Liberty Flames quarterback Stephen Calvert (12) loses the ball as he is hit by Brigham Young Cougars defensive lineman Bracken El-Bakri (93) after being sacked by Brigham Young Cougars linebacker Keenan Pili (41) as BYU and Liberty play an NCAA football game in Provo, Utah on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
PROVO — BYU outlasted fellow independent team Liberty, as the Cougars beat the Flames 31-24 Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
The Cougars had to sweat it out in the second half, as Liberty three times fought back to make it a one-score game in the final two quarters.
Then, after BYU unsuccessfully tried a fake field goal with 1:27 to play up seven, the Cougar defense held, never allowing Liberty to get into BYU territory.
Here are three key takeaways that defined this game.
Gambling Cougars
BYU went it on a fourth-and-1 at the Liberty 40 — up 17-10 in the third quarter — and it ended up working out. Baylor Romney threw to Aleva Hifo on the screen and he burst up the sideline for a 41-yard touchdown to give BYU some breathing room.
Leva to the
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 10, 2019
BYU 24 - 10 Liberty | 3Q 3:55#GoCougs #BYUFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/Mh3D64H6Cw
That wasn’t the only time a trick play worked out for BYU — Micah Simon threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Matt Bushman midway through the second quarter.
.@micahsimon_ ➡️ @Bushman1Matt
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 10, 2019
BYU leads 17 -7!#GoCougs #BYUFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/YqUjlOvW50
In the fourth, though, with BYU leading 31-24 late, the Cougars tried a fake field goal, with Hayden Livingston throwing a lateral to Jake Oldroyd. Oldroyd was tackled for a four-yard loss, giving the Flames one last chance to win the game.
Efficient night
Romney, making his second start at quarterback for BYU, had an efficient night, completing 23 of 33 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception.
.@laulu_1 extending the lead!
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 10, 2019
BYU 31 - 17 Liberty | 4Q 11:57#GoCougs #BYUFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/7xCbVlaWda
The Cougars converted 7 of 13 third downs and rushed for 165 yards in a game that was close statistically, with BYU putting up 471 yards to 431 for Liberty.
BYU spread the ball out, with eight players getting carries and eight players catching passes.
Simon’s big night
BYU wide receiver Simon had a memorable night, catching a team-high seven passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. That included a 2-yard touchdown catch for BYU’s first score, set up by a 47-yard Simon catch earlier on the drive.
Simon also threw his first touchdown as a Cougar when he hit Bushman for the score.
Scoring summary: BYU 31, Liberty 24
First quarter
Liberty, Zac Foutz 19-yard pass from Stephen Calvert (11:04), Alex Probert kick
BYU, Micah Simon 2-yard pass from Baylor Romney (7:56), Jake Oldroyd kick
Second quarter
BYU, Jake Oldroyd 24-yard field goal (10:54)
BYU, Matt Bushman 44-yard pass from Micah Simon (8:36), Jake Oldroyd kick
Third quarter
Liberty, Alex Probert 24-yard field goal (7:58)
BYU, Aleva Hifo 41-yard pass from Baylor Romney (4:11), Jake Oldroyd kick
Liberty, Antonio Gandy-Golden 41-yard pass from Stephen Calvert (2:11), Alex Probert kick
Fourth quarter
BYU, Moroni Laulu-Pututau 17-yard pass from Baylor Romney (12:01), Jake Oldroyd kick
Liberty, Zac Foutz 13-yard pass from Stephen Calvert (6:35), Alex Probert kick
Follow along with the action in our live blog below.
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