After earning the Group of Five's bid to the New Year's Six, the Liberty Flames picked up their only loss of the season in a 45-6 blowout by the Oregon Ducks.
The scoreline prompted some fans to play "what it?" and wonder if another G5 team could have had a different result against Dan Lanning's team. However, after the game, Lanning was quick to credit the job that Jamey Chadwell did in his first season with the Flames' program.
RELATED: Liberty Fall To #8 Oregon in Only Loss of Season
"They were an undefeated team. They had an elite season," Lanning noted postgame. "Coach Chadwell has won everywhere he's been. Yeah, we had the better game today. We played well today. They're a good team. You can't discredit a team going unscathed throughout the season, undefeated. It speaks to the quality of the team they are and the quality of coaches they had. They had an elite season. Hopefully this doesn't overshadow the season they had. I know how I wanted to come out at the end of this thing, and fortunately our players came out and performed."
Specifically, Lanning noted the rushing performance of Liberty. While Liberty had their lowest rushing total of the season, it was roughly 70 yards more than Oregon's average rushing yards allowed this season. It was the most that the Ducks allowed since Week Seven of the regular season.
"It still bothers me when we talk about our standard," Lanning noted of his run defense. "But I will say this, that our players embrace what it's going to take to win this game. They understood their strength, which is a big strength. They're better at running the ball than anybody else in the nation, for a good reason. So, I'm appreciative that our players stepped up to the challenge."
Oregon finished their season 12-2, their sixth time reaching 12 wins since 2010.
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