11/29/25 07:04:00
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11/29 18:59 CST Kennesaw State tops Liberty 48-42 in double OT, will play for
Conference USA championship
Kennesaw State tops Liberty 48-42 in double OT, will play for Conference USA
championship
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) --- Amari Odom threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Christian
Moss on the first play of a second overtime and Kennesaw State's defense did
the rest in a 48-42 victory over Liberty on Saturday in a regular-season finale.
Odom misfired on the mandatory two-point conversion for the Owls (9-3, 7-1),
who found out at halftime they'd be playing in the Conference USA title game
after Western Kentucky lost 37-34 to regular-season champion Jacksonville
State. But it didn't matter.
Baron Hopson tackled Evan Dickens for a 1-yard loss on first down. Tywon
Christopher held Dickens to a yard on his second carry and then teamed up with
Elijah Hill for a sack. Michael Merdinger threw incomplete to end it.
Odom completed 14 of 23 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns. He had a
12-yard touchdown pass to Gabriel Benyard in the first quarter and a 25-yarder
on first down in the first OT. It was Benyard's school-record ninth touchdown
catch this season.
Odom added a 9-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter and finished with 72
yards on 13 carries. Coleman Bennett rushed 14 times for 92 yards and a score.
Bennett also had a touchdown catch.
Dickens, a sophomore, carried 43 times for 267 yards and four touchdowns for
Liberty (4-8, 3-5). It was the third most yards gained in school history.
Dickens raced 95 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter
to put the Flames up 28-21,
Liberty got the ball back at its own 29 with 2:20 to go, but Jay Billingsley
missed a 32-yard field goal with 5 seconds left to force OT.
Merdinger finished with 212 yards and a touchdown on 12-for-21 passing.
Up Next
Jacksonville State will host Kennesaw State for the conference championship on
Friday.
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