<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=41vqPL_0vlo50O600" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=41vqPL_0vlo50O600" width="1280" height="640" ></figure>MATCHUP OF TOP QUARTERBACKSSaturday’s game between Liberty and Appalachian State will feature two of the top quarterbacks not just in the Group of Five but in the entire country. Kaidon Salter and Joey Aguilar each had tremendous seasons in 2023 in their first year as full time starter at this level.Aguilar threw for 3,757 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while competing 64% of his passes last year. He’s off to a strong start once again this season, having already thrown for over 1,200 yards in the first four games.“This is, arguably, going to be the best QB they’ve went up against,” Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell said of his defensive backs. “I know our guys are excited about that, because there’s opportunities there. We’re going to have to play well. We’re going to have to do a good job of not letting him get out of the pocket and create extra plays. I think he does a great job of that. He’s definitely capable of beating you from the pocket because he can spin it. He can throw it really well.”Salter threw for 2,876 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions a season ago while also eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark on the ground. This season, he has completed over 64% of his passes for 949 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 1 interception and has also picked up 131 yards rushing.“He’s as good as anybody in this country,” Chadwell said of Salter. “I think he showed that in some key, big moments. I think you’re finding we’re trusting each other more, receiver wise, guys making plays. We are getting to where I think, I believe, we’re capable of.”“I love how our defense is playing, how our defensive secondary is playing right now. They’re confident, butMATCHUP OF TOP G5 PROGRAMSSaturday’s game between the Mountaineers and Flames feature two of the top Group of Five teams in the country.Since Liberty began FBS competition in 2018, App State is tied for eighth place nationally with 60 wins (60-23 record), while the Flames are 12th with 57 wins (57-23 record). Those win totals rank No. 1 and No. 2 among current Group of Five programs.Liberty and App State have both made bowl game appearances every year they have competed at the FBS level with full bowl eligibility.The Mountaineers were expected to compete for a Sun Belt Championship once again this season, and they still could despite dropping their first conference game. Meanwhile, the Flames have opened 2-0 in CUSA play and are the preseason favorites to repeat as conference champs.“We know we got another big one this week,” said Chadwell. “Our opponent played on Thursday night, so they got extra time for us, and so they’re going to have a great plan. So, we’ve got to really have a great week of preparation and be able to come back and build off of what we did (against ECU). We can’t have one game and then go backwards. This has gotta be a checkpoint for us to be from here going forward this is how we’re going to play.”FIRST QUARTER TURNAROUNDBoth Liberty and Appalachian State have struggled much of the season in the first quarter. The Flames fell behind in games at New Mexico State (10-3) and against East Carolina (14-0) in the first quarter. Those leads would balloon to 17-3 and 17-0, respectively, in the early part of the second quarters.For the Mountaineers, it has been even worse in the opening 15 minutes for them against FBS opponents so far this season. They got behind 35-0 in the first quarter against Clemson, then 16-0 against East Carolina, and 14-0 against South Alabama last week. They were, obviously, able to come back and defeat the Pirates, but dug too big of a hole in the other two contests to fight back for the win.“After the slow start, if you look at it, we played really well,” Chadwell said of Liberty’s slow start last week against the Pirates. “It might not be the whole team. It might be certain positions that aren’t starting well. So, what can we do for those certain positions to help them play cleaner right away and be into it right away? We’re looking at some things. Whether it’s changing up a routine, or maybe allowing them to be more involved in some of the things that we’re going to do early, just to come out of the gate better.”UNIFORM REPORTThis week in Boone, App State is doing a white out and Liberty will be wearing all white including the debut of brand new white helmets with the Sparky logo as we have only seen before on the navy blue helmets.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">all white everything❕ <a href="https://t.co/KLS4Hgeeq2">pic.twitter.com/KLS4Hgeeq2</a>— Liberty Football (@LibertyFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/LibertyFootball/status/1839396477556457540?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>Meanwhile, the Mountaineers will be wearing gold helmets, black jerseys, and gold pants.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Only Y̶o̶u̶ ̶ Us.🟡⚫️🟡Presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/BeechMtnResort?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BeechMtnResort</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoApp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoApp</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeatLiberty?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BeatLiberty</a><a href="https://t.co/k272Mf0Zom">pic.twitter.com/k272Mf0Zom</a>— App State Football (@AppState_FB) <a href="https://twitter.com/AppState_FB/status/1839403528647033291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>INJURY REPORTHere’s an update on Liberty’s current injury situation:<ul><li>S Brylan Green will miss this week’s game at Appalachian State with concussion-like symptoms. WR Reese Smith is expected to fill in for him in his punt return duties.</li><li>OL JP Flores returned to action this past week against ECU after missing the first three weeks. He spent much of his time at right guard.</li><li>DT Jay Hardy was injured in the first quarter at New Mexico State. Coach Chadwell said he is expected to miss approximately 4-6 weeks which would put him at potentially returning for the FIU or Kennesaw State game in October. He did suit up last week against ECU but did not see game action.</li><li>WR Juju Gray is week to week and questionable to play this week. He did not play the last three weeks.</li><li>CB Marquis Bell is out with an injury suffered at NMSU.</li><li>WR Darius Copeland will miss the rest of the season with a lower body injury.</li><li>WR Victor Jones continues to be out.</li></ul></div></body>

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Liberty Football Notes: Salter vs Aguilar, Top G5 Programs, Slow Starts, Injury Report

Saturday’s game between Liberty and Appalachian State will feature two of the top quarterbacks not just in the Group of Five but in the entire country. Kaidon Salter and Joey Aguilar each had tremendous seasons in 2023 in their first year as full time starter at this level. Aguilar...