2010 Football Game Notes.Indd
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Game No. 5 - Oct. 2, 2010 Savannah State Tigers (0-4, 0-0 MEAC) Football Quick Facts Locati on: Lynchburg, Va. vs. Enrollment: 11,928 Founder: Dr. Jerry Falwell President/Chancellor: No. 25 Liberty Flames Jerry Falwell, Jr. Director of Athleti cs: Jeff Barber (2-2, 0-0 Big South) Founded: 1971 Nickname: Flames Colors: Red, White and Blue Lynchburg, Va. - Williams Stadium - 7:07 p.m. Football Began: 1973 Today’s Game Home Sweet Home All-Time Football Record: Following consecuti ve seven-point Tonight, the Flames welcome Savannah 192-196-4 (.495) setbacks on the road, the Flames return home State to Williams Stadium, a facility Liberty Affi liati on: NCAA Division I FCS for the grand re-opening of Williams Stadium. has called home for the past 21 seasons. Conference: Big South No. 25 Liberty enters the match-up with The on-campus facility was opened on Oct. Stadium: Williams Stadium Savannah State carrying an even 2-2 record, 21, 1989, when the Flames rallied for a 37- Capacity: 19,200 while the Tigers are winless in four games this 18 victory over Towson State. Liberty has Surface: FieldTurf season. since won 66.1 percent of its games in the 2009 Record: 8-3 stadium, having posted a 77-39 record at the Conference Record: 5-1 (T1st) Series with Savannah State on-campus facility. In 2007, the Flames went Final Rankings: 22 (SN)/ 21 (FCSC) Today’s game will mark the second game undefeated at home for the second ti me in Off ensive Formati on: in the series between the two programs and program history, posti ng a school-record 6-0 Two-Back Set the fi rst-ever match-up at Williams Stadium. mark, en route a Big South ti tle. Defensive Formati on: 3-4 Lett erwinners Returning/Lost: 39/25 The last ti me the two teams met on the Starters Returning/Lost: 15/13 gridiron, Liberty dominated all aspects of the Six in a Row contest and posted a 28-0 shutout over the Liberty fi nished last weekend’s game with Head Coach: Tigers in Savannah, Ga., on Sept. 23, 2006. No. 3 James Madison by passing for 203 yards, Danny Rocco (Wake Forest, ‘84) as Mike Brown completed 21-of-32 passing Record at Liberty: 34-15 (Fift h season) Bigger, Bett er Home att empts. Dati ng back to the 2009 season, the Overall Record: Following a nine-month expansion Flames have surpassed the 200-yard passing 34-15 (Fift h season) project, today’s game against Savannah State mark in six-straight games, the longest such offi cially serves as the grand re-opening of streak under head coach Danny Rocco. The Media Informati on Williams Stadium. Since January, Liberty’s Flames currently rank No. 10 nati onally in Radio Stati on: FSN Radio (WRVL 88.3 FM) on-campus home for football has undergone passing off ense, averaging 299.5 yards/game. Play-By-Play Broadcaster: an extensive project that included stadium Rankings Review Alan York seati ng capacity expansion to 19,200 (up from Following a seven-point setback to No. 3 Color Commentator: 12,000). The expansion project also included a James Madison last weekend in Harrisonburg, Paul Ruti gliano fi ve-story press box, which includes an 11,000 Va., Liberty dropped three spots in the Sports Sidelines: Nick Pierce Stati sti cian: H.J. Owen square football Flames Club Pavilion room and Network/Fathead.com Top 25 FCS poll to Engineer: Chris Wygal 18 individual luxury suites. No. 25. The Flames fell fi ve spots in the FCS Coaches poll, from No. 21 to the fi rst team Television not inside the Top 25 but sti ll receiving votes. Stati ons: FSN - TV (Liberty Channel) Dati ng back to the second week of the 2008 Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Mike Tilley season, Liberty has been ranked inside the Color Commentary: Ray Jones Top 25 for 26 out of the last 34 weekly polls Halft ime Reporters: Lyndsay Keith, (including preseason and end of the year Paul Ruti gliano and Brad Butler rankings). vs. at at at vs. vs. at at vs. at vs. NCAA Playoff s St. Francis, Pa. Ball State Robert Morris No. 3/3 JMU Savannah State Charleston So. VMI Presbyterian Gardner-Webb Coastal Carolina Stony Brook Nov. 27 - Dec. 18 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 30 Nov. 6 Nov. 13 Nov. 20 NCAA Title Game W/ 52-7 W/ 27-23 L/ 23-30 L/ 3-10 7 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 1 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Jan. 7 Liberty University Airing it Out One Shy of the Record Head Football Coach For the fourth-straight game, Liberty Matt Bevins gave Liberty its lone points Danny Rocco Quick Facts conti nued to use it passing att ack to move against No. 3 James Madison with a 19-yard the football downfi eld against James Madison fi eld goal early in the second quarter, marking Biographical Informati on last weekend. Liberty fi nished the defensive the 39th career fi eld goal for Bevins. Bevins Birth date: July 16, 1960 batt le with 264 total off ensive yards, including now ranks second in both program and Big Wife: Julie Children: 203 via the passing game. Over 70 percent of South history. The junior needs one more Two - David (19) and Amy (17) Liberty’s total off ense has come through the fi eld goal to ti e the Big South record (Coastal Hometown: Hunti ngton, Pa. air this season, as Liberty has racked up 1,198 Carolina’s Josh Hoke – 40) and four more to ti e College: Wake Forest, 1984 passing yards to 465 yards on the ground. the program benchmark (Daniel Whitehead – Record at Liberty: 43). 34-15 (Fift h season) Making Them Count Overall Record: 34-15 (Fift h season) Not only does Liberty rank No. 10 in the Career Day for Kyle country in passing yardage (299.5 average per Kyle O’Donnell is coming off a career Coaching Experience: 2005-Present : Liberty (head coach) game), but the Flames are just as accurate. day against No. 3 James Madison, as the 2003-05: Virginia (associate head Liberty currently ranks No. 9 nati onally linebacker led all defenders with a career- coach/linebackers) in passing effi ciency with a 152.89 pass high 14 tackles. The total more than doubled 2001-02: Virginia (assistant head coach/linebackers/recruiti ng effi ciency ranking. Liberty is one of three FCS O’Donnell’s previous career high, as he had coordinator) programs in the country to currently rank recorded six tackles against Gardner-Webb 2000: New York Jets (assistant inside the Top 10 in both stati sti cal categories, last year and in each of the previous two linebackers/special teams) as the Flames are joined by Jacksonville and games against Ball State and Robert Morris. 1998-99: Maryland (outside linebackers/assistant special Morehead State. The senior almost doubled his season total in teams) one game, as O’Donnell came into the James 1997: Texas (special teams Ramping Up the Run Block Madison contest with 17 tackles aft er the fi rst coordinator/defensive ends) Liberty held No. 3 James Madison to three games of the season. 1994-96: Texas (outside linebackers) 1991-93: Boston College (defensive just 61 total rushing yards last Saturday in a line) defensive struggle that resulted in a combined Additi onal New & Notes from JMU game: 1988-90: Tulsa (outside linebackers) 13 points scored and 547 combined total • Following the 10-3 loss to No. 3 James 1987: Colorado (assistant linebackers) off ensive yards. The 61 yards gained on the Madison, Liberty is now 10-41 all-ti me against 1986: Wake Forest (defensive line) 1984-85: Wake Forest (defensive ground by the Dukes marked the third lowest nati onally ranked FCS opponents (including a graduate assistant) rushing total by an opponent since head 3-3 record under head coach Danny Rocco). coach Danny Rocco took over the program in • Liberty was one of 10 Top 25 FCS programs Bowl Games As A Coach: 2006. to suff er a loss on Saturday. 2005: Music City Bowl (Virginia) 2004: MPC Computers Bowl (Virginia) • For just the second ti me in fi ve seasons 2003: Conti nental Tire Bowl (Virginia) Don’t Move Those Chains under head coach Danny Rocco, Liberty 2002: Conti nental Tire Bowl (Virginia) For the third-straight game, Liberty fi nished a game without scoring a touchdown. 1996: Fiesta Bowl (Texas) 1995: Sugar Bowl (Texas) held an opponent to three third-down • The last ti me Liberty failed to score a 1994: Sun Bowl (Texas) conversions, as No. 3 James Madison fi nished touchdown in a game under head coach 1993: Carquest Bowl (Boston College) last weekend’s contest 3-of-13 on third-down Danny Rocco was in a 10-3 loss at Towson on 1992: Hall of Fame Bowl plays. Liberty currently ranks No. 8 nati onally Sept. 16, 2006 (Rocco’s third game at Liberty). (Boston College) 1989: Independence Bowl (Tulsa) in third-down defensive effi ciency, having • Liberty was held more than 200 yards allowed just 13 fi rst downs on 49 third-down below its season average against James Championships Won: plays (26.53 percent). Madison, as Liberty fi nished the contest with 2009: Big South Conference (Liberty) 264 total off ensive yards on 64 plays (average 2008: Big South Conference (Liberty) 2007: Big South Conference (Liberty) 4.1 per play).