Game Day Central: Gardner-Webb
11/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Gardner-Webb Game Notes
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Television Coverage
Liberty Channel - Local Coverage
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Today's Game
Liberty comes into today's game fresh off consecutive road wins and four victories in a row to enter the contest with a 6-2 overall record and 3-0 mark in Big South action. Gardner-Webb is looking to overcome back-to-back home losses, falling to Presbyterian College and Coastal Carolina late in Boiling Springs, N.C, to stand at 3-5 overall and 1-2 in league play.
Battling the Bulldogs
Liberty will be looking to even its overall record with Gardner-Webb on Saturday, as the Bulldogs enter the match-up with a slight 8-7-1 series edge over the Flames. Liberty has won the last three meetings in the series, outscoring the Bulldogs 112-38 in the trio of contests.
Nice in November
During the last four years, Liberty has finished strong under head coach Danny Rocco. The Flames have posted an 11-2 record in games played during the month of November and have outscored opponents by an average of 18.15 points per game during those contests (494 PF/258 PA).
Sensational Seniors
This year's senior class is looking to erase last year's graduating class's program record, as last year's group finished up their careers with a 32-13 record. Through eight regular season games in 2010, this year's senior class has posted a 32-10 record during their four-year careers on Liberty Mountain and has three regular season games to become the best senior class in program history.
Four in a Row
For the fourth season in row, Liberty has opened Big South Conference play with a 3-0 mark. The Flames are the first team in league history to accomplish this feat and will be looking to up their mark to a fourth-straight 4-0 start to league play with a victory over the Bulldogs today.
Tough at Home
Liberty enters today's game with Gardner-Webb having won its last 10 home Big South Conference contests. The last time that Liberty lost a home Big South game was on Oct. 21, 2006, to Gardner-Webb, 27-24, one of only three conference losses under head coach Danny Rocco. During the 10-game streak, which is a conference record, Liberty has outscored its opponents by an average of 30.6 points per game (460 PF/154 PA).
Oh What a Run
Following a 34-24 road win over Presbyterian College last weekend, Liberty has posted a 19-3 record under head coach Danny Rocco against Big South teams since he took over the program in 2006. Liberty's three Big South losses under Rocco have come by a combined eight points. Liberty lost two Big South games during Rocco's first season, falling to Coastal Carolina (28-26/10-28-06) and Gardner-Webb (27-24/10-21-06), and dropped the 2009 season finale at Stony Brook (36-33/11-21-09).
Road Warriors
The Flames are coming off back-to-back road victories, giving Liberty three wins away from Lynchburg in 2010. Since head coach Danny Rocco took over the program in 2006, Liberty has posted a 14-11 record in games away from Williams Stadium. During the six seasons prior to Rocco's arrival, Liberty posted a combined 4-30 record in road games.
Trying to be the First
Liberty continues the 2010 season trying to become the first program in Big South history to win four conference titles in a row. Coastal Carolina and Liberty have each won three-straight titles. The Chanticleers won outright titles in 2004 and 2006, while sharing the title with Charleston Southern in 2005. Liberty won outright titles in 2007 and 2008, before sharing the conference crown with Stony Brook, last season.
Still on the Move
Following a fourth-straight victory, Liberty moved up two spots in the Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 poll on Monday. The Flames now ranked No. 14 in that listing, while the team remains No. 12 in the FCS Coaches poll for the second week in a row.
A Rankings Review
Dating back to the second week of the 2008 season, Liberty has been ranked inside the Top 26 for 30 out of the last 39 weekly polls (including preseason and end of the year rankings). Following their victory over Glenville State on Sept. 6, 2008, The Flames jumped into the Top 25 at No. 25 and remained there the rest of the season. Liberty was in and out of the polls in 2009, as the Flames received a Top 25 billing in nine of the 13 polls released last season.
Rushing Attack is Back
After rushing for an average of 116.25 yards and three touchdowns during the first four games of the season, Liberty has turned things around the last four games. The Flames have averaged 221.00 yards per game and have scored 12 rushing touchdowns during those four games. Liberty now currently ranks No. 39 nationally in rushing offense, averaging 168.6 rushing yards per game.
Run, Baby, Run
The Flames ran for 259 yards against Presbyterian College last weekend, the team's second-highest rushing total of the year. Liberty has now rushed for 200 or more yards twice this season and 22 times in five seasons under head coach Danny Rocco.
Home Turf Advantage
Last year, Liberty managed to run for 24 of the team's 31 team rushing touchdowns inside of Williams Stadium (77.4 percent). This year, Liberty has evenly spread out its scoring runs, as the Flames have finished with seven rushing touchdowns at home and eight scoring runs on the road.
500 Frenzy
The Flames finished last weekend's road game at Presbyterian College with 536 total offensive yards, marking the third time this year and the 10th time under head coach Danny Rocco the Flames have finished a game with 500 or more total offensive yards. Liberty now ranks No. 6 nationally by averaging 461.38 total offensive yards per game.
Dancing Down Marker
During last weekend's 34-24 road victory over Presbyterian College, the Flames finished the contest with a season-high 32 first downs. This marked the third time that Liberty has finished a Danny Rocco coached game with 30 or more first downs. Liberty now ranks No. 2 nationally in first downs, averaging 24.63 new sets of downs per game in 2010.
Different Type of First Down
The Flames finished the Presbyterian College game with 14 first downs via rushing plays, which was the program's second-highest total of the season (15 against Savannah State). The Flames have finished three out of the last four games with 10 or more rushing first downs after recording a combined 26 rushing first downs during the first four games of the season.
Two of a Kind
Presbyterian College became the second team this season to keep the Flames from recording a passing touchdown, joining James Madison, who did so earlier this year in a defensive struggle on Sept. 25. Liberty finished its game against the Blue Hose with four rushing touchdowns and two field goals to account for its 34 points.
Still Airing it Out
Liberty finished the VMI game on Oct. 16 with three passing touchdowns, giving the Flames 20 passing touchdowns this. Only eight other FCS programs in the country rank ahead of the Flames, as Jacksonville has thrown for 32 touchdowns, followed by Montana (26), Stephen F. Austin (24), Western Illinois (24), Jackson State (22), Elon (22), Montana State (22) and Chattanooga (22).
Best against the Best
Today's match-up will pit Liberty's highly touted passing offense against Gardner-Webb's top ranked pass defense. Liberty comes into the game ranked No. 6 nationally in passing offense with 2,342 yards and 20 touchdowns (292.75 yards per game), while Gardner-Webb ranks No. 3 nationally in passing defense, having allowed 1,104 passing yards and six receiving touchdowns (138.0 yards allowed per game).
Not This Time Around
Against Gardner-Webb on Oct. 23, Presbyterian College finished its game with a Big South season high, posting nine sacks against the Bulldogs. Liberty's offensive line had a much better showing against the Blue Hose last weekend, as the Flames did not allow a sack to Presbyterian College, marking the third time this year Liberty has not allowed a sack in a game.
Interesting Match-Up
Liberty could have the potential to up its sack total for the year this upcoming weekend against Gardner-Webb. The Flames come into the game ranked No. 25 nationally by averaging 2.38 sacks per game, while Gardner-Webb ranks No. 113 (out of 117 teams) by allowing an average of 4.25 sacks per game.
Just as Nice
Tied 17-17 at halftime, Liberty's defense came up strong against Presbyterian College, last weekend, as the Flames surrendered just 137 second half total offensive yards. More than half of those yards came on one play, when quarterback Ryan Singer got free for a 70-yard touchdown run. Besides Singer's fourth quarter burst, the Flames limited the Blue Hose to 67 yards on 22 plays during the final 30 minutes of action.
The Rocco Zone
Liberty continues to be highly successful when entering the opposing team's red zone, having scored on 30-of-33 drives that penetrate the opponent's 20-yard line. Liberty currently ranks No. 7 nationally in red zone offense and has scored 21 red zone touchdowns through seven games. During the last five years under head coach Danny Rocco, Liberty has scored 85.2 percent of the times it has gotten to the opponent's 20-yard line (202-of-237), including 143 red zone touchdowns.
Far Too Many Flags
Liberty finished the Presbyterian College game with a season-high nine penalties for 91 penalty yards. Liberty has finished six of its eight games in 2010 with five or fewer penalties. Following the rough outing against the Blue Hose, Liberty now ranks No. 16 in fewest penalties per game (4.88) and No. 19 in fewest average penalty yards per game (45.13).
Twice as Many
Liberty's stout defense has forced opposing punters to keep busy during a game, as the Flames' opponents are averaging more than twice as many punts as Liberty's punt total (25 by Liberty and 51 by opponents).
Clock Kings
The Flames have dominated time of possession lately, finishing their last two games with a combined 28:26 time of possession advantage over VMI and Presbyterian College. Liberty now ranks No. 16 nationally in average time of possession (32:19), thanks to finishing last weekend's road victory over the Blue Hose with a 15:42 time of possession edge.
Big Time Mark
Liberty finished the Presbyterian College game with a season-high time of possession advantage, ending the game with a 15:42 TOP edge. This marked the largest TOP advantage under head coach Danny Rocco. Liberty's fourth quarter control played a large part into this figure, as the Flames finished held onto the ball for 12:02 out of 15 minutes during the final quarter in Clinton, S.C.
Better Day against the Blue Hose
Mike Brown finished last weekend with a career-high 421 total offensive yards, rushing for a career-high 149 yards and passing for another 272 yards. This marks the second time this year Brown has finished a game with 400 or more total offensive yards, just breaking the 400-yard mark against Charleston Southern (403) on Oct. 9.
Joining Another Club
Mike Brown is drawing attention mostly for what his is doing in the pocket this year, but against Presbyterian College, the junior took to the ground to help Liberty to the road win. Brown rushed for a career-high 149 yards on 23 carries, becoming the 32nd player in program history to post a career 100-yard rushing performance.
Fantastic Four
For the fourth time this season, Mike Brown was named Big South Offensive Player of the Week. The junior shared the honor with Stony Brook's Miguel Maysonet this week after he helped the Seawolves to a 41-21 victory over Charleston Southern. Brown was also named Big South Offensive Player of the Week after notable performances against St. Francis, Pa., Ball State and Charleston Southern.
First of his Kind
With his 149 rushing yards against Presbyterian College, Mike Brown became the first player in program and Big South history to record a 1,000 career rushing, passing and receiving yards. Brown comes into today's game with 1,130 career rushing yards, 2,580 career passing yards and 1,047 career receiving yards.
That's Sir to You
SirChauncey Holloway finished off three lengthy Liberty drives with one-yard scoring runs, recording three rushing touchdowns against Presbyterian College on Saturday. This marked the third multiple rushing touchdown game of Holloway's career and gave the sophomore 15 rushing touchdowns in 16 career games.
Running with the Elite
SirChauncey Holloway comes into the final three games of the regular season needing just two rushing touchdowns to hit double figures on the season. If he were to get the pair of scoring runs, Holloway would become the eighth player in program history to finish a season with 10 or more rushing touchdowns. The last to do so was Rashad Jennings, who surpassed the mark all three years he was at Liberty (10 in 2006, 15 in 2007 and 17 in 2008).
National Leader
Chris Summers finished the VMI game with three touchdown receptions, giving the junior 12 scoring catches on the year. Summers currently leads the country with 12 receiving touchdowns, ranking ahead of Elon's Aaron Mellette and Jacksonville's Joshua Philpart, who both have 11 receiving touchdowns on the season.
Keeping Chris Down
Very few opponents have been able to corral wide receiver Chris Summers, as he leads the nation with 12 receiving touchdowns. However, Presbyterian College was able to do so last weekend, as the Blue Hose became the second program this year to prevent Summers from finishing a game with a receiving touchdown (other was James Madison).
Summing up Summers
Despite being held out of the end zone at Presbyterian College, Chris Summers continues to be one of the nation's top receivers. He currently ranks No. 7 in receptions per game (7.75), No. 6 in receiving yards per game (104.38), No. 5 in total receiving yards (835) and No. 11 in scoring (9.00 points per game).
And Chris Makes Four
Chris Summers comes into the final three games of the regular season needing 165 receiving yards to cross the 1,000-yard mark for the year. If he is able to collect the yardage, he would become the fourth wide receiver in program history with 1,000 yards in a single season. He would join Pat Nelson (1,075 yards/1991), Dominic Bolden (1,056/2008) and Fred Banks (1,029/1984).
Standing Alone
Matt Bevins connected on both of his field goal attempts last weekend at Presbyterian College, knocking down attempts from 34 and 43 yards out. The pair of kicks gave the junior 45 career field goals, which is a new program standard. The previous record was held by Daniel Whitehead (1991-94), who finished his four-year career with 43 career field goals.
Bevins Honored by Big South
Following a 10-point effort against Presbyterian College, Matt Bevins was named this week's Big South Special Teams Player of the Week. The junior knocked down two field goals and four extra points to earn the honor for the sixth time of his career.
Is Bevin's Back??
Many had concerns for Matt Bevins after the reigning All-America kicker got off to a tough start to the season, as he missed four of his first five field goal tries of the year (all four missed attempts were from 40-plus yards out). However, since knocking down his last three tries at Robert Morris, Bevins has been successful on 10-of-13 field goals and currently ranks No. 15 nationally in field goals per game (1.38) and No. 21 in scoring (8.00 points per game).
Fantastic 40s
Mike Larsson finished the Presbyterian College game by averaging 43.5 yards per punt, as the junior punted twice for 87 yards. Larsson has averaged 40 yards per punt in four of Liberty's last five games. Coming into the season, Larsson had averaged 40 yards per punt in three times in 19 career games as a freshman and sophomore.
Playing Keep Away
B.J. Hayes is Liberty's No. 1 punt return option and one of the best in the Big South. He finished the first five games of the year with 10 punt returns and was averaging 12.0 yards per return through five games. However, opponents are keeping the ball away from him and he has finished the first three Big South games of the season with just two returns for two total yards. Hayes still ranks No. 28 nationally in punt returns, averaging 10.2 yards per return.
Total Team Effort
Liberty currently leads the Big South in scoring defense, as the Flames (16.88 points per game allowed) rank more than nine points ahead of No. 2 Gardner-Webb (25.00 points per game allowed). The Flames' staunch defense is a team effort, as the Flames only have one tackler currently ranked inside the league's Top 25 in tacklers per game (Kyle O'Donnell at No. 12/6.4 per game).
Spreading the Wealth
Liberty finished the VMI game with one of its better defensive outings, limiting the Keydets to seven points and 175 total offensive yards. Liberty's leading tacklers in the game were Doncel Bolt and Patrick Bannon with five stops each. In total, 26 different players recorded a tackle in the game, keeping up with a Liberty trend in 2010. The Flames continually rotate in fresh players on defense and have averaged 24.13 average players recording tackle stats per game (193 tacklers in eight games).
Going it Alone
Liberty finished the Presbyterian College game with 40 solo tackles, marking a season high for the Flames. Over 90 percent of Liberty's total tackles were solo stops against the Blue Hose, as Liberty finished the entire game with 44 total stops. This marked the 15th time under head coach Danny Rocco the Flames have finished a game with 40 or more solo stops.
Leader of the Pack
Kyle O'Donnell has finished as Liberty's defensive leader in four of the last six games, doing so against Robert Morris (six tackles), James Madison (14 tackles), Savannah State (seven tackles) and Presbyterian College (five stops). O'Donnell currently leads the Flames with 51 tackles and ranks No. 12 in the Big South by averaging 6.4 stops per contest.
Welcome to the Club
Kyle O'Donnell led the Flames with five stops against Presbyterian College last weekend, including two tackles for a loss and a sack. The five stops gave O'Donnell 101 career tackles, pushing him over the century mark for his career. O'Donnell joins Chad Brown (137 tackles) and Doncel Bolt (121 tackles) as the only players on Liberty's current roster with 100 or more career stops.
