1997 Liberty Flames football team

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

1997 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

	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

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.

Schedule

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