Post by Sly Fox on Oct 29, 2005 8:39:37 GMT -5
LU finds another way to use Terrell
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 29, 2005
Liberty University worked against Gardner-Webb athletic quarterback Nick Roberts’ stunt double all week at practice.
It’s one of the fringe benefits of having an athletic player like Zach Terrell around.
Terrell, LU’s freshman running back, started the season at quarterback. When he called signals at Manassas Park High School, Terrell did just about everything on the run, slipping out of the pocket to find receivers or break free for huge gains on the ground.
Just like Roberts.
So in preparation for today’s Big South game against the Bulldogs in Boiling Springs, N.C., Liberty coach Ken Karcher used Terrell’s skills as an option quarterback to imitate Roberts.
Roberts has thrown for 1,587 yards and 12 touchdowns and run for 303 yards and six TDs.
“There’s a piece of our offense that’s a lot like theirs,” Karcher said. “So we gave them that look with Zach at quarterback. Hopefully it helped.”
Terrell won’t start at quarterback today like he did last week against Coastal Carolina. Terrell only got that start because Karcher saw some things in the Chanticleers’ defense that Terrell could exploit.
Instead, another freshman will get the nod. Brock Smith was named the starter Thursday ahead of senior Brock Farrel.
Farrel isn’t being demoted for anything he’s done. With Liberty at 1-7, Karcher wants to get a good look at the quarterback who will be No. 1 on the depth chart entering spring practice.
The left-handed Smith, at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, is a different quarterback than Farrel, who is 6-0, 190. He’s a sturdy passer who is surprisingly nimble once he gets out of the pocket. Don’t expect Smith to take off on a lot of designed runs, but one of his strengths is throwing on rollouts from the pocket.
“I trust my feet,” Smith said. “In our offense in high school, I always rolled out. I love dropping back and throwing, but I kind of want to get back to throwing on the run.”
Smith wowed coaches and teammates in summer workouts with his ability to throw 50-plus yard passes flat-footed.
“Man, he’s just got a cannon,” Terrell said.
That doesn’t mean Smith will spend the evening taking deep shots against Gardner-Webb’s young defense. His coaches want him to establish some consistency throwing short routes and develop a rapport with his receivers before chucking a lot of deep balls.
“He’s got a lot of raw ability,” LU quarterbacks coach Biff Parson said. “For him, it’s just the cerebral part of it. It’s the mental aspect of knowing the game plan, being prepared and just making the right decisions.”
Smith will play against an inexperienced secondary. The Bulldogs (3-4, 1-1 Big South) start three freshmen and a sophomore in the defensive backfield. Freshman free safety Daniel Cooke has been a find for Gardner-Webb coach Steve Patton. Cooke is third on the team in tackles, has two interceptions and has broken up five passes.
The Bulldogs again will be without defensive leader Keppy Baucom, who was suspended before the VMI game last week and remains in Patton’s doghouse. In Baucom’s place, freshman Mike Pavelko racked up 24 tackles in the Bulldogs’ 55-52 triple overtime win in Lexington.
The Flames should be able to move the ball, meaning the key to snapping a seven-game losing streak will be their ability to at least contain Roberts.
In a 17-9 victory in Lynchburg last season, Liberty held Roberts in check on the ground and turned him into a passer. That’s one of the Flames’ goals today: to make Roberts a one-dimensional threat.
“He and (Charleston Southern’s Collin Drafts) are the two most elusive quarterbacks in our conference,” LU linebacker Manny Rojas said. “They’re both fast, they both play really well and they both can throw really well and get out of the pocket.”
Rojas stressed the importance of having Terrell in practice to simulate that sort of speed.
“Zach brings all of that to the table,” Rojas said. “He’s really fast. … It gives us an opportunity to see what it’s like when Nick gets out of the pocket.”
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 29, 2005
Liberty University worked against Gardner-Webb athletic quarterback Nick Roberts’ stunt double all week at practice.
It’s one of the fringe benefits of having an athletic player like Zach Terrell around.
Terrell, LU’s freshman running back, started the season at quarterback. When he called signals at Manassas Park High School, Terrell did just about everything on the run, slipping out of the pocket to find receivers or break free for huge gains on the ground.
Just like Roberts.
So in preparation for today’s Big South game against the Bulldogs in Boiling Springs, N.C., Liberty coach Ken Karcher used Terrell’s skills as an option quarterback to imitate Roberts.
Roberts has thrown for 1,587 yards and 12 touchdowns and run for 303 yards and six TDs.
“There’s a piece of our offense that’s a lot like theirs,” Karcher said. “So we gave them that look with Zach at quarterback. Hopefully it helped.”
Terrell won’t start at quarterback today like he did last week against Coastal Carolina. Terrell only got that start because Karcher saw some things in the Chanticleers’ defense that Terrell could exploit.
Instead, another freshman will get the nod. Brock Smith was named the starter Thursday ahead of senior Brock Farrel.
Farrel isn’t being demoted for anything he’s done. With Liberty at 1-7, Karcher wants to get a good look at the quarterback who will be No. 1 on the depth chart entering spring practice.
The left-handed Smith, at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, is a different quarterback than Farrel, who is 6-0, 190. He’s a sturdy passer who is surprisingly nimble once he gets out of the pocket. Don’t expect Smith to take off on a lot of designed runs, but one of his strengths is throwing on rollouts from the pocket.
“I trust my feet,” Smith said. “In our offense in high school, I always rolled out. I love dropping back and throwing, but I kind of want to get back to throwing on the run.”
Smith wowed coaches and teammates in summer workouts with his ability to throw 50-plus yard passes flat-footed.
“Man, he’s just got a cannon,” Terrell said.
That doesn’t mean Smith will spend the evening taking deep shots against Gardner-Webb’s young defense. His coaches want him to establish some consistency throwing short routes and develop a rapport with his receivers before chucking a lot of deep balls.
“He’s got a lot of raw ability,” LU quarterbacks coach Biff Parson said. “For him, it’s just the cerebral part of it. It’s the mental aspect of knowing the game plan, being prepared and just making the right decisions.”
Smith will play against an inexperienced secondary. The Bulldogs (3-4, 1-1 Big South) start three freshmen and a sophomore in the defensive backfield. Freshman free safety Daniel Cooke has been a find for Gardner-Webb coach Steve Patton. Cooke is third on the team in tackles, has two interceptions and has broken up five passes.
The Bulldogs again will be without defensive leader Keppy Baucom, who was suspended before the VMI game last week and remains in Patton’s doghouse. In Baucom’s place, freshman Mike Pavelko racked up 24 tackles in the Bulldogs’ 55-52 triple overtime win in Lexington.
The Flames should be able to move the ball, meaning the key to snapping a seven-game losing streak will be their ability to at least contain Roberts.
In a 17-9 victory in Lynchburg last season, Liberty held Roberts in check on the ground and turned him into a passer. That’s one of the Flames’ goals today: to make Roberts a one-dimensional threat.
“He and (Charleston Southern’s Collin Drafts) are the two most elusive quarterbacks in our conference,” LU linebacker Manny Rojas said. “They’re both fast, they both play really well and they both can throw really well and get out of the pocket.”
Rojas stressed the importance of having Terrell in practice to simulate that sort of speed.
“Zach brings all of that to the table,” Rojas said. “He’s really fast. … It gives us an opportunity to see what it’s like when Nick gets out of the pocket.”
www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128767824647&path=!sports
