1997 Liberty Flames football team

The 1997 Liberty Flames football team represented Liberty University as an independent during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Sam Rutigliano, the Flames compiled an overall record of 9–2.

1997 Liberty Flames football
Conference	Independent
Record	9–2
Head coach	Sam Rutigliano (9th season)
Home stadium	Williams Stadium
Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

1997 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 18 Cal Poly			–						10	–	1
No. 5 Western Kentucky ^			–						10	–	2
No. 17 Hofstra ^			–						9	–	2
No. 25 Liberty			–						9	–	2
Samford			–						7	–	4
Morehead State			–						5	–	4
South Florida			–						5	–	6
Southern Utah			–						5	–	6
Saint Mary's			–						4	–	6
Davidson			–						3	–	8
Buffalo			–						2	–	9
La Salle			–						1	–	8
Charleston Southern			–						1	–	9
Austin Peay			–						0	–	10
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	Glenville State		Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	W 56–7		^[1]
September 13	at Western Carolina		E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	W 17–10		^[2]
September 27	at Delaware State		Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	W 33–17		^[3]
October 4	Elon		Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	W 41–9		^[4]
October 11	No. 25 Hampton		Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	L 27–33 ^OT	12,431	^[5]
October 18	at Virginia Union		Hovey Field Richmond, VA (Gold Bowl)	W 16–8		^[6]
October 25	at Charleston Southern		Buccaneer Field North Charleston, SC	W 48–14	2,794	^[7]
November 1	No. 19 Cal Poly		Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	W 49–32		^[8]
November 8	at Norfolk State		William "Dick" Price Stadium Norfolk, VA	W 17–6		^[9]
November 15	No. 21 Hofstra	No. 20	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	L 27–40		^[10]
November 22	at No. 15 Appalachian State	No. 25	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC	W 25–19	8,712	^[11]
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "LU drills Division II opponent". The News and Advance. September 7, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Liberty gets win". The Daily News Leader. September 14, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Hornets' bag of tricks backfire". The News Journal. September 28, 199. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "LU beats up on Elon". The News and Advance. October 5, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Hampton topples Liberty". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 12, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Strange day ends with Liberty win". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 19, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Liberty, Anderson scorching". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 26, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Mustangs handed first setback of year". Santa Maria Times. November 2, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Liberty runs past Norfolk State". Daily Press. November 9, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Hofstra hammers Liberty". The News and Advance. November 16, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Liberty leaves ASU on the playoff fence". The Charlotte Observer. November 23, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.