LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Desmond Rice ran for three touchdowns and Clifton Richardson rushed for two more as Liberty routed Morgan State 38-10 in a non-conference game at Williams Stadium on Saturday night. The Flames (2-1), who entered the game averaging just 77.5 rushing yards per game and 2.3 yards per carry, took to the ground early and often against the Bears (0-3). Rice ran for 97 yards on nine carries and Richardson added 86 yards on 14 attempts. Liberty was playing for the third straight game without presumed starting tailback Aldreakis Allen, a 1,000-yard back a year ago who has missed two games due to suspension and another due to injury. The Flames rushed for 330 yards on an easy night for quarterback Josh Woodrum, who went 9-for-15 for 101 yards. Liberty held Morgan State, which has lost its last nine games, to 171 yards of total offense. After playing three quarterbacks last week at Morgan State, the Bears started freshman Moses Skillon, and he proved to be the only one capable of moving the ball. Morgan State finished with 28 passing yards, but Skillon ran 16 times for 90 yards. Liberty marched down the field with ease on its first drive, a six-play, 66-yard possession culminating in Rice's 14-yard touchdown run behind a huge block from fullback Nicky Fualaau that gave the Flames a 7-0 lead. The drive came after Liberty's defense forced a three-and-out on the Bears' first possession. The Flames moved with similar ease on their second possession. Woodrum hit Fualaau on a seam route for a 19-yard gain to move into the Morgan State red zone, and Richardson capped the 10-play, 71-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run that made it 14-0 Flames. Morgan State got on the board with a 35-yard Chris Moller field goal with 12:04 left in the first half, but any momentum was lost when the Flames drove 96 yards in 11 plays for another touchdown, this one a 9-yard Rice run for a 21-3 lead. Richardson scored on a 3-yard TD run 16 seconds before halftime to make it 28-3 Flames. Rice's 20-yard TD run in the third quarter pushed the lead to 35-3. Morgan State finally got into the end zone with 2:39 left on a 4-yard touchdown run by Herb Walker Jr. that cut the lead to 38-10. NOTES: Morgan State's nine-game losing streak is its longest since the Bears dropped its last five games in 2000 and first four in 2001. ... Morgan State hasn't won a non-conference road game against a Division I opponent since beating Towson 12-9 in 2009. ... Liberty scored on its first possession for just the third time in 14 games under head coach Turner Gill.

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Liberty 38, Morgan State 10