Post by Sly Fox on Oct 1, 2005 8:42:49 GMT -5
Flames are worried about touchdowns, not unrest among alumni and fans
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 1, 2005
About 5,000 alumni are expected back on campus for Liberty University’s homecoming game against VMI today. Most members of the school’s board of trustees will attend, and patience within the fan base has worn thin after the Flames lost their last three games by a combined score of 157-0.
As if getting on the scoreboard for the first time in 192 minutes, 39 seconds isn’t enough, the Flames must deal with a bunch of outside issues as they try to beat the Keydets for the third straight time.
Or do they?
Liberty’s players insist their focus is on one place: the football field. They can’t control external criticisms of the team or the coaching staff, so why sweat it?
“If we can just come out here and practice every day without worrying about what other people have to say, then we will be a better team,” said Wynton Jackson, LU’s leading receiver with 19 catches.
Internal concern No. 1 for the Flames: Scoring. It doesn’t matter who. It doesn’t matter how.
LU coach Ken Karcher, normally not a fan of live contact in practices, took the kid gloves off this week, running scrimmage-like practices so the Flames could work on tackling and reaching the end zone.
The team apparently took the scrimmages seriously. During Tuesday’s practice, after the Flames scored a touchdown, a couple of offensive linemen celebrated and danced in the end zone.
After enduring three nightmarish weeks on offense, any sort of touchdown was welcome, even if it wasn’t in a game.
“We needed to go back to square one and teach them,” Karcher said. “What’s it feel like to score? What’s it feel like to hold somebody (on defense). So we brought the chains out … and we tried to simulate as close as we could a game. Hopefully it helped.”
VMI and Liberty both enter with 1-3 marks, though there are vastly different feelings surrounding those starts. VMI played No. 11 Lehigh tough at home before losing 28-26. The Keydets shut out Davidson in their opener and played Division I Duke closer than the 40-14 score indicated.
Liberty has gone through the worst period of offensive ineptitude in school history.
Still, VMI linebacker Todd Baldwin almost laughed when asked if the Keydets would take the Flames seriously.
“We didn’t win a game last year, so we don’t have the luxury of looking past anybody,” Baldwin said. “We’re definitely not going to overlook Liberty.”
For the Keydets to win their first road game since Nov. 1, 2003 (a 19-10 win at Coastal Carolina), they’ll need to run the ball better than they did last week against Lehigh. That was VMI’s first game without starting tailback Sean Mizzer, who was out after having arthroscopic knee surgery. The Keydets thrive when they control the clock with a grinding ground game, and it’ll be up to sophomore Nat Jackson (50 yards on 22 carries against Lehigh) to show some improvement.
VMI is deep and experienced in the secondary. Safety Robert Mason returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown against Lehigh to earn Big South defensive player of the week honors. He’s known as one of the hardest hitters in the conference.
“Mason, he’s coming hard,” Jackson said. “We just have to be aware of every situation and where he is. If we don’t, it could be a dangerous situation.”
Liberty has won seven of its last nine homecoming games, with the only losses coming to Hampton in overtime in 1997 and Gardner-Webb in 2002. Flames players won’t get caught up in the hoopla and fan festivities, though, even if many friends and family will be in the stands. There’s too much at stake today to lose focus. Another loss, on homecoming no less, would have the fan base howling even louder.
“Only we know what’s inside of us, the guys in the battle,” LU safety C.J. Moore said. “Everyone outside will talk and have their opinions. We just keep it tight as a group and don’t let any of that stuff take us off course in what we do. We’re just going to continue to fight our way back.”
INJURY REPORT: LU is the healthiest it has been all season. LBs Brandon Duke and Kenneth Kemp, who were battling shoulder injuries, made it through practice unscathed, as did DL Steve Ackley (shoulder). VMI is missing offensive guard Adam Reel, a VES graduate, who is out with a knee injury. Senior WR Zohn Burden (knee) is questionable.
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 1, 2005
About 5,000 alumni are expected back on campus for Liberty University’s homecoming game against VMI today. Most members of the school’s board of trustees will attend, and patience within the fan base has worn thin after the Flames lost their last three games by a combined score of 157-0.
As if getting on the scoreboard for the first time in 192 minutes, 39 seconds isn’t enough, the Flames must deal with a bunch of outside issues as they try to beat the Keydets for the third straight time.
Or do they?
Liberty’s players insist their focus is on one place: the football field. They can’t control external criticisms of the team or the coaching staff, so why sweat it?
“If we can just come out here and practice every day without worrying about what other people have to say, then we will be a better team,” said Wynton Jackson, LU’s leading receiver with 19 catches.
Internal concern No. 1 for the Flames: Scoring. It doesn’t matter who. It doesn’t matter how.
LU coach Ken Karcher, normally not a fan of live contact in practices, took the kid gloves off this week, running scrimmage-like practices so the Flames could work on tackling and reaching the end zone.
The team apparently took the scrimmages seriously. During Tuesday’s practice, after the Flames scored a touchdown, a couple of offensive linemen celebrated and danced in the end zone.
After enduring three nightmarish weeks on offense, any sort of touchdown was welcome, even if it wasn’t in a game.
“We needed to go back to square one and teach them,” Karcher said. “What’s it feel like to score? What’s it feel like to hold somebody (on defense). So we brought the chains out … and we tried to simulate as close as we could a game. Hopefully it helped.”
VMI and Liberty both enter with 1-3 marks, though there are vastly different feelings surrounding those starts. VMI played No. 11 Lehigh tough at home before losing 28-26. The Keydets shut out Davidson in their opener and played Division I Duke closer than the 40-14 score indicated.
Liberty has gone through the worst period of offensive ineptitude in school history.
Still, VMI linebacker Todd Baldwin almost laughed when asked if the Keydets would take the Flames seriously.
“We didn’t win a game last year, so we don’t have the luxury of looking past anybody,” Baldwin said. “We’re definitely not going to overlook Liberty.”
For the Keydets to win their first road game since Nov. 1, 2003 (a 19-10 win at Coastal Carolina), they’ll need to run the ball better than they did last week against Lehigh. That was VMI’s first game without starting tailback Sean Mizzer, who was out after having arthroscopic knee surgery. The Keydets thrive when they control the clock with a grinding ground game, and it’ll be up to sophomore Nat Jackson (50 yards on 22 carries against Lehigh) to show some improvement.
VMI is deep and experienced in the secondary. Safety Robert Mason returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown against Lehigh to earn Big South defensive player of the week honors. He’s known as one of the hardest hitters in the conference.
“Mason, he’s coming hard,” Jackson said. “We just have to be aware of every situation and where he is. If we don’t, it could be a dangerous situation.”
Liberty has won seven of its last nine homecoming games, with the only losses coming to Hampton in overtime in 1997 and Gardner-Webb in 2002. Flames players won’t get caught up in the hoopla and fan festivities, though, even if many friends and family will be in the stands. There’s too much at stake today to lose focus. Another loss, on homecoming no less, would have the fan base howling even louder.
“Only we know what’s inside of us, the guys in the battle,” LU safety C.J. Moore said. “Everyone outside will talk and have their opinions. We just keep it tight as a group and don’t let any of that stuff take us off course in what we do. We’re just going to continue to fight our way back.”
INJURY REPORT: LU is the healthiest it has been all season. LBs Brandon Duke and Kenneth Kemp, who were battling shoulder injuries, made it through practice unscathed, as did DL Steve Ackley (shoulder). VMI is missing offensive guard Adam Reel, a VES graduate, who is out with a knee injury. Senior WR Zohn Burden (knee) is questionable.
newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785390755&path=!sports
