Inside the Game: Liberty Hawks 41, Washington Union 10
Player of the game: How can you argue with more than 200 rushing yards and 20 tackles, making Kaleb Roth the first Liberty player to accomplish that. He’s well on his way to becoming the first Liberty player to rush for more than 1,000 yards and record more than 100 tackles. Roth averaged 18.5 yards per carry and had four rushes of 20-yards or more with a long of 63 yards. He also recorded four solo tackles with a quarterback sack.
Unsung heroes of the game: The Liberty offensive line opened holes for 460 yards rushing, the fifth highest total this season. Liberty broke off nine runs of 20 yards or more. The line has broken the school record for rushing yards in a game twice and has seven (of eight) games of more than 350 yards rushing, all wins. The line is led by Francisco Rojas, Nick Hayes, Harrison Caetano, Bradley Wallace, Adam Pearce and tight end Colton Cardoza. In addition, the Liberty backs block for each other and the receivers who rotate on the outside also contribute to the high rushing total.
Play of the game: Right after Washington Union opened the scoring with a field goal, the Hawks scored a touchdown to take the lead they wouldn’t relinquish. After Rylan Howe gained 17 yards on first down, Kale broth took the handoff around the left side. He cut back up the middle and outran the Panthers’ defense for a 63-yard touchdown run just 28 seconds after the Panthers’ field goal.
Drive of the game: The Hawks scored six touchdowns against the Panthers. Of the six touchdowns, five drives went for more than 80 yards. However, four of those five drives lasted five or less plays. However, Liberty’s second drive went for 10-plays and 80-yards for a 14-3 lead. The Hawks converted two third downs. Greyson Hoelzel gained eight yards on third-and-two. Kaleb Roth gained five on third-and-two and Wyatt Roth gained 10 to the 37-yard line. After a holding penalty, Wyatt Roth gained 29 yards to the 12-yard line. On the next play, Kaleb Roth scored his second touchdown of the evening.