Liberty and Virginia Tech played one of the wildest finishes of the season. Tied at 35 with eight seconds left, Liberty lined up for a 59-yard field goal. Virginia Tech blocked it and returned it for what looked like a walk-off touchdown. The Hokies celebrated like the game was over, but it wasn’t. A timeout had been called right before the snap, wiping out the entire play. Liberty kept possession and got a second chance.
After the reset, Liberty ran a quick pass to pick up a first down and set up a much more manageable 51-yard kick. Their kicker, whose career long was 42, nailed it. Liberty took the win and moved to 7-0. The wild back-and-forth left Virginia Tech stunned. They tried a desperation lateral play with one second left, but it didn’t work. Liberty’s sideline exploded. Hugh Freeze celebrated, accidentally tried to high-five a cop, then collected hugs from his daughters. The two head coaches met at midfield, and Virginia Tech’s coach got a reminder that his own timeout cost them the win. Even the sideline security guards tossed each other postgame “good games.” Liberty pulled off the miracle, just not the one anyone expected.