Cooper Neill/Getty Images
The FCS Liberty Flames pulled off a shocking road upset over the Baylor Bears on Saturday, scoring a 48-45 victory at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.
Both teams amassed over 500 yards of total offense, and Baylor’s defense had no answer for Liberty sophomore quarterback Stephen Calvert.
Calvert completed 44 of 60 passing attempts for 447 yards and three touchdowns, and he added a rushing touchdown in one of the biggest wins in the history of the program.
The Flames are soon set to join Baylor as an FBS team, as they will play as an independent in 2018 before becoming a full member in 2019.
Saturday’s game was Matt Rhule’s first as Baylor’s head coach since joining the team after four seasons at Temple.
Although it wasn’t enough to hold off the Flames, Baylor quarterback Anu Solomon produced to the tune of 278 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception to go along with 97 yards on the ground.
Baylor’s defense allowed Liberty to convert 15 of its 24 third-down attempts and both of its tries on fourth down. The Flames also out-possessed the Bears by more than 16 minutes.
Liberty’s athletic director is Ian McCaw, who resigned as Baylor’s AD last year amid a sexual assault scandal involving the football team.
Baylor will look to get back on track against UT San Antonio and Duke over the next two weeks, but it will then enter a brutal stretch of games within the Big 12.
The Bears will face five currently ranked opponents in a row with tilts against Oklahoma, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Texas on the schedule.
