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Liberty outlasts New Mexico State in Conference USA title game, remains in hunt for New Year's Six bid

The Flames are battling with Tulane for the Group of Five's New Year's Six bowl bid

No. 24 Liberty stayed perfect on the year with a 49-35 win over New Mexico State (10-4) in the Conference USA Championship Game on Friday. The win not only gives the Flames (13-0) their first FBS conference title, it also keeps them alive for a potential New Year's Six bowl game bid under the direction of first-year coach Jamey Chadwell.

The Flames outscored New Mexico State 28-14 in the final 30 minutes. Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter finished 20-of-25 passing for 319 yards and two touchdowns .He added 165 yards and a score on the ground for the team's sixth-consecutive win by double digits.

New Mexico State (10-4) finishes the year with its best record since 1960 but will have to wait at least one more year for the program's first conference title. The Aggies won just 35 total games between 2009-2021 before coach Jerry Kill arrived in 2022.
  • Liberty finds itself in a tight battle with Tulane for the Group of Five's automatic New Year's Six bowl bid. Liberty fans will be highly interested spectators when the Green Wave face SMU Saturday in the AAC Championship Game.
  • New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia injured his elbow on a 75-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter, bringing what had been a stellar day to an unfortunate end. He finished 11 of 16 for 188 yards and three touchdowns. Backup Blaze Berlowitz was forced to finish the game for the Aggies. He finished 10 of 19 for 134 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
  • The Flames put up 49 points and 712 total yards of offense against a New Mexico State group that came into the game as the No. 1-ranked defense in Conference USA.
  • Liberty takes home the Conference USA title in in its first year of membership. The Flames had been an independent since moving up to FBS in 2018.
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Live updates
 
@LibertyFootball via Twitter
 
@LibertyFootball via Twitter
 
@LibertyFootball via Twitter
 

Home run hire 

One of the best coaching moves of the offseason was Liberty hiring away Jamey Chadwell from his post at Coastal Carolina. After former coach Hugh Freeze left for the vacant job at Auburn, the Flames reacted fast and got a very good replacement. Liberty has won each of its last five games by multiple scores and only twice this season has a game been decided by a touchdown or less. Chadwell went 31-6 in his final three years at Coastal Carolina and has Liberty off to an impressive 12-0 start/

 
@NMStateFootball via Twitter
 
@NMStateFootball via Twitter
 

Liberty vs. New Mexico State prediction 

Defense may win championships, but we already saw Liberty put up points at home on New Mexico State once this season, and both teams have improved since they met back in early September. That's not to say that the Aggies can't or won't put up a better fight this time around, but it's worth asking just how much a stout defense will matter against what is far and away the conference's best offense. New Mexico State has surprised more than once this season, but Liberty has come too far to let off the gas with an undefeated season and league title at stake. The Flames' offense will be enough to get the job done as they capture their first conference title at the FBS level and inch closer to a potential 14-0 finish. Pick: Liberty -10.5

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