Post by Sly Fox on Oct 15, 2005 6:21:51 GMT -5
From the much maligned Saturday edition of the fishwrap:
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First win for LU won't come easy against Towson
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 15, 2005
Just when Liberty University thought it would catch a break from a brutal early season schedule, Towson had to get good.
The Towson team that went winless in league games in its first Atlantic 10 season last year has disappeared. In its place, a very competitive group has emerged, one that beat then-No. 5 Delaware at home and took care of Rhode Island on the road.
Yeah, Rhode Island. The one that clubbed William & Mary 48-29 on Sept. 17. The same William & Mary team that embarrassed the Flames 56-0 the following week.
The Tigers, who visit Williams Stadium today for a 7 p.m. game, no longer qualify as a pushover. And they certainly don't provide the Flames a break in the schedule.
"They've beaten some teams with some good names," said LU coach Ken Karcher, whose team has already played Youngstown State (5-1), William & Mary (3-2), Division I Connecticut and Big South leader VMI. "Towson does some real nice things. They're a good football team. They'll be a challenge on both sides of the ball."
Towson (4-2) has already bettered its three-win season of a year ago. The Tigers have won all five of their non-league games since joining the A-10, and will try to go 6-for-6 tonight.
The key? Offensive balance and a maturing defense.
Freshman quarterback Sean Schaefer averages 264.5 yards per game through the air, and tailback Nick Williams gains 93.3 ypg on the ground. Towson coach Gordy Combs credits his offensive front. The five starting linemen and tight end Jim Alexander entered the season with 85 starts between them.
"That's my security blanket," Combs said.
The Tigers lost ugly to then-No. 1 New Hampshire on Sept. 17 and Northeastern on Sept. 24 during a stretch in which Towson allowed 118 points in two weeks. Towson turned the ball over four times against Northeastern and allowed more than 500 yards of offense in both games.
"We gave up too many big plays," Combs said. "We had young people not taking care of their assignments. We were not getting enough pass rush, so we were hanging the secondary out to dry."
So there is hope for Liberty's rejuvenated offense to move the ball against Towson. Freshman Zach Terrell will get his second straight start at running back, though he won't be facing Division I-AA's worst run defense like he did when he ran for 241 yards last Saturday against Chattanooga.
The Mocs liked to gamble and blitz often, leaving Terrell room to work in the middle of the field.
Towson is aggressive on defense, but not as much as Chattanooga.
"They'll blitz, like any team will, but their base defense isn't the zone blitz, like Chattanooga's," LU quarterback Brock Farrel said.
Liberty's goal this week is to make plays, which sounds simple.
The Flames have moved the ball in the last two games, but finishing drives continues to be a problem.
Liberty left too many points on the field last week, and if it does again tonight, the Flames will have little chance of breaking a five-game losing streak.
"If we play like we did last Saturday night and cut away some of the mistakes, then we'll be in the football game," Karcher said.
The Tigers see this game as a springboard for the rest of the season. With a win, they have a shot at making a run at the postseason, though they would likely have to beat A-10 powers William & Mary and James Madison on the road to make their case.
"We're not going to be stepping by the fact that they are 1-5," Combs said of Liberty. "We did that with an 0-3 Northeastern team and got beat."
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 15, 2005
Just when Liberty University thought it would catch a break from a brutal early season schedule, Towson had to get good.
The Towson team that went winless in league games in its first Atlantic 10 season last year has disappeared. In its place, a very competitive group has emerged, one that beat then-No. 5 Delaware at home and took care of Rhode Island on the road.
Yeah, Rhode Island. The one that clubbed William & Mary 48-29 on Sept. 17. The same William & Mary team that embarrassed the Flames 56-0 the following week.
The Tigers, who visit Williams Stadium today for a 7 p.m. game, no longer qualify as a pushover. And they certainly don't provide the Flames a break in the schedule.
"They've beaten some teams with some good names," said LU coach Ken Karcher, whose team has already played Youngstown State (5-1), William & Mary (3-2), Division I Connecticut and Big South leader VMI. "Towson does some real nice things. They're a good football team. They'll be a challenge on both sides of the ball."
Towson (4-2) has already bettered its three-win season of a year ago. The Tigers have won all five of their non-league games since joining the A-10, and will try to go 6-for-6 tonight.
The key? Offensive balance and a maturing defense.
Freshman quarterback Sean Schaefer averages 264.5 yards per game through the air, and tailback Nick Williams gains 93.3 ypg on the ground. Towson coach Gordy Combs credits his offensive front. The five starting linemen and tight end Jim Alexander entered the season with 85 starts between them.
"That's my security blanket," Combs said.
The Tigers lost ugly to then-No. 1 New Hampshire on Sept. 17 and Northeastern on Sept. 24 during a stretch in which Towson allowed 118 points in two weeks. Towson turned the ball over four times against Northeastern and allowed more than 500 yards of offense in both games.
"We gave up too many big plays," Combs said. "We had young people not taking care of their assignments. We were not getting enough pass rush, so we were hanging the secondary out to dry."
So there is hope for Liberty's rejuvenated offense to move the ball against Towson. Freshman Zach Terrell will get his second straight start at running back, though he won't be facing Division I-AA's worst run defense like he did when he ran for 241 yards last Saturday against Chattanooga.
The Mocs liked to gamble and blitz often, leaving Terrell room to work in the middle of the field.
Towson is aggressive on defense, but not as much as Chattanooga.
"They'll blitz, like any team will, but their base defense isn't the zone blitz, like Chattanooga's," LU quarterback Brock Farrel said.
Liberty's goal this week is to make plays, which sounds simple.
The Flames have moved the ball in the last two games, but finishing drives continues to be a problem.
Liberty left too many points on the field last week, and if it does again tonight, the Flames will have little chance of breaking a five-game losing streak.
"If we play like we did last Saturday night and cut away some of the mistakes, then we'll be in the football game," Karcher said.
The Tigers see this game as a springboard for the rest of the season. With a win, they have a shot at making a run at the postseason, though they would likely have to beat A-10 powers William & Mary and James Madison on the road to make their case.
"We're not going to be stepping by the fact that they are 1-5," Combs said of Liberty. "We did that with an 0-3 Northeastern team and got beat."
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