ORLANDO, Fla. _ The Liberty Flames brought the heat on offense to clinch a 23-16 victory over Georgia Southern in the Cure Bowl on Saturday.
Quarterback Stephen "Buckshot" Calvert starred in his home state as he rifled 16 completions for 270 yards and two touchdowns while running back Frankie Hickson added 120 yards on the ground.
At first, both teams seemed primed for a defensive brawl, gaining a collective 18 yards during the first four possessions of the game.
Liberty finally cracked open the Georgia Southern defense at the end of the first quarter. Calvert hit Johnny Huntley wide open up the gut of the field for a 57-yard sprint to the end zone.
Almost immediately, the game transformed into the expected shootout. Georgia Southern responded with a 79-yard march to tie the score, then Calvert launched three passes worth 55 yards to set up a run to punch in another touchdown and regain the lead.
But that was the end of back-and-forth scoring for Georgia Southern, which struggled to implement its triple-option offense effectively. As Liberty continued to contain the run to force quick three-and-outs, the Eagles began to lean more on their passing game. Then, with 1:36 left in the first half, quarterback Shai Werts threw an interception.
It was Werts' first since 2017, breaking a streak of 230 passes without an interception. That statistic belies plenty about the Georgia Southern offense _ the team only needed its quarterback to throw 230 times over the course of two seasons, but Werts was clinical when he did choose to pass.
Werts' panicked passing in the final minutes of the first half reflected the Eagles' desperation. The quarterback went 4 for 10 in the first half, nearly throwing it away two more times while only gaining 20 yards. His interception led to a Liberty field goal, giving the Flames a 16-7 lead to carry into the locker room.
Liberty opened the second half with another clinical drive. Hickson ripped off a 35-yard run, then receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden capped the drive with a 14-yard touchdown reception.
The Eagles managed singular highlights in the second half _ an interception in the third quarter, followed by a 45-yard pass that bounced off the Liberty corner and into Mark Michaud's arms _ but couldn't string together another touchdown drive.
The 23-16 victory came with a historic stamp for Liberty as the Flames celebrated their first-ever bowl game _ and bowl win _ in school history.
