Post by Sly Fox on Aug 31, 2005 8:27:52 GMT -5
Here's the latest from Chris in the fishwrap:
www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784775915&path=!sports
Flames linebackers shine brightly
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
August 31, 2005
Kenneth Kemp and Manny Rojas play linebacker like they're sharing the same brain.
When Rojas lines up at middle linebacker for Liberty University, what happens on his weak side is irrelevant. It's completely out of his mind because Kemp is there, and he knows exactly how Rojas plays. Rojas knows where Kemp is going to be too.
That chemistry, intuitiveness and experience is the backbone of LU's linebacking corps, and more importantly, LU's defense as a whole.
"It's OK if the defense wants to fall back on us," Rojas said. "We'll be there, and we're ready to stand up to the challenge."
Liberty's defensive line is in complete rebuilding mode. None of the four lineman who will start Saturday against Concord (W.Va.) have started a game at LU before. So Flames coach Ken Karcher is counting on his experienced linebackers to lead the defense. Rojas and Kemp have played together for three years now, and it shows on the field.
"When those two are out there, and you compare it with another combination, you can tell things run smoother," LU linebackers coach Marcus Wimberly said.
Nick Vaughn, LU's leading tackler last year, graduated after recording 105 tackles as a senior. Kemp, a senior, moved in the offseason from the weak side to Vaughn's departed strong side spot. Brandon Duke, who started three games at strong side linebacker last fall, replaces Kemp as the full-time starter on the strong side.
Kemp's move to the weak side has been a bit of a transition. The strong side is more of a reactive position, a perfect spot for an explosive athlete who can knock the snot out of a ballcarrier. A weakside linebacker must think and read defenses more before reacting.
"It's more of an athletic position and more of a team leadership position," Kemp said.
Kemp, a 6-foot, 215-pound senior, began working on the weak side in the spring.
The chemistry between Kemp and Rojas, who is LU's leading returning tackler, began to grow there, and it continued to develop through the summer and the start of fall camp.
"Me and Kemp are like brothers," Rojas said. "It helps out a lot. I know where Kemp will be in certain situations, and he'll know where I'll be. It takes the worrying out of what's going to happen."
Rojas, who has battled through a sprained right wrist throughout the preseason, started 22 of 23 games during his first two years at LU, and his game experience alone makes him one of the defense's leaders.
He's also a strong tackler, one who seeks out contact and uses his quickness to clog running lanes.
"He knows I'm going to push him harder than any other guy in my group, just because I need that leadership," Wimberly said. "So far, he has accepted that."
Duke, a sophomore, showed during LU's preseason scrimmages that if anything, he's a hard hitter perfectly tailored for playing on the strong side. On one play early in the second scrimmage, he sliced his way through the offensive line and met running back Rajive Otah in the backfield with a ferocious hit.
Depth could be a bonus as well, once everyone gets healthy. Wimberly and Karcher expect big things from freshman Nick Hursky, and Wes Lambert will see playing time once he returns from a deep gash he sustained when he got his left leg caught in a cleat in practice several weeks ago.
This is Wimberly's second season at LU, and he said his players have become much more accustomed to his style as a position coach. Above all else, Wimberly demands effort, and his players are buying into it.
"They know we're going to run, we're going to hit, we're going to tackle and we're going to keep running," Wimberly said. "They know there's no walking on the field. We're not at a country club. We're here for business."
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
August 31, 2005
Kenneth Kemp and Manny Rojas play linebacker like they're sharing the same brain.
When Rojas lines up at middle linebacker for Liberty University, what happens on his weak side is irrelevant. It's completely out of his mind because Kemp is there, and he knows exactly how Rojas plays. Rojas knows where Kemp is going to be too.
That chemistry, intuitiveness and experience is the backbone of LU's linebacking corps, and more importantly, LU's defense as a whole.
"It's OK if the defense wants to fall back on us," Rojas said. "We'll be there, and we're ready to stand up to the challenge."
Liberty's defensive line is in complete rebuilding mode. None of the four lineman who will start Saturday against Concord (W.Va.) have started a game at LU before. So Flames coach Ken Karcher is counting on his experienced linebackers to lead the defense. Rojas and Kemp have played together for three years now, and it shows on the field.
"When those two are out there, and you compare it with another combination, you can tell things run smoother," LU linebackers coach Marcus Wimberly said.
Nick Vaughn, LU's leading tackler last year, graduated after recording 105 tackles as a senior. Kemp, a senior, moved in the offseason from the weak side to Vaughn's departed strong side spot. Brandon Duke, who started three games at strong side linebacker last fall, replaces Kemp as the full-time starter on the strong side.
Kemp's move to the weak side has been a bit of a transition. The strong side is more of a reactive position, a perfect spot for an explosive athlete who can knock the snot out of a ballcarrier. A weakside linebacker must think and read defenses more before reacting.
"It's more of an athletic position and more of a team leadership position," Kemp said.
Kemp, a 6-foot, 215-pound senior, began working on the weak side in the spring.
The chemistry between Kemp and Rojas, who is LU's leading returning tackler, began to grow there, and it continued to develop through the summer and the start of fall camp.
"Me and Kemp are like brothers," Rojas said. "It helps out a lot. I know where Kemp will be in certain situations, and he'll know where I'll be. It takes the worrying out of what's going to happen."
Rojas, who has battled through a sprained right wrist throughout the preseason, started 22 of 23 games during his first two years at LU, and his game experience alone makes him one of the defense's leaders.
He's also a strong tackler, one who seeks out contact and uses his quickness to clog running lanes.
"He knows I'm going to push him harder than any other guy in my group, just because I need that leadership," Wimberly said. "So far, he has accepted that."
Duke, a sophomore, showed during LU's preseason scrimmages that if anything, he's a hard hitter perfectly tailored for playing on the strong side. On one play early in the second scrimmage, he sliced his way through the offensive line and met running back Rajive Otah in the backfield with a ferocious hit.
Depth could be a bonus as well, once everyone gets healthy. Wimberly and Karcher expect big things from freshman Nick Hursky, and Wes Lambert will see playing time once he returns from a deep gash he sustained when he got his left leg caught in a cleat in practice several weeks ago.
This is Wimberly's second season at LU, and he said his players have become much more accustomed to his style as a position coach. Above all else, Wimberly demands effort, and his players are buying into it.
"They know we're going to run, we're going to hit, we're going to tackle and we're going to keep running," Wimberly said. "They know there's no walking on the field. We're not at a country club. We're here for business."
www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784775915&path=!sports
