Game Day: Bowling Green

Liberty (1-1, 0-1 CUSA) will travel to Bowling Green (1-1, 0-0 MAC) on Saturday for a matchup between teams looking to bounce back from road setbacks last Saturday.

Broadcast Information:
TV: ESPN+

Broadcast team: Michael Reghi (play-by-play), Marcus Ray (analyst)

Radio: LFSN Radio (Local: 88.3 FM | Liberty Flames Mobile App | LibertyFlames.com)

Broadcast team: Alan York (play-by-play), Jason Porter (analyst) and Nick Pierce (sidelines)

Game Day Information:
Location: Bowling Green, Ohio
Stadium: Doyt L. Perry Stadium
Kickoff: 5 p.m. ET

News and Notes:

The two teams have split their two previous meetings, with each squad winning at home.
Liberty is 5-2 versus MAC opponents since moving up to the FBS level in 2018. However, the Flames are in search of their first-ever victory over an FBS foe in Ohio.
Jamey Chadwell is 22-6 in his third year at Liberty and owns a 53-12 coaching record dating back to the start of 2020. His first win with the Flames and the 100th victory of his coaching career came at Bowling Green's expense (34-24 on Sept. 2, 2023 in Lynchburg).
QB Ethan Vasko threw for 335 yards and two TDs in a 34-24 loss at Jax State last Saturday. It marked the first 300-yard game by a Flames QB since the 2023 CUSA Championship Game vs. New Mexico State (Kaidon Salter).
RB Evan Dickens (13 carries, 114 yards, TD last week) recorded his first career 100-yard game and scored his first rushing TD as a Flame during the Jax State contest.
Playing on his 23rd birthday, LB Joseph Carter notched a game-high nine tackles at Jax State. He leads the Flames with 10 stops this season after racking up a team-leading 88 tackles in 2024.

"4 Downs" with Bowling Gree

#1 Jamey Chadwell's first game as Liberty's head coach came against Bowling Green on Sept. 2, 2023. The Flames' 34-24 home victory marked Chadwell's 100th career coaching win. Liberty intercepted five Bowling Green passes during that contest. Under first-year head coach Eddie George, the Falcons have yet to commit their first turnover of 2025.

#2 Both Liberty and Bowling Green played in and lost bowl games in 2024, defeated an FCS foe at home to kick off 2025 and are entering Saturday's game following road losses in which they each gave up 34 points. A pair of first-year Flames (QB Ethan Vasko and RB Evan Dickens) have combined to have a hand in all seven Liberty TDs through the first two games. Liberty is looking to start 2-1 or better for the sixth year in a row.

#3 Scott Kiovsky (27-yard FG in first quarter) accounted for Liberty's three points during its only previous visit to Bowling Green. The Falcons posted a 62-3 victory over the Flames, 22 years to the day before Saturday's matchup. Ethan Vasko's 335 passing yards at Jax State marked the third 300-yard passing effort by a Flame under Jamey Chadwell.

#4 The Flames are in the midst of a stretch where they will play four out of five games away from Lynchburg. Liberty was 3-2 on the road last season, marking the fifth straight year the Flames have finished .500 or better in road contests. Liberty faced at least one MAC opponent in each of the last four seasons, posting a 4-2 record.

A LIBERTY WIN WOULD...

Make the Flames the first visiting team to win a game in their head-to-head series with Bowling Green and give Liberty a 2-1 all-time record against the Falcons.
Boost the Flames' record against MAC opponents to 8-11, including a 6-2 mark during Liberty's FBS era.
Mark the Flames' first-ever victory over an FBS opponent in Ohio, improving Liberty's all-time record when playing the Buckeye State to 3-12.
Prevent the Flames from falling below .500 for the first time since 2019, when they started 0-2 during Hugh Freeze's first season.
Give the Flames a 4-2 record in contests immediately following a loss under Jamey Chadwell.
Improve the Flames' record to 17-1 in regular-season games played on Saturday under Chadwell.
Move the Flames' mark when facing first-year head coaches to 1-1 this season and 5-2 over the last two years.

BOUNCE BACK
Liberty is 3-2 in games immediately following a loss under Coach Chadwell, who is 22-6 overall at the helm.

After losing the final two games of the 2024 season, the Flames responded by winning the 2025 season opener against Maine.

FLAMES QUARTER
Liberty Head Coach Jamey Chadwell calls the fourth quarter Flames Quarter, and the Flames have dominated the final 15 minutes.

Last year, Liberty outscored opponents 124-69 in the fourth quarter. So far this season, the Flames hold a 35-10 advantage in fourth-quarter scoring.

The Flames picked up right where they left off, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Maine 28-7 in their season opener on Aug. 30.

Liberty is 16-0 when leading after three quarters under Jamey Chadwell.

Chadwell's team has closed out the game with a win each of the last 45 times it took a lead into the fourth quarter, since giving up a 31-25 advantage in a 39-38 Coastal Carolina loss at Arkansas, Nov. 4, 2017.

BOWL OPPONENTS
Bowling Green is the second of four teams on Liberty's schedule (also Jax State, James Madison, Louisiana Tech) who competed in bowl games in 2024.

The Falcons lost 38-31 to Arkansas State in the 68 Ventures Bowl a year ago.

OHIO BOUND
Liberty is 7-16 all-time against programs from Ohio, including 2-12 inside the Buckeye State.

The Flames' two wins in Ohio both came at Youngstown State (W/10-8 Oct. 19, 1991; W/31-28 Sept. 27, 2008).

Liberty's last visit to Ohio was the 2013 season opener, at 17-10 loss at Kent State.

Liberty is 2-1 versus Ohio teams since joining the FBS ranks, beating Akron and Bowling Green in Lynchburg and falling to Toledo in the 2022 Boca Raton Bowl.

Schedule

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joseph Carter

Evan Dickens

Kaidon Salter

Ethan Vasko