Liberty pulls away from Kats in 35-3 loss

Thursday, October 8

Lynchburg, Va.

6:00 PM

1-4 , 0-1

Liberty

5-1 , 2-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Sam Houston	0	3	0	0	3
Liberty	7	7	7	14	35

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Wide receiver Grady O'Neill runs away from a Liberty defensive player

Photo by: Danny Salas

Liberty pulls away from Kats in 35-3 loss

10/8/2026 9:29:00 PM | Football

Box Score

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty used a strong performance on both sides of the ball to pull away for a 35-3 victory over Sam Houston on Thursday evening at Williams Stadium.

The Bearkats (1-4, 0-1 CUSA) returned from a bye week looking to open Conference USA play with a road win, but the Flames (5-1, 2-0 CUSA) limited Sam Houston to fewer than 300 yards of total offense while rushing for 297 yards.

Liberty appeared to take the opening kickoff back 75 yards for a touchdown, but a holding penalty negated the score. The Flames pieced together a drive instead, taking a 7-0 lead four minutes into the contest on a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Deshawn Purdie to wide receiver Bryce Randolph.

Sam Houston was forced to punt on its first four possessions as the offense struggled to find its rhythm. Liberty extended its advantage with a one-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter to make it 14-0.

A defensive stand late in the first half gave the Bearkats an opportunity to respond. After forcing a three-and-out, Sam Houston took over near midfield. A 27-yard completion from quarterback Landyn Locke to Grady O'Neill helped set up Sam Carpenter, who connected on a 36-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-3 heading into halftime.

The Bearkats put together two promising drives to open the third quarter, with running backs Alton McCaskill and MJ Dowdy helping move the chains. However, both possessions stalled before Sam Houston could reach the end zone. Liberty capitalized with two additional touchdowns to extend its lead and put the game out of reach.

Locke completed 20 of 30 passes for 138 yards. Dowdy led the Bearkats on the ground with 46 rushing yards, while McCaskill added 36 yards, including a 20-yard run.

Sam Houston returns to Bowers Stadium to host WKU on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.