Game Day Central: Kennesaw State
10/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Liberty Football Game Notes:
Kennesaw State vs. Liberty
Game Time:
7 p.m.
Official Kickoff:
7:06 p.m.
TV Coverage:
Liberty Flames Sports Network – TV
• WFFP-24 (Lynchburg/Roanoke/Danville market)
• The Walk Network (National market)
• See complete Game Day Broadcast Distribution list
• ESPN3 (National market)
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Mike Tilley
Color Commentator: Matt Warner
Sideline Reporter:
Erin Kelly
Halftime/Postgame Reporters:
Rett McGibbon, Paul Rutigliano and Lyndsay Keith
Radio Coverage:
Liberty Flames Sports Network – Radio
LFSN Radio Network Affiliates List
• Pregame: 5:30 p.m.
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Alan York
Color Commentator: Paul Rutigliano
Sidelines: Nick Pierce
Pregame: Nick Pierce, Jamie Hall and Matt Camire
First and 10 – Saturday's Top Storylines
1. Liberty will play its first home game since Sept. 19 on Saturday evening, welcoming Kennesaw State to Williams Stadium for a Homecoming Big South Conference clash.
2. At 0-2 in conference play, the Flames are seeking their first Big South victory of 2015. Meanwhile, first-year program Kennesaw State defeated Gardner-Webb, 12-7, in the Owls' first-ever Big South contest last Saturday.
3. Liberty is 28-13 all-time in Homecoming games. However, the Flames are seeking their first Homecoming win since 2012. See page 3 of the game notes for more Homecoming notes.
4. Liberty starting LG Michael Henderman, a graduate of Sandy Creek High School, will square off against five Sandy Creek alumni on Saturday. See page 3 of the game notes for more Liberty-Kennesaw State connections.
5. Coming off of back-to-back 300-yard games, Flames QB Josh Woodrum needs 165 passing yards to overtake Robby Justino as Liberty's all-time leading passer.
6. After breaking three receiving records at Monmouth, WR Darrin Peterson is seven catches shy of 200 for his career. See page 4 of the game notes for other milestones within reach and pages 12-13 for updated record lists.
7. The Flames will look to continue their recent run of success in home games at Williams Stadium, which has seen the team go 2-0 this season, 16-5 under Turner Gill and 46-10 since 2007.
8. Liberty DL Chima Uzowihe is tied for No. 4 nationally with 7.5 sacks this season and is the Liberty and Big South career record holder with 24.5 career sacks. See page 9 of the game notes for more on Uzowihe.
9. The team finishing with more rushing yards has won all seven of Liberty's games this season. See page 10 of the game notes for more "Liberty's record when ..." statistical trends.
10. Liberty ranks No. 23 nationally in rushing defense, yielding 124.1 ypg. This week, the Flames will be challenged by Kennesaw State, which is averaging 324.5 ypg on the ground (No. 4 nationally). See page 14 of the game notes for the Flames' updated national and Big South statistical rankings.
"4 Downs" with the Owls
1 - Kennesaw State is in its first season of playing football, and the Owls won their inaugural Big South game last Saturday, 12-7 over Gardner-Webb. Liberty has only faced one first-year program previously, recording a 38-21 home win over Coastal Carolina on Nov. 15, 2003.
2 - Kennesaw State will be the second Georgia-based team the Flames have faced this month, after Liberty recorded a 41-33 victory at Georgia State on Oct. 3 in Atlanta. Prior to that, Liberty had not faced a Peach State squad since Oct. 2, 2010, when the Flames opened the newly renovated Williams Stadium with a 52-14 triumph over Savannah State.
3 - The Owls run a triple-option offense and have been quite successful with it through their first six games. Kennesaw State averages 324.5 rushing yards per game (No. 4 nationally) and has racked up 20 rushing touchdowns on the season. Additionally, the Owls have been quite proficient on third down, converting 53 percent of their third downs into first downs (No. 3 nationally).
4 - Kennesaw State is one of four institutions which has started/restarted football programs this fall, along with East Tennessee State, Finlandia and Lyon. The Owls opened the season with a 56-16 victory over former Liberty assistant Carl Torbush's East Tennessee State program on Sept. 3.
Milestone Watch
0.5 - Chima Uzowihe needs 0.5 sacks to reach 25 for his career and tie his season high of 8.0 sacks set in 2014.
4a - Chris Turner has tallied three interceptions during his freshman season. His next pick will make him the first Liberty freshman with four interceptions in a season since Randall State had four as a freshman in 1998.
4b - Jimmy O'Grady and Wesley Scott each need four tackles to reach 100 career stops. Teammates Nick Newman and Chima Uzowihe have already reached the milestone.
7 - Darrin Peterson needs seven catches to become the first Flame and third Big South receiver with 200 career receptions.
50 - John Lunsford has made 11 career field goals of 50 yards or longer. His next make from 50 yards or beyond will set a new FCS career record.
165/385 - Josh Woodrum is 165 passing yards away from breaking Robby Justino's Liberty career passing record of 9,548 yards. A huge 385-yard day would enable Woodrum to break the Big South career passing mark, held by Charleston Southern's Collin Drafts.
A Liberty Win Would ...
• Improve the Flames' record at Williams Stadium to 3-0 this season and 17-5 under Turner Gill.
• Boost the Flames' all-time Homecoming record to 29-13 with the team's first Homecoming win since 2012.
• Push the Flames' all-time record in Big South Conference games to 47-18.
• Mark the Flames' fourth straight win in a matchup against a Georgia-based team, including their second this season.
• Give the Flames a 2-0 all-time record against first-year football programs.
• Enable the Flames to avoid suffering their first season with three or more conference losses since 2005.
• Boost the Flames' all-time record at Williams Stadium to 103-45.
