Post by Sly Fox on Sept 11, 2005 7:47:47 GMT -5
I know we don't want to discuss the trip to East Hartford much more. But here is Chris' story from the Lynchburg fishwrap:
www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784996552&path=!sports
Here is his sidebar story from UConn debacle:
www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784996481&path=!sports
UConn holds LU scoreless
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 11, 2005
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - Liberty University’s Dominic Bolden took a kickoff in the third quarter and tried to bust it up the middle. Connecticut’s special teamers met him, spun him around and drove him back. Basically, they abused him.
The failed runback summed up Liberty’s day on Saturday, one on which the Big East’s Huskies barely broke a sweat in a 59-0 rout of the Flames at Rentschler Field.
The Huskies scored in four plays on their first drive, led 38-0 at halftime and amassed 502 yards of total offense by the end of the third quarter. They ended with 600 yards and 37 first downs.
In short, it was total domination.
“(Defensive coordinator) Steve (Carson) tried a lot of things,” LU coach Ken Karcher said. “He tried bear defense. He blitzed. He zone blitzed. Bottom line is that their offensive line is better than our defensive line and they just moved us off the ball. Our tackling was not what it needs to be.”
Liberty’s goal was to shock Connecticut early and the Flames did.
Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, LU quarterback Brock Farrel hit backup QB Zach Terrell on a slip screen for a 41-yard gain.
It was LU’s deepest march of the day. Starting from the Connecticut 27, Terrell ran for two yards, Farrel was sacked for a loss of eight, and Darnell Edwards dropped a pass. Ben Beasley came in for a 50-yard field goal attempt, but the Flames snapped it to running back Marcus Hamilton, who tried to run a fake on 4th-and-16, but UConn didn’t bite.
“That’s frustrating,” Farrel said. “We need to finish drives.”
Things progressively got worse for Liberty (1-1), which fell to 1-16 all-time against Division I teams. The Huskies (2-0) scored 24 points in the second quarter to seal the game. LU’s defense was helpless against the larger UConn offensive front. Quarterback Matt Bonislawski hardly faced any pressure and operated efficiently. He completed his first 10 passes and threw for 217 yards and two scores - all in the first half.
“We fought, we scrapped,” Flames safety C.J. Moore said. “But the times we had to stop them, we just didn’t do it. … We didn’t tackle well.”
By the fourth quarter, the UConn public address announcer toned down his cries of, “another UConn … first down!” Maybe he was losing his voice, since he blurted it out so often. The 37 first downs was the most LU had ever allowed, trumping the 36 given up in a 1983 game against Central State. The 600 yards allowed was not a school record, rating just below the 638 Central State gained.
Connecticut was equally dominating on the defensive front. The Huskies held the Flames to 29 yards rushing. Hamilton, who gained 138 yards last week against Division II Concord, had just 13 yards on eight carries. Rajive Otah led LU with 24 yards on four carries. LU managed just nine first downs and 161 yards of total offense.
“Their front seven just outmanned us, so we didn’t get a lot of movement off the ball,” Hamilton said. “We didn’t have a lot of holes and didn’t have many places to run.”
Added Farrel: “I don’t want to blame the offensive line, but UConn just hit us in the mouth, I guess you can say. Their front seven did a good job and just stuffed anything we tried to run.”
A small pocket of fans left among the original crowd of 40,000 booed UConn coach Randy Edsall as the final minutes ticked off the clock for not piling on the score.
“This sucks!” the fan screamed. “Kick a field goal! We want 60!”
Edsall showed some class, running up the middle on just about every play and taking a knee on the final couple of plays.
The change in the level of competition from last week was stark, and LU never adjusted. The Flames had never played a school from a BCS conference, and while they battled, they were overmatched, overwhelmed and ready to look ahead to next Saturday when they face their first Division I-AA opponent of the season in Youngstown State at Williams Stadium.
“They’re a good I-A program,” Hamilton said of UConn. “We’re trying to get to that level. When we come here, it’s kind of a gauge where we need to be. Right now, we’re not strong enough or physical enough to be on their level.
“It’s done and over with now. We can learn from our mistakes and move on to the nine games we have left.”
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 11, 2005
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - Liberty University’s Dominic Bolden took a kickoff in the third quarter and tried to bust it up the middle. Connecticut’s special teamers met him, spun him around and drove him back. Basically, they abused him.
The failed runback summed up Liberty’s day on Saturday, one on which the Big East’s Huskies barely broke a sweat in a 59-0 rout of the Flames at Rentschler Field.
The Huskies scored in four plays on their first drive, led 38-0 at halftime and amassed 502 yards of total offense by the end of the third quarter. They ended with 600 yards and 37 first downs.
In short, it was total domination.
“(Defensive coordinator) Steve (Carson) tried a lot of things,” LU coach Ken Karcher said. “He tried bear defense. He blitzed. He zone blitzed. Bottom line is that their offensive line is better than our defensive line and they just moved us off the ball. Our tackling was not what it needs to be.”
Liberty’s goal was to shock Connecticut early and the Flames did.
Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, LU quarterback Brock Farrel hit backup QB Zach Terrell on a slip screen for a 41-yard gain.
It was LU’s deepest march of the day. Starting from the Connecticut 27, Terrell ran for two yards, Farrel was sacked for a loss of eight, and Darnell Edwards dropped a pass. Ben Beasley came in for a 50-yard field goal attempt, but the Flames snapped it to running back Marcus Hamilton, who tried to run a fake on 4th-and-16, but UConn didn’t bite.
“That’s frustrating,” Farrel said. “We need to finish drives.”
Things progressively got worse for Liberty (1-1), which fell to 1-16 all-time against Division I teams. The Huskies (2-0) scored 24 points in the second quarter to seal the game. LU’s defense was helpless against the larger UConn offensive front. Quarterback Matt Bonislawski hardly faced any pressure and operated efficiently. He completed his first 10 passes and threw for 217 yards and two scores - all in the first half.
“We fought, we scrapped,” Flames safety C.J. Moore said. “But the times we had to stop them, we just didn’t do it. … We didn’t tackle well.”
By the fourth quarter, the UConn public address announcer toned down his cries of, “another UConn … first down!” Maybe he was losing his voice, since he blurted it out so often. The 37 first downs was the most LU had ever allowed, trumping the 36 given up in a 1983 game against Central State. The 600 yards allowed was not a school record, rating just below the 638 Central State gained.
Connecticut was equally dominating on the defensive front. The Huskies held the Flames to 29 yards rushing. Hamilton, who gained 138 yards last week against Division II Concord, had just 13 yards on eight carries. Rajive Otah led LU with 24 yards on four carries. LU managed just nine first downs and 161 yards of total offense.
“Their front seven just outmanned us, so we didn’t get a lot of movement off the ball,” Hamilton said. “We didn’t have a lot of holes and didn’t have many places to run.”
Added Farrel: “I don’t want to blame the offensive line, but UConn just hit us in the mouth, I guess you can say. Their front seven did a good job and just stuffed anything we tried to run.”
A small pocket of fans left among the original crowd of 40,000 booed UConn coach Randy Edsall as the final minutes ticked off the clock for not piling on the score.
“This sucks!” the fan screamed. “Kick a field goal! We want 60!”
Edsall showed some class, running up the middle on just about every play and taking a knee on the final couple of plays.
The change in the level of competition from last week was stark, and LU never adjusted. The Flames had never played a school from a BCS conference, and while they battled, they were overmatched, overwhelmed and ready to look ahead to next Saturday when they face their first Division I-AA opponent of the season in Youngstown State at Williams Stadium.
“They’re a good I-A program,” Hamilton said of UConn. “We’re trying to get to that level. When we come here, it’s kind of a gauge where we need to be. Right now, we’re not strong enough or physical enough to be on their level.
“It’s done and over with now. We can learn from our mistakes and move on to the nine games we have left.”
www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784996552&path=!sports
Here is his sidebar story from UConn debacle:
Two numbers for Liberty's Luck
Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 11, 2005
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - As Liberty University lined up for its season opener Sept. 3 at home against Concord, someone wearing an unlisted roster number was on the field.
“Uh, who is 74?” one exasperated statistician asked.
It was Chris Luck, a Liberty High School grad who was penciled in as LU’s starting tight end and wears No. 43. Only he was starting at left guard because of an injury to preseason All-Big South pick Kevin Inge.
Later in the game, Inge was in at left guard and Luck was back at tight end wearing No. 43.
Offensive linemen can only wear jerseys numbered 50-79, meaning the Flames’ equipment managers needed to keep an extra jersey on hand for when Luck filled in on the line.
“It was awkward, trying to switch in the middle of the game,” Luck said.
Saturday, LU traveled with an extra jersey again for its game at Connecticut. Liberty head coach Ken Karcher didn’t expect Inge to be able to go the full 70 or so snaps on offense, and he didn’t. So Luck played some at left guard again.
Luck, who is 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, prefers playing tight end, but he’s been happy to help fill in on the thin offensive line.
“I think he’s had a great attitude,” LU quarterback Brock Farrel said. “He’s done well for the situation he’s been put in. He’s done his best and he hasn’t griped and complained about it.”
Luck caught one pass for 13 yards Saturday.
Congrats, coach
With 44 seconds left in the first half and Connecticut up 31-0, the sellout crowd at Rentschler Field let out a loud cheer, but it wasn’t for anything that happened in the game.
The ovation was for Jim Calhoun, UConn’s men’s basketball coach who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame Friday night in Springfield, Mass. He was honored at halftime. Several notable Husky alumni, including Charlotte Bobcats center Emeka Okafor, Los Angeles Lakers forward Caron Butler and Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon, returned for the ceremony Friday night.
Rojas hurt
LU starting middle linebacker Manny Rojas left the field Saturday on crutches with his left ankle wrapped in a soft cast. Karcher didn’t know the seriousness of the injury.
“He planted and his leg went one way and his ankle went the other,” Karcher said. “I don’t know if it’s a twisted ankle or what it is.”
Extra points
The margin of defeat was the third worst in LU history. Liberty lost 63-0 twice in 2001 (to Western Carolina and Central Florida) and lost 62-3 to Bowling Green in 2003. … UConn is now 1-1-1 against Big South members. The Huskies’ other two games were in the 1970s against VMI. … UConn’s 376 yards rushing was its most since moving to Division I in 2001. … UConn made it three straight shutouts at home (two against Buffalo, one against Liberty). … UConn’s Terry Caulley became the fourth Husky to rush for 2,000 career yards. … Liberty DL Steve Ackley saw his first action of the season. … Liberty LB Kenneth Kemp (shoulder) didn’t play.
Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 11, 2005
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - As Liberty University lined up for its season opener Sept. 3 at home against Concord, someone wearing an unlisted roster number was on the field.
“Uh, who is 74?” one exasperated statistician asked.
It was Chris Luck, a Liberty High School grad who was penciled in as LU’s starting tight end and wears No. 43. Only he was starting at left guard because of an injury to preseason All-Big South pick Kevin Inge.
Later in the game, Inge was in at left guard and Luck was back at tight end wearing No. 43.
Offensive linemen can only wear jerseys numbered 50-79, meaning the Flames’ equipment managers needed to keep an extra jersey on hand for when Luck filled in on the line.
“It was awkward, trying to switch in the middle of the game,” Luck said.
Saturday, LU traveled with an extra jersey again for its game at Connecticut. Liberty head coach Ken Karcher didn’t expect Inge to be able to go the full 70 or so snaps on offense, and he didn’t. So Luck played some at left guard again.
Luck, who is 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, prefers playing tight end, but he’s been happy to help fill in on the thin offensive line.
“I think he’s had a great attitude,” LU quarterback Brock Farrel said. “He’s done well for the situation he’s been put in. He’s done his best and he hasn’t griped and complained about it.”
Luck caught one pass for 13 yards Saturday.
Congrats, coach
With 44 seconds left in the first half and Connecticut up 31-0, the sellout crowd at Rentschler Field let out a loud cheer, but it wasn’t for anything that happened in the game.
The ovation was for Jim Calhoun, UConn’s men’s basketball coach who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame Friday night in Springfield, Mass. He was honored at halftime. Several notable Husky alumni, including Charlotte Bobcats center Emeka Okafor, Los Angeles Lakers forward Caron Butler and Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon, returned for the ceremony Friday night.
Rojas hurt
LU starting middle linebacker Manny Rojas left the field Saturday on crutches with his left ankle wrapped in a soft cast. Karcher didn’t know the seriousness of the injury.
“He planted and his leg went one way and his ankle went the other,” Karcher said. “I don’t know if it’s a twisted ankle or what it is.”
Extra points
The margin of defeat was the third worst in LU history. Liberty lost 63-0 twice in 2001 (to Western Carolina and Central Florida) and lost 62-3 to Bowling Green in 2003. … UConn is now 1-1-1 against Big South members. The Huskies’ other two games were in the 1970s against VMI. … UConn’s 376 yards rushing was its most since moving to Division I in 2001. … UConn made it three straight shutouts at home (two against Buffalo, one against Liberty). … UConn’s Terry Caulley became the fourth Husky to rush for 2,000 career yards. … Liberty DL Steve Ackley saw his first action of the season. … Liberty LB Kenneth Kemp (shoulder) didn’t play.
www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784996481&path=!sports
