was up 42-0 before FIU scored. Last year's loss in Miami is still in the record book. Saturday made sure it is not the most recent entry in this series.

Sources: ESPN box score, play-by-play and team stats, Liberty Athletics, FIU Athletics and theScore. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Liberty Athletics/KJ Jugar.