Hursky and Shipps Garner Weekly Accolades
11/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Following their 20-point victory over Gardner-Webb to seal up their second straight Big South title, the Flames moved up two spots in both the Sports Network and FCS Coaches polls, which were released earlier today.
Liberty, who is 9-2 on the year and 5-0 in Big South play, is currently ranked No. 20 in the FCS Coaches poll and No. 22 in the Sports Network weekly listing. This marks the 11th consecutive week the Flames have been ranked inside a Top 25 poll, extending a program-record streak.
The Top 10 teams in the Sports Network poll and the first nine selections in last week's FCS Coaches coach remained unchanged as the regular season draws to a close. The first team to drop in either poll was Elon, who the Flames will host at Williams Stadium on Saturday.
However, the Phoenix garnered the respect of the national voting community, as Elon only dropped one place in both the Sports Network and FCS Coaches polls to No. 11 and 12, respectively, following their narrow 24-16 loss against No. 2 Appalachian State over the weekend in Boone, N.C.
James Madison remained the unanimous No. 1 pick in the FCS Coaches poll, while taking home 106 out of a possible 120 first-place votes to remain atop the Sports Network poll.
The Flames are one of nine teams to have reached the nine-win plateau this season, as Liberty is joined by Appalachian State, Dayton, James Madison, Prairie View, South Carolina State, Northern Iowa and Weber State. Montana leads all FCS programs with 10 victories.
The Flames will host Elon in a key battle for NCAA FCS Playoff positioning, this Saturday, at Williams Stadium. The contest marks the first time two nationally ranked football teams have squared off against each other in Lynchburg since 1997.
The last time a contest took place at Williams Stadium pitting two ranked foes against each other, No. 21 Hofstra handed No. 19 Liberty a 40-27 setback on Nov. 15, marking one of two losses during the Flames 9-2 record-setting season.
