BYU’s One Win From Bowl Eligibility After Sneaking Past Liberty
Nov 9, 2019, 9:34 PM | Updated: Nov 10, 2019, 2:53 pm
Courtesy of BYU Photo
PROVO, Utah – The BYU Cougars are one victory from reaching bowl eligibility after defeating the Liberty Flames.
The game between the Cougars and Flames on Saturday, November 9 was anything but pretty but for Kalani Sitake and his team, the result of a win was all that mattered.
BYU stopped Liberty on 4th & 21 from the Flames’ 39-yard line with 32 seconds left to seal a 31-24 win at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Buckshot had his guy wide open but #BYU LB Isaiah Kaufusi closed in and broke up the pass.
FINAL: BYU 31, Liberty 24.#LIBvsBYU #KSLsports
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 10, 2019
After the game, BYU wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake tweeted, “Wins can be pretty and wins can be a bit ugly. But a win is a win and we will take it!!!”
Wins can be pretty and wins can be a bit ugly. But a win is a win and we will take it!!! Much respect to a very good Liberty team. I Love this team! #GoCougs 🤙🏽
— Fesi Sitake (@fsitake) November 10, 2019
The result moved the Cougs to 5-4 on the season. The win was their third in a row. It was also the first time they’ve had a record above .500 since they defeated USC on September 14 and were 2-1.
3 game win streak 👏👏👏#BYUFOOTBALL #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/6YOWczlkuJ
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 10, 2019
Liberty fell to 6-4 in 2019.
The Cougars have three games remaining on their regular-season schedule. To become a bowl-eligible squad a team must win at least six games with no more than one of those wins coming against an FCS opponent.
BYU faces their first FCS foe of the season in their next game. Idaho State visits Provo on November 16 at 1 p.m. The Bengals are 3-7 in 2019.
The final two games on the schedule are on the road against UMass and San Diego State.
UMass currently sits at 1-9 on the season while SDSU is 7-1 and ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25 poll.
BYU will need to win one of the next three to reach a bowl game in 2019. Kalani Sitake got his team back to a bowl in 2018 after missing the postseason in 2017 with a 4-9 record.
BYU hangs on vs Liberty.
A win is a win. Cougars are one game away from being bowl eligibility.
— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) November 10, 2019
If the Cougs win their next two games, they’ll head into the regular-season finale against the Aztecs with the chance to surpass their win total from the 2018 season of seven games.
The win against the Flames wasn’t pretty and came by a slim margin but for Kalani Sitake and his staff, the “W” was all that mattered on Saturday night.
