Rocco Weekly Press Conference: James Madison
9/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Fresh off consecutive victories to raise his team's mark to 2-1 on the season, head coach Danny Rocco fielded questions from members of the media during his weekly press conference, Tuesday afternoon, from inside the Donor Room at the Williams Football Operations Center.
During the 30-minute press conference, Rocco recapped Liberty's 19-13 win up at Lafayette, which gave the Flames a victory in seven of their last nine road games. The fourth-year head coach also talked about Liberty's pending matchup with No. 6/7 James Madison, Saturday night, at Williams Stadium.
Below are some of the subject matters Rocco touched on during the afternoon event:
• Commented on Liberty's victory over Lafayette, including the team's solid play on the road, the outstanding effort given by sophomores Mike Brown and Chris Summers, the stellar play of the Flames' rushing defense and evening the score with Lafayette
• Previewed Liberty's matchup with James Madison, talking about the Dukes being one of the premier FCS programs in the nation, the respect he has for James Madison Coach Mike Matthews, the Dukes' overall speed on both offense and defense, James Madison's dynamic kicking game and what Liberty needs to do to win on Saturday
• Asked to reflect back on last week's practice and if he saw anything that would have led him to believe Chris Summers and Mike Brown would have the breakout games they ended up having against the Leopards
• Provided an injury update, including the playing status of quarterback Tommy Beecher, offensive lineman Justin Vargas and wide receiver Chris Summers
• Spoke about how Soeren Wendland did last week, after he replaced an injured Justin Vargas in the lineup against Lafayette on the offensive line
• Asked to talk about James Madison's problems running the football against VMI last weekend and if the Flames feel like they might be able to continue to contain the Dukes' running effort
• Asked to reflect upon Liberty's breakdowns in the kicking game against Lafayette, leading to two blocked kicks (one field goal attempt and another extra point attempt)
• Commented on the importance of starting out strong against the Dukes, while reflecting on the team's second half efforts through the first three games in 2009
• Spoke about what this type of game means to Liberty against a top-level FCS program like James Madison and what it could do to help the future of the Flames program
• Reflected on the numerous comments on various online message boards and the lack of respect the Flames are receiving from those boards when it comes to the game against James Madison
• Talked about James Madison's quarterbacking situation and if the Dukes' two quarterbacks provide the same versatility as Tommy Beecher and Mike Brown provide the Flames
• Commented on the play of Mike Brown at quarterback this year and his development as an athlete during his time at Liberty
• Asked to talk about James Madison's elusive return specialist Scotty McGee and how the Flames plan to attempt to contain him on Saturday night
• Reflected on Mike Brown's ability to lead the Flames football program as a sophomore and when he got a sense of his developing leadership skills
• Asked to talk about the Flames' 3-4 defensive scheme and how it differs so much, causing opposing offenses challenges when attempting to prepare for the Flames
• Spoke about Mike Brown's ability to call his own number while under center, especially on back-to-back plays during Liberty's contest against Lafayette on Saturday
During the 30-minute press conference, Rocco recapped Liberty's 19-13 win up at Lafayette, which gave the Flames a victory in seven of their last nine road games. The fourth-year head coach also talked about Liberty's pending matchup with No. 6/7 James Madison, Saturday night, at Williams Stadium.
Below are some of the subject matters Rocco touched on during the afternoon event:
• Commented on Liberty's victory over Lafayette, including the team's solid play on the road, the outstanding effort given by sophomores Mike Brown and Chris Summers, the stellar play of the Flames' rushing defense and evening the score with Lafayette
• Previewed Liberty's matchup with James Madison, talking about the Dukes being one of the premier FCS programs in the nation, the respect he has for James Madison Coach Mike Matthews, the Dukes' overall speed on both offense and defense, James Madison's dynamic kicking game and what Liberty needs to do to win on Saturday
• Asked to reflect back on last week's practice and if he saw anything that would have led him to believe Chris Summers and Mike Brown would have the breakout games they ended up having against the Leopards
• Provided an injury update, including the playing status of quarterback Tommy Beecher, offensive lineman Justin Vargas and wide receiver Chris Summers
• Spoke about how Soeren Wendland did last week, after he replaced an injured Justin Vargas in the lineup against Lafayette on the offensive line
• Asked to talk about James Madison's problems running the football against VMI last weekend and if the Flames feel like they might be able to continue to contain the Dukes' running effort
• Asked to reflect upon Liberty's breakdowns in the kicking game against Lafayette, leading to two blocked kicks (one field goal attempt and another extra point attempt)
• Commented on the importance of starting out strong against the Dukes, while reflecting on the team's second half efforts through the first three games in 2009
• Spoke about what this type of game means to Liberty against a top-level FCS program like James Madison and what it could do to help the future of the Flames program
• Reflected on the numerous comments on various online message boards and the lack of respect the Flames are receiving from those boards when it comes to the game against James Madison
• Talked about James Madison's quarterbacking situation and if the Dukes' two quarterbacks provide the same versatility as Tommy Beecher and Mike Brown provide the Flames
• Commented on the play of Mike Brown at quarterback this year and his development as an athlete during his time at Liberty
• Asked to talk about James Madison's elusive return specialist Scotty McGee and how the Flames plan to attempt to contain him on Saturday night
• Reflected on Mike Brown's ability to lead the Flames football program as a sophomore and when he got a sense of his developing leadership skills
• Asked to talk about the Flames' 3-4 defensive scheme and how it differs so much, causing opposing offenses challenges when attempting to prepare for the Flames
• Spoke about Mike Brown's ability to call his own number while under center, especially on back-to-back plays during Liberty's contest against Lafayette on Saturday
Thursday, June 18
Wednesday, May 13
Thursday, May 07
Thursday, April 30