Kennesaw State upsets Liberty and causes upset in College Football Playoff

With 12 teams in the College Football Playoffsthe door is open for a while Group of 5 team to create the field. The top five ranked conference champions make it, and Freedom entered Wednesday’s game against Kennesaw State I hope to be in the picture.

The Flames were undefeated and brought a perfect 5-0 record into the match against the 0-6 Owls. They also got a voice in the AP Top 25 effectively becoming the fifth highest ranking G5 team. With a record of 3:0 Conference USA Play, the path was there Jamey Chadwell’s group to run to the CFP.

But Kennesaw State got hot – and stayed hot, pulling off the 27-24 upset. It was the Owls’ first win of the season. And for Liberty, the first loss of the year also rocked the CFP Etch-A-Sketch.

The Flames struck first in the first quarter, but Kennesaw State responded on the ensuing possession, tying the game at 7-7. The Owls then took a 14-7 lead, which they held until just before halftime, when Liberty equalized at 14:14.

However, the second half was all about Kennesaw State. The Owls took the lead again, 21-14 Qua Ashley ran in a 6-yard touchdown and the Flames settled for a field goal on the following drive to cut the lead to 21-17. But two Kennesaw State field goals in the fourth quarter – coupled with a Liberty turnover on downs – gave the Owls a 27-17 lead with just over four minutes to play.

Liberty went down and scored, making it 27-24, and a Kennesaw State three set up two more plays. But the Flames couldn’t convert — meaning the Owls not only pulled off the upset for their first-ever FBS win, but also ended Liberty’s CFP hopes.

In the new College Football Playoff format, 12 teams take the field. The five highest-ranked conference champions will compete, while the next seven highest-ranked teams will receive at-large bids to round things out.

At the start of week eight, all Power Four champions would be there. That would leave a spot open for the top-ranked Group of 5 champions, which Liberty hoped to compete with until the end of the season.

Boise State came in at No. 17 in the AP poll as the top-ranked G5 team. army And marine also appeared in the top 25 at numbers 23 and 24 respectively. UNLV received five votes to effectively compete as the next highest ranked G5 team, and Liberty was the only other Group of 5 program to receive one vote.

That meant five G5 teams would compete for a spot in the CFP field. But after the Flames’ first loss of the season, there were a few hurdles on the way to the Conference USA title game. With that, the chances of reaching the College Football Playoff began to dwindle.

In the box score: Freedom falls to Kennesaw State

Liberty’s offense looked strong in Wednesday’s game. The Flames totaled 383 yards — led by a strong running game — to outpace Kennesaw State.

But penalties proved costly. Liberty committed nine penalties totaling 100 yards, and Kennesaw State was able to capitalize on them. The Owls had a possession advantage, which is part of the recipe for an upset. The other ingredient was ball security, and Kennesaw State never gave it up once.

Kaidon Salter led the Liberty attack, throwing for 203 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He also added 87 yards on the ground, leading the Flames in rushing for 180 yards on the ground.

On the side of the owls Davis Bryson was efficient, completing 16 of 20 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. Ashley and Michael Benefield both also added rushing touchdowns to lead the attack.

The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released on November 5th, meaning it will take less than two weeks for the picture to become at least a little clearer. In the Group of 5, one team is likely to have been eliminated from the competition with Wednesday’s game.