The Player Reaction

[El Scorcho]

N&A Article on Player Reaction, Losses (Click Me)

[PAmedic]

had the same problem linking to the fishwrap the other day ("Invalid Asset")

CHRIS? ? ?

[PAmedic]

posting the article I think SCORCHO was referring to, as well as another one by CHRIS today.

It's been emotional few days for Flames

Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
November 20, 2005

NORFOLK - Liberty University’s players took the news of Ken Karcher’s firing on Thursday with a measure of shock.

“I thought it was very emotional Thursday,” linebacker Pierre Penn said after the Flames’ 34-17 season-ending loss to Norfolk State Saturday. “It sort of shocked me, but I sort of knew it was coming. We wanted to rally up and get a win for the seniors and end it on a positive note. But we didn’t come out that way.”

Some Flames played Saturday’s finale with a sense of urgency and inspiration; others looked overcome with ennui and wished to be anywhere but at thingy Price Stadium.

“I don’t think many people came out today and cared too much about the game,” teary-eyed linebacker Manny Rojas said. “Some guys took it to heart with the coaches leaving. A lot of coaches, you become friends with. It hurts. But I think some guys couldn’t have cared less about this game.”

Karcher was stoic and calm after the game.

“It was a season I don’t think any of us will forget,” Karcher said. “But any time you go through times like that, like I told our team, there will be a jewel at the end. When they’ll see that, it might be when they’re 40. We’re excited and looking forward to the future.”

Penn emerges

Penn, a sophomore who graduated from Heritage High, made the most of his increased playing time at the end of the season.

He started the year as a little-used defensive back, but when linebacker Brandon Duke went out for the season with fractured ribs at Gardner-Webb on Oct. 29, he moved into starting lineup at weakside linebacker. The position was tweaked to fit Penn’s skills, he said.

“It’s sort of like a nickel/cowboy position,” Penn said. “I’ve been playing it since about halfway through the season. The (coaches) saw I was coming up hitting, so they wanted to put me in that spot.”

Penn had eight tackles, two tackles for loss and assisted on a sack.

“Pierre will come up and hit the biggest guy,” Rojas said. “Pierre’s a smart kid and he’s going to do a lot for us next year.”

The Flames finished the day with five sacks and four hurries, a promising sign for the future. For reference, LU had nine sacks in 11 games in the 2004 season.

Jackson returns kicks

With Zach Terrell limited because of his injured right foot, Liberty tried wide receiver Wynton Jackson as a kickoff returner for the first time this season.

He returned four kicks for 79 yards, with a 22-yard return being his longest of the day. Senior cornerback Josh Wallace returned his only kickoff 40 yards.

Extra points

Freshman running back Rod Fluellen did not make the trip due to personal issues, Karcher said. Fluellen scored his only touchdown of the season last week at Charleston Southern. … Terrell broke the school record for rushing yards by a freshman with his 44-yard run in the second quarter. He finished with 668 yards. Dre Barnes previously held the record with 654 yards in 2001. … Tight end Chris Luck left in the third quarter with a knee injury. The severity of the injury is unknown, but Luck was on crutches afterward and his left knee was wrapped in an Ace bandage. … Terrell didn’t play in the second half after aggravating the sprain in his right foot. … It was Norfolk State’s first win in the four-game series with the Flames. … Freshman Nick Hursky had 19 tackles for LU.

[PAmedic]

this Pierre Penn sounds like somebody to keep an eye on, maybe one of our "Bright Spots" for next year, along w/ our RB's and the young Mr. Smith

Penn had eight tackles, two tackles for loss and assisted on a sack.

“Pierre will come up and hit the biggest guy,” Rojas said. “Pierre’s a smart kid and he’s going to do a lot for us next year.”

[PAmedic]

here's the article from today:

Even with coaching change, Smith plans to stay at LU

By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
November 21, 2005

NORFOLK - Often, a coaching change can open the door for a mass exodus from a football program.

That doesn’t seem to be the case at Liberty University. Some players will leave, probably for reasons all their own. But the firing of head coach Ken Karcher Thursday hasn’t prompted a widespread locker room revolt.

“I love it here,” freshman quarterback Brock Smith said after Saturday’s season-ending 34-17 loss to Norfolk State. “The first minute I stepped on campus, I felt right. I felt at peace that this is where I was supposed to be.”

Liberty is a program accustomed to losing a few players every season, mostly because of the stringent campus spiritual life the students must adjust to.

It’s not for everybody, and that was the case for linebacker Manny Rojas after his first year in Lynchburg.

“My first semester here, I didn’t like it at all,” he said.

But he didn’t leave. He gave the school a second year and began to warm to LU. He’ll come back next fall for his fifth year as the defense’s unquestioned leader.

“The best advice I try to give guys that want to leave is to wait a year,” Rojas said. “A lot of guys don’t find themselves at Liberty until a year is up.”

Smith reflected on the relationships and friendships formed with assistant coaches during the season, and he admitted he’ll miss the mentoring of outgoing quarterbacks coach Biff Parson.

He feels the same way about some of the other position coaches who coached for the last time at LU Saturday.

“During the season, football is our life 24/7,” Smith said. “We’re spending all our time with these guys. Now, they’re not going to be there.

“The first thing I thought about was, wow, these new coaches are going to come in, and we’re going to have to build new friendships.”

After Saturday’s loss, Flames players looked ready to treat their 1-10 season like a bad dream.

As in, wake up, shake it off and get back to work after Thanksgiving break.

The Rev. Jerry Falwell, Liberty’s chancellor, hopes to name a replacement for Karcher from a pool of three candidates in the next two weeks.

Until then, the players are on their own to begin their offseason work for next season. With such a young base of talent at the skill positions - the quarterback, running back, top three receivers and tight end are all freshmen or sophomores - there is a level of excitement heading into the offseason, this historically bad season notwithstanding.

“We’ve got a lot of guys coming back, and we need to get back to work right when we get back from Thanksgiving break,” Rojas said. “That’s when next season starts. Regardless of what coach comes in or what happens, we’ve got to be ready to go 100 percent every day.”

[PAmedic]

Bottom line, we have at LEAST two important pieces coming back- a QB w/ potential who will by default HAVE to be a leader on "O", and an obvious Defensive leader in 5th yr senior Rojas.

Love 'dem Linebackers!

[aunt]

Brock is home for the holiday. We are enjoying having him home. My son 10 years old has had a good time bringing up the fact that his team won the championship, and well his cousins team did not.. Hey you take your chances when they come. Yes Brock is staying at Liberty, We all have been asking him about baseball, he plays a little of that also. Would love if he played at Liberty.

[El Scorcho]

Sorry for the bad link, guys. The N&A has a habit of posting new stories and then moving them less than 24 hours after they go up. It's incredibly frustrating.

[madmat79]

As the players react to the current situation, it would be good for them to keep in mind that there will be 3 aspects to their own evaluation in light of the changes at hand. There will not be any pre-existing loyalties by the new staff. Each will be judged and evaluated on the following:
1) this season's game tape
2) the off season approach, attitude, and effort to lifting/workouts
3) spring practice

Everything will be on the table, as change will be expected. No one will be "safe." Those, who Manny refered to as not caring about the game, will find themselves out on their ear, if they do not get on board with the changes to come. Hard reality, but who can hear it?

[baldspot]

Echoing Madmat, Coach Sam's first spring on campus was very interesting because guys who had been buried on the depth chart by the former coach suddenly were on par with the rest. The guys were very competitive during spring ball. Let's hope the new coach can find some diamond in the rough that may now be playing the wrong position due to injuries or simply was overlooked.

[FHSFLASH]

Recognizing talent and knowing where to play them, plus teaching them.......all things a good coach will bring to the table. There are coaches waiting to do these things. May not be the BIG Names that you want.....or do you?? Talk to your L Club members/

[PAmedic]

gonna try to track down Greiser and see what he's thinking. let ya know

[PAmedic]

LU players ready to get started on a turnaround

By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
November 23, 2005

Manny Rojas’ promise sounded eerily familiar last Saturday in Norfolk.

Next season starts now, he said. The Flames do not want to go through this misery again, he promised.

Rojas, a senior linebacker to be at LU, sounded a lot like Robert Mason did after his VMI Keydets lost to Wofford at home in the 2003 season finale.

Mason, a Keydets safety, pledged that his team would be more competitive in 2004 and backed it up by leading an increased commitment in the weight room and in spring practice. VMI improved by three games and was competitive nearly every time it took the field.

Liberty is hoping for the same sort of turnaround when a new head coach is named next week.

The players appear ready to give the commitment in the offseason. Too many of them are angry and bitter after suffering through the worst season in program history.

And with a new coach comes a clean slate. So, purely for example, just because Brock Smith is the starting quarterback now it doesn’t mean he’ll have the same role after spring practice.

The returning starters will have to work hard to retain those spots.

The coaching change should pump fresh air into a stagnant program that has won just 21 games in the last six years. Anything would be an improvement over the dismal 2005 season.

Liberty was shut out in three straight games, lost a school record 10 in a row, scored more than 21 points just one time. The result: the program’s first 10-loss season.

Building blocks are in place, especially at the skill positions. Smith closed the year with two strong starts in his last three games. He threw for more than 200 yards in all three and broke the 300-yard mark against Charleston Southern.

Zach Terrell will return as the team’s top tailback, but he needs help up front from an offensive line that was disappointing this fall. Markus Ferguson, Jarrett Winfrey and Kevin Inge graduate, leaving Stephen Sene and Mike Godsil as the only full-time starters.

Bolstering the offensive line through recruiting will be a huge challenge for the new head coach.

The Flames look to be set at receiver for the next couple of years as sophomores Wynton Jackson (37 receptions, 511 yards, 3 TDs) and Brandon Turner (43-594-2) emerged as go-to threats. When Lauren Williams was suspended for the final two games, Dominic Bolden (11-191-1) exhibited speed at the No. 3 receiver position and should get a long look as a starter next year.

Another area Liberty must improve is in the defensive backfield. The Flames gave up far too many big plays and tackled poorly this season, part of the reason why they allowed more than 400 yards per game.

Young defensive backs like Patrick Calvary, Michael Corral and Derek Lisko should vie for starting roles in the secondary next fall.

The new coaching staff will not be dealing with a barren roster. The talent is there for a quick turnaround.

And it all starts right now.

[No Way]

Well, I know Fluellen is leaving for Winston Salem, if that helps

[PAmedic]

best wishes, hope that works out for him

[No Way]

Just to touch base on Manny's comments, almost everyone quit on Karcher halfway through the season. I am a student here and just through talking to the frosh football players you could sense alot of frustration being let out. But when Karcher says stuff like "c'mon guys, we can come back and win" to his players in the 4th quarter of the 56-0 William and Mary battle, players automatically lose respect for the guy.

[thesportscritic]

Interesting No Way. Never knew that.