DALLAS - Liberty clinched a spot in the CUSA Championship Game and remained undefeated with an impressive road win, 42-29, at preseason CUSA favorite WKU, while New Mexico State won its fourth consecutive game after beating LA Tech 27-24 in Ruston on Tuesday.

8-0 LIBERTY CLINCHES CUSA TITLE GAME SPOT
Liberty (8-0, 6-0 CUSA) remained undefeated on Tuesday night, knocking off WKU (4-4, 2-2 CUSA) in Bowling Green, 42-29, to punch its ticket to the CUSA Championship Game on Friday, Dec. 1. The Flames can clinch hosting duties with a win at home next week against LA Tech. It was the Kaidon Salter show in Bowling Green, as he totaled four touchdowns with no turnovers in the win. He completed 10-15 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns through the air, while also carrying 13 times for 117 yards and another score. This marks the second consecutive game for Salter with 100-plus yards on the ground, and gives him 614 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns, both league highs. His 26 total touchdowns also lead CUSA.  The nation’s second-best rushing attack rolled up 323 yards on the ground (entered play averaging 274.6 yards per game). RB Quinton Cooley had 17 carries for 76 yards and a score, his seventh on the year, all of which have come in the past four games. The Flames had a key interception late in the first half in the end zone, giving them 16 on the year as a team, which leads the nation. DB Kobe Singleton picked off his fourth pass of the season, and he tied for the team-lead in tackles with seven to go along with a pass breakup in the win. WKU QB Austin Reed completed 30-44 passes for 365 yards with four touchdowns (he now has a league-best 20 on the season) and one interception in a losing effort.

AGGIES TAKE DOWN BULLDOGS
New Mexico State (6-3, 4-1 CUSA) picked up a narrow road win, 27-24, at LA Tech (3-6, 2-3 CUSA) on Tuesday night. The Aggies trailed 16-3 late in the first half in Ruston, Louisiana, but rallied to win their fourth consecutive game and are now just one win shy of becoming bowl eligible for the second consecutive season (they need seven wins due to their 13-game schedule with their game at Hawai’i back on Sept. 23). RB Star Thomas carried 10 times for 88 yards, while QB Diego Pavia completed 10-19 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions and also carried 12 times for 67 yards and a score in the win. The Aggies defense forced a pair of key fumbles, one of which New Mexico State immediately turned into a touchdown. After trailing 16-3, the Aggies outscored LA Tech 24-8 the remainder of the way. LB Keyshaun Elliott finished with six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, while DB Myles Rowser led the team with nine stops and a pass breakup in the win. LA Tech QB Hank Bachmeier finished 20-27 for 238 yards with three total touchdowns (two on the ground) in a losing effort, as the Bulldogs dropped their fourth one-score game of the season.



WEEKDAY CUSA CONCLUDES WEDNESDAY
The final two October midweek CUSA contests take place on Wednesday and get underway at 6 p.m. in Miami as FIU (4-4, 1-4 CUSA) hosts Jax State (6-2, 4-1 CUSA) on CBS Sports Network. The Panthers are coming off a thrilling 33-27 double-overtime win at Sam Houston last week, while Jax State upended WKU at home, 20-17.

The last CUSA game of the week kicks off at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2 as Sam Houston (0-7, 0-4 CUSA) welcomes UTEP (2-6, 1-3 CUSA) to Huntsville, Texas. The Bearkats dropped a heartbreaker in double overtime  last week at home, 33-27, while UTEP lost its rivalry game at home against New Mexico State, 28-7.

WEEKDAY CUSA HAS BEEN ENTHRALLING
In Conference USA’s first season with a midweek October schedule on national television, 13 of the 17 games that have been played in this window have been decided by two scores or less, while eight of those have been one-score games, including a pair in overtime.