The first Tuesday night game of the 2025 college football season kicked off in Lynchburg, VA.
Liberty and New Mexico State are separated by roughly 1,830 miles — an approximate 28-hour drive — yet the programs
continue to clash on the football field. They met multiple times in a single season as independents in both 2018 and 2019 and squared off twice in 2023 during their debut year in Conference USA — with the CUSA Championship Game as the latter meeting.
Tuesday night marked the ninth meeting between the Flames and Aggies since 2018, and for the fourth-straight time, Liberty emerged as the victor. At the buzzer, New Mexico State kicker Ryan Hawk lined up for a 47-yarder set up by a clutch 32-yard grab by tight end Gavin Harris. However, Hawk was unable to match his career long as the kick sailed wide left and handed Liberty a second-consecutive weeknight win.
This was the ultimate game of runs as the first half belonged to Liberty and the second half New Mexico State. The Flames entered the matchup fielding the FBS’s 125th-ranked scoring offense at 17.3 points per game, falling below 20 points in each of their last four matchups. However, Liberty manufactured a 20-6 halftime advantage primarily due to excellent special teams execution.
After being responsible for the majority of points in the Week 7 win over UTEP, kicker Jay Billingsley sunk 3-of-3 field goal attempts including two in the first half, improving to 7-of-8 in a two-game stretch. Also making a mark on special teams was kick returner Julian Gray. He flew 96 yards in the early second quarter to notch the first touchdown of the game and set the tone for Liberty. Special teams also indirectly produced Liberty’s other first half touchdown as Max Morgan’s punt bounced off New Mexico State returner TK King, with the Flames recovering 21 yards away from the end zone. Evan Dickens scored a touchdown four plays later to hand Liberty a 14-point advantage.
New Mexico State’s offense then entered a different gear in the third quarter and the early portion of the fourth. The Aggies rallied with 21 unanswered points on three-straight drives as Logan Fife (242 passing yards, 2 TD) and Kadarius Calloway (84 rushing yards, 1 TD) had no problem moving the ball on the Flames. Turnovers played a factor in the comeback too as the Aggies recovered an early third quarter fumble and intercepted a pass thrown into triple coverage on the first snap of the fourth.
Calloway punched in one rushing touchdown while Donovan Faupel and Brodie Malone-Bradford snagged impressive 20-yard receptions from Fife in order to turn a 20-6 deficit into a 27-20 advantage. New Mexico State defensive end Ezra Christensen then produced a critical third down sack to keep the momentum firmly on the Aggies’ side. However, special teams once again benefited Liberty and harmed New Mexico State when the Flames sent out the punt team. New Mexico State swapped its returner to TJ Pride, but once again, the Aggies muffed a punt and Liberty recovered for a short field.
Liberty recovered the mishandled punt on the 14-yard line but couldn’t gain ground on the New Mexico State defense. Three plays later, Billingsley sunk this third field goal to slice the deficit to 27-23. With 8:21 remaining, Liberty needed a defensive stand and a touchdown, and the Flames wound up getting both. New Mexico State faced a 3rd and 5 on the Liberty 39, where Fife launched a deep ball toward the end zone to King. It initially appeared caught, but King couldn’t come down with it, bringing up 4th and 5. The Aggies punted instead of gambling for the first down or kicking the field goal, giving Liberty 3:44 to register the game-winning touchdown.
The Flames drove down the field comfortably courtesy of quarterback Ethan Vasko. The 13-play, 92-yard drive only featured one third down, and that was a seamlessly-converted 3rd and 1 in the middle of the series. Vasko completed all seven passing attempts for 66 yards, consistently chipping away at the New Mexico State defense with short-to-medium gains. In fact, Liberty’s longest play on the go-ahead drive spanned 13 yards, and Dickens finished the work with an 8-yard rushing touchdown — his second of the night — to create a 30-27 Liberty lead with 36 seconds remaining.
Right when the special teams battle seemed lopsided enough, Liberty continued to outdo New Mexico State in that facet of the game. The Flames kicked off from their own 20 due to an unnecessary roughness penalty, yet the flag had no bearing on the game. Liberty’s kickoff bounced right over the head of the Aggie return man, spotting the ball at the New Mexico State 25-yard line. New Mexico State eventually traveled into field goal range, but Hawk’s wide left 47-yard attempt concluded a night of ongoing special teams misery for the Aggies.
Liberty (3-4, 2-1 CUSA) rides a 2-game win streak after knocking off UTEP and New Mexico State in consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, New Mexico State (3-3, 1-2 CUSA) is back to .500 overall after dropping its third-straight road game to start the season.
