Western Carolina Game Notes Available
9/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Western Carolina Game Notes
Today's Game
Liberty will put its seven-game winning streak on the line this weekend when it takes to the road for the first time in 2008 this weekend in Cullowhee, N.C. The Flames are coming off a 44-27 home victory over Glenville State, while Western Carolina suffered a 69-0 setback at the hands of Florida State last weekend in Tallahassee, Fla., to fall to 1-1 on the year.
Coach's Corner
In just two seasons at Liberty, head coach Danny Rocco has taken the Flames from 1-10 (in 2005) to Big South champions. The third-year skipper has posted a 16-8 record since taking over the program, helping him garner Big South Coach of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons. Last year, the Flames were 8-3 and a perfect 4-0 against Big South foes.
The Catamounts are under the direction of first-year head coach Dennis Wagner. The Utah graduate brought over 20 years of football coaching experience to Western Carolina, when he was named the 12th head coach in program history on Jan. 4, 2008. Prior to taking over the Catamounts reigns, Wagner served as an offensive line coach for four years at Nebreska.
What's Happened against WCU in the Past
Today's match-up with Western Carolina will mark the sixth meeting in the series between the two programs. Western Carolina leads the overall series, 3-2, despite a 21-0 blanking in Lynchburg on Nov. 4, 2006. The Flames are 1-1 when facing the Catamounts in Cullowhee, N.C., picking up a 17-10 victory on Sept. 12, 1997, before falling 63-0 at E.J. Whitmire Stadium on Nov. 3, 2001.
Race to the Scoreboard
The past two meetings between Western Carolina and Liberty have proved to be shutouts for the victors. The Catamounts blanked Liberty, 63-0, in the Flames last trip to Cullowhee, N.C., accounting for one of 17 times in program history Liberty has failed to dent the scoreboard. The Flames returned the favor in 2006 with a 21-0 whitewash of Western Carolina, marking one of four shutouts under head coach Danny Rocco's tutelage.
Home Sweet Home
Last weekend, the Flames welcomed visitors Glenville State to Williams Stadium, a facility Liberty has called home for the past 20 seasons. Liberty rallied for a 37-19 victory over Towson State on Oct. 21, 1989, and has won 65 percent of its contests since, having posted a 68-37 record at the on-campus facility. Last year, the Flames went undefeated at home for the second time in program history, posting a school-record 6-0 record en route to their Big South title run.
Wonderful Crowds
Despite remnants of Hurricane Hanna lingering in the area, Liberty played its Glenville State game on Sept. 6 in front of 13,917 fans, the seventh largest crowd in stadium history. Since Danny Rocco has arrived at Liberty, the Flames have filled Williams Stadium beyond capacity 10 out of 14 games. Liberty has posted a 12-2 during those contests, averaging 12,938 fans per home game.
Attending to the National Numbers
Following back-to-back sellout crowds at Williams Stadium, Liberty ranks as one of the nation's elite in terms of home attendance figures. The Flames rank third nationally among FCS programs in filling stadium capacity (121.78 percent), fourth in total home attendance (29,228) and No. 14 in average home attendance (14,614).
Magnificent Seven
The Flames 44-27 victory over Glenville State last weekend pushed the Flames winning streak to seven-straight games, dating back to the 2007 season. The run is currently tied for the second longest active winning streaks among FCS programs, ranking only behind Dayton's eight-game winning streak. The Flames are tied with Harvard, who has also won seven games in a row.
Streaking Toward a Record
Liberty's current seven-game winning streak ranks as the third longest in program history. The only two runs ahead of the Flames' current winning ways was an eight-game streak that spanned the 1992-93 seasons and a program-best 10-game winning streak that ran over the 1988-89 seasons.
Today's Game
Liberty will put its seven-game winning streak on the line this weekend when it takes to the road for the first time in 2008 this weekend in Cullowhee, N.C. The Flames are coming off a 44-27 home victory over Glenville State, while Western Carolina suffered a 69-0 setback at the hands of Florida State last weekend in Tallahassee, Fla., to fall to 1-1 on the year.
Coach's Corner
In just two seasons at Liberty, head coach Danny Rocco has taken the Flames from 1-10 (in 2005) to Big South champions. The third-year skipper has posted a 16-8 record since taking over the program, helping him garner Big South Coach of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons. Last year, the Flames were 8-3 and a perfect 4-0 against Big South foes.
The Catamounts are under the direction of first-year head coach Dennis Wagner. The Utah graduate brought over 20 years of football coaching experience to Western Carolina, when he was named the 12th head coach in program history on Jan. 4, 2008. Prior to taking over the Catamounts reigns, Wagner served as an offensive line coach for four years at Nebreska.
What's Happened against WCU in the Past
Today's match-up with Western Carolina will mark the sixth meeting in the series between the two programs. Western Carolina leads the overall series, 3-2, despite a 21-0 blanking in Lynchburg on Nov. 4, 2006. The Flames are 1-1 when facing the Catamounts in Cullowhee, N.C., picking up a 17-10 victory on Sept. 12, 1997, before falling 63-0 at E.J. Whitmire Stadium on Nov. 3, 2001.
Race to the Scoreboard
The past two meetings between Western Carolina and Liberty have proved to be shutouts for the victors. The Catamounts blanked Liberty, 63-0, in the Flames last trip to Cullowhee, N.C., accounting for one of 17 times in program history Liberty has failed to dent the scoreboard. The Flames returned the favor in 2006 with a 21-0 whitewash of Western Carolina, marking one of four shutouts under head coach Danny Rocco's tutelage.
Home Sweet Home
Last weekend, the Flames welcomed visitors Glenville State to Williams Stadium, a facility Liberty has called home for the past 20 seasons. Liberty rallied for a 37-19 victory over Towson State on Oct. 21, 1989, and has won 65 percent of its contests since, having posted a 68-37 record at the on-campus facility. Last year, the Flames went undefeated at home for the second time in program history, posting a school-record 6-0 record en route to their Big South title run.
Wonderful Crowds
Despite remnants of Hurricane Hanna lingering in the area, Liberty played its Glenville State game on Sept. 6 in front of 13,917 fans, the seventh largest crowd in stadium history. Since Danny Rocco has arrived at Liberty, the Flames have filled Williams Stadium beyond capacity 10 out of 14 games. Liberty has posted a 12-2 during those contests, averaging 12,938 fans per home game.
Attending to the National Numbers
Following back-to-back sellout crowds at Williams Stadium, Liberty ranks as one of the nation's elite in terms of home attendance figures. The Flames rank third nationally among FCS programs in filling stadium capacity (121.78 percent), fourth in total home attendance (29,228) and No. 14 in average home attendance (14,614).
Magnificent Seven
The Flames 44-27 victory over Glenville State last weekend pushed the Flames winning streak to seven-straight games, dating back to the 2007 season. The run is currently tied for the second longest active winning streaks among FCS programs, ranking only behind Dayton's eight-game winning streak. The Flames are tied with Harvard, who has also won seven games in a row.
Streaking Toward a Record
Liberty's current seven-game winning streak ranks as the third longest in program history. The only two runs ahead of the Flames' current winning ways was an eight-game streak that spanned the 1992-93 seasons and a program-best 10-game winning streak that ran over the 1988-89 seasons.
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