Football Weekly Recap: Ball State
9/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Following each Flames football contest during the 2010 season, LibertyFlames.com will revisit the prior day's game, providing news and notes from the game and a complete postgame interview with head coach Danny Rocco (either audio or video).
Today's recap takes a look back at Liberty's road victory over Mid-American Conference foe Ball State, 27-23, inside Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Ind. Above is an audio link to yesterday's Flames Sports Network postgame interview with head coach Danny Rocco, plus a highlight package from FSN's radio coverage with Alan York, Paul Rutigliano and Nick Pierce.
News and Notes:
• Liberty's 27-23 victory over Ball State marked the second time in program history the Flames have beaten a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent.
• The first time Liberty beat a FBS opponent (formerly known as I-A) was on Oct. 7, 1989, when the Flames upended Ball State's fellow MAC opponent Eastern Michigan, 25-24, in Ypsilanti, Mich.
• Liberty missed becoming the first Big South Conference program to beat a FBS opponent this season by mere hours, as Gardner-Webb upset another MAC opponent, Akron, 38-37 earlier on Saturday.
• For the fourth time in five years under head coach Danny Rocco, Liberty has opened the year with a 2-0 record.
• The only time Liberty failed to accomplish the feat was last year, when the Flames started the season 2-1 following a 33-20 season-opening loss to FBS powerhouse West Virginia.
• Liberty is one of 13 FCS programs to start the 2010 team with a 2-0 record.
• Liberty finished the game with 27 points and now ranks No. 10 in the country in scoring offense (39.5 average points per game).
• Saturday's win at Ball State marks the eighth time in 34 career victories under head coach Danny Rocco that Liberty has won a game where it scored less than 30 points.
• Liberty has now won four of its last five road games and is 12-9 all-time under head coach Danny Rocco in contests away from Lynchburg.
• Liberty outgained Ball State, 395 to 338 yards, and ranks No. 5 in the country in total offense (497.0 average yards per game).
• Following a 276-yard passing effort against Ball State, Liberty ranks No. 1 in the country in passing offense for the second consecutive week (average 364.0 yards per contest).
• Liberty finished the game with two touchdown passes and has eight receiving touchdowns in two games in 2010.
• The Flames currently rank No. 2 in the country in passing touchdowns, trailing only Montana who has thrown nine scoring passes in 2010.
• Last year, it took the Flames 10 games to reach the eight-passing touchdown mark (against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 14, 2009).
• The Flames rushed for two touchdowns, including the game winner with less than five minutes to play, and have now rushed for a touchdown in 42-straight games.
• With two rushing touchdowns, the Flames have now scored 118 rushing touchdowns under head coach Danny Rocco and have had 34 multiple touchdowns games under the fifth year head coach.
• The Flames currently rank No. 12 in the country in first downs, averaging 24.0 new sets of downs per game.
• Liberty has 48 first downs on the year, with 29 first downs coming via the passing game.
• There are only two other FCS programs in the country with more first downs through the air, as Weber State has 32 and Appalachian State has 30.
• The Flames picked up a first down on 6-of-11 third-down plays and rank No. 4 in the country in third-down efficiency (58.33 percent/14-of-24).
• Liberty is one of 30 FCS teams in the country to have scored on each of its drives that have penetrated the opponent's 20-yard line.
• Liberty has scored all six times it has crossed into the opponent's red zone, recording five touchdowns and a field goal.
• For the second-straight game, Liberty held an opponent under 200 passing yards and ranks No. 15 in the country in passing defense (allowing an average of 135.0 passing yards per game).
• Liberty has only allowed three touchdowns in 2010 and currently is tied for No. 11 in the country in fewest total touchdowns allowed.
• Liberty finished the game with seven tackles for a loss (of 16 combined yards) and ranks No. 16 in the country in tackles for a loss per game (7.5).
• Ball State finished the game 3-of-11 on attempted third-down conversion plays. Liberty ranks No. 14 in the nation in third-down efficiency defense (26.92 percent).
• Liberty held Ball State from converting on two attempted fourth-down plays and is currently ranked No. 1 in the country in fourth-down efficiency defense (along with 26 other programs).
• Ball State managed to penetrate Liberty's 20-yard line five times on Saturday, but only came away with one touchdown, as they had to settle for three field goals and the Flames blocked another field goal attempt.
• Liberty currently ranks No. 15 in the country in red zone efficiency defense, as opponents are scoring 66.7 percent of the time when they cross Liberty's 20-yard line.
• However, the Flames have only surrendered one red zone touchdown this year, joining seven other programs to accomplish the feat so far in 2010 (0 – Delaware, 1 TD – Georgia Southern, Liberty, Montana, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Sam Houston State and Villanova).
• Mike Brown finished the game with a career-high 363 total offensive yards (87 rushing and 276 passing).
• Mike Brown has had three 300-yard total offensive yard games in his Liberty career, with all three coming when he was the starting quarterback.
• Mike Brown now ranks No. 5 all-time in Liberty history with 300-yard total offensive games.
• Mike Brown threw for 276 yards against Ball State, moving him past the 1,000 career passing yardage mark (1,066 career passing yards).
• Mike Brown threw two touchdown passes against Ball State, giving him 10 career touchdown passes.
• Mike Brown ranks No. 2 in the nation in average passing yards per game (357.5) and No. 3 in passing efficiency (177.29).
• Mike Brown finished the Ball State game with three interceptions, marking the only three interceptions of his career at Liberty.
• Mike Brown finished the Ball State game with 18 of Liberty's 28 total rushing attempts during the evening.
• For the second game in a row, Chris Summers surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark, as the junior finished the game with 11 receptions for 146 yards.
• Chris Summers becomes the 12th player in program history to have consecutive 100-yard receiving games.
• Chris Summers currently is the nation's No. 1 wide receiver, averaging 137.5 receiving yards per game).
• Chris Summers currently leads the Liberty with 24 points scored and is tied for No. 5 nationally in average scoring per game (12.0 points per game).
• SirChauncey Holloway scored on a four-yard run late in the first quarter, giving him two of Liberty's three rushing touchdowns in 2010.
• SirChauncey Holloway has now rushed for nine career touchdowns in 10 career outings at Liberty.
• Mike Larsson placed one of his two punts inside Ball State's 20-yard line, giving the junior 25 career punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line out of 61 career punts (40.9 percent).
• Larry Claiborne finished the game with a team-best eight tackles, tying his career high (also finished with eight stops against James Madison in 2009).
• Of the eight stops, five were solo tackles to set a new career high for Larry Claiborne (previous career high was four against Gardner-Webb in 2009).
• Larry Claiborne also finished the Ball State game with his first career fumble recovery, recovering a fumble caused by Doncel Bolt late in the third quarter.
• Kyle O'Donnell tied a career high with six stops against Ball State, following a six-tackle effort against Gardner-Webb in 2009.
• Kyle O'Donnell finished the game with 1.5 tackles for a loss, setting a new single-game career high (came into the contest with 2.5 career tackles for a loss).
• Mike Connolly tied a career high with five tackles against Ball State (also had five stops in the second game of the year in 2009 against North Carolina Central).
• Asa Chapman recorded his first career sack and his second career forced fumble, when he sacked Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning on a fourth-and-two play with less than one minute to play.
• Patrick Bannon set a new career high with 2.5 tackles for a loss against Ball State (had 2.0 tackles for a loss against St. Francis in 2007 and West Virginia Wesleyan in 2009).
