Game No. 3 - Sept. 13, 2008 No. 25 Liberty Flames (2-0, 0-0 Big South) Football Quick Facts Locati on: Lynchburg, Va. vs. Enrollment: 10,400 (Resident) 28,000 (Total) Western Carolina Catamounts Founder: Dr. Jerry Falwell President/Chancellor: (1-1, 0-0 SoCon) Jerry Falwell, Jr. Vice Chancellor/COO: Dr. Ronald Godwin Cullowhee, N.C. - E.J. Whitmire Stadium - 6 p.m. Director of Athleti cs: Jeff Barber Founded: 1971 Today’s Game in Cullowhee, N.C., picking up a 17-10 victory Nickname: Flames Colors: Red, White and Blue Liberty will put its seven-game winning on Sept. 12, 1997, before falling 63-0 at E.J. streak on the line this weekend when it Whitmire Stadium on Nov. 3, 2001. Football Began: 1973 takes to the road for the fi rst ti me in 2008 in All-Time Football Record: Cullowhee, N.C. Race to the Scoreboard 172-189-4 (.477) Affi liati on: The Flames are coming off a 44-27 home The past two meeti ngs between Western NCAA Division I FCS victory over Glenville State, while Western Carolina and Liberty have proved to be Conference: Big South Carolina suff ered a 69-0 setback at the hands shutouts for the victors. The Catamounts Stadium: Williams Stadium of Florida State last weekend in Tallahassee, blanked Liberty, 63-0, in the Flames last trip Capacity: 12,000 Surface: FieldTurf Fla., to fall to 1-1 on the year. to Cullowhee, N.C., accounti ng for one of 17 ti mes in program history Liberty has failed to 2007 Record: 8-3 Coach’s Corner dent the scoreboard. The Flames returned Conference Record: 4-0 (1st) In just two seasons at Liberty, head coach the favor in 2006 with a 21-0 whitewash Off ensive Formati on: Two-Back Set Danny Rocco has taken the Flames from 1-10 of Western Carolina, marking one of four Defensive Formati on: 3-4 (in 2005) to Big South champions. The third- shutouts under Rocco’s tutelage. Lett erwinners Returning/Lost: 38/21 year skipper has posted a 16-8 record since Starters Returning/Lost: 12/14 taking over the program, helping him garner Home Sweet Home Big South Coach of the Year honors in back-to- Last weekend, the Flames welcomed Head Coach: Danny Rocco (Wake Forest, ‘84) back seasons. Last year, the Flames were 8-3 visitors Glenville State to Williams Stadium, Record at Liberty: and a perfect 4-0 against Big South foes. a facility Liberty has called home for the past 16-8 (Third season) The Catamounts are under the directi on 20 seasons. Liberty rallied for a 37-19 victory Overall Record: of fi rst-year head coach Dennis Wagner. over Towson State on Oct. 21, 1989, and has 16-8 (Third season) The Utah graduate brought over 20 years won 65 percent of its contests since, having Media Informati on of football coaching experience to Western posted a 68-37 record at the on-campus Radio Carolina, when he was named the 12th head facility. Last year, the Flames went undefeated Stati on: WRVL 88.3 FM coach in program history on Jan. 4, 2008. Prior at home for the second ti me in program Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Jerry Edwards to taking over the Catamounts reigns, Wagner history, posti ng a school-record 6-0 record en Color Commentator: served as an off ensive line coach for four route to their Big South ti tle run. Paul Ruti gliano years at Nebreska. Sideline Reporter: Jamie Hall Streaking Toward a Record Stati sti cian: H.J. Owen Engineer: Chris Wygal What’s Happened against WCU in the Past Liberty’s current seven-game winning Producer: Mark Edwards Today’s match-up with Western Carolina streak ranks as the third longest in program will mark the sixth meeti ng in the series history. The only two runs ahead of the Television between the two programs. Western Carolina Flames’ current winning ways was an eight- Stati on: None leads the overall series, 3-2, despite a 21-0 game streak that spanned the 1992-93 Play-By-Play Broadcaster: N/A blanking in Lynchburg on Nov. 4, 2006. The seasons and a program-best 10-game winning Color Commentary: N/A Flames are 1-1 when facing the Catamounts streak that ran over the 1988-89 seasons. Sideline Reporter: N/A vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. North Greenville Glenville State Western Carolina Youngstown St. Coastal Carolina Stony Brook Lafayett e Charleston So. Presbyterian VMI Gardner-Webb Elon Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Home - W/ 49-10 Home - W/ 44-27 Away - 6 p.m. Away - 6 p.m. Away - 7 p.m. Home - 3:30 p.m. Home - 3:30 p.m. Home - 3:30 p.m. Away - 1:30 p.m. Away - 1:30 p.m. Home - 7 p.m. Home - 1 p.m. Liberty University Wonderful Crowds Raising Up No. 71 Head Football Coach Despite remnants of Hurricane Hanna Prior to the start of the Flames’ contest Danny Rocco lingering in the area, Liberty played its against Tusculum on Sept. 1, 2007, Liberty Quick Facts Glenville State game on Sept. 6 in front of ceremonially honored founder Dr. Jerry 13,917 fans, the seventh largest crowd in Falwell, who passed away the previous Biographical Informati on Birth date: July 16, 1960 stadium history. Since Danny Rocco has May, by starti ng a new game day traditi on. Wife: Julie arrived at Liberty, the Flames have fi lled Members of the University Police force raised Children: Two - David (16) and Amy (14) Williams Stadium beyond capacity 10 out of a No. 71 fl ag underneath the Liberty Flames Hometown: Hunti ngton, Pa. 14 games. Liberty has posted a 12-2 during fl ag above the South end zone, just prior to College: Wake Forest, 1984 those contests, averaging 12,938 fans per the team taking the fi eld, bringing the 14,925 Record at Liberty: 16-8 (Third season) home game. fans in att endance to their feet. Overall Record: 16-8 (Third season) The new traditi on has become a Att ending to the Nati onal Numbers permanent part of the Flames’ pregame Coaching Experience: 2005-Present : Liberty (head coach) Following back-to-back sellout crowds at ceremonies at all home football games. A 2003-05: Virginia (associate head Williams Stadium, Liberty ranks as one of the diff erent person/group will receive the honor coach/linebackers) nati on’s elite in terms of home att endance of raising the fl ag at each game. Last week’s 2001-02: Virginia (assistant head fi gures. The Flames rank third nati onally honoree was Josh McDougal, Liberty’s former coach/linebackers/recruiti ng coordinator) among FCS programs in fi lling stadium cross country/track and fi eld standout and the 2000: New York Jets (assistant capacity (121.78 percent), fourth in total 2007 NCAA Cross Country Nati onal champion. linebackers/special teams) home att endance (29,228) and No. 14 in 1998-99: Maryland (outside average home att endance (14,614). This year’s honorees: linebackers/assistant special teams) 1997: Texas (special teams Aug. 30 (North Greenville) – Jerry Falwell, Jr., coordinator/defensive ends) Magnifi cent Seven LU President and Chancellor 1994-96: Texas (outside linebackers) The Flames 44-27 victory over Glenville Sept. 6 (Glenville State) – Josh McDougal, 1991-93: Boston College (defensive line) State last weekend pushed the Flames former LU cross country/track and fi eld 1988-90: Tulsa (outside linebackers) 1987: Colorado (assistant linebackers) winning streak to seven-straight games, dati ng standout 1986: Wake Forest (defensive line) back to the 2007 season. The run is currently 1984-85: Wake Forest (defensive ti ed for the second longest acti ve winning Back in the Big South graduate assistant) streaks among FCS programs, ranking only Liberty is in the midst of its seventh Bowl Games As A Player: behind Dayton’s eight-game winning streak. season of competi ti on in Big South 1983: Mirage Bowl (Wake Forest) The Flames are ti ed with Harvard, who has Conference acti on today. Since beginning 1980: Fiesta Bowl (Penn State) also won seven games in a row. league play in 2002, Liberty has posted a 1979: Liberty Bowl (Penn State) 13-10 Big South record, thanks to a perfect Bowl Games As A Coach: Natural Versus Arti fi cial Surfaces 4-0 championship record in 2007 and back-to- 2005: Music City Bowl (Virginia) Under head coach Danny Rocco, the back 3-1 records in 2003 and 2004. 2004: MPC Computers Bowl (Virginia) Flames are 12-6 on arti fi cial turf and 3-2 on 2003: Conti nental Tire Bowl (Virginia) natural grass. Overall, Liberty is 95-107-4 on Liberty series records against 2002: Conti nental Tire Bowl (Virginia) 1996: Fiesta Bowl (Texas) natural grass and 72-74 on arti fi cial turf. The Big South schools since 2002 1995: Sugar Bowl (Texas) Flames play their home games at Williams Charleston Southern 5-1 1994: Sun Bowl (Texas) Stadium, which has an arti fi cial surface, as Coastal Carolina 2-3 1993: Carquest Bowl (Boston College) new state-of-the-art FieldTurf was installed Gardner-Webb 2-4 1992: Hall of Fame Bowl (Boston College) 1989: Independence Bowl (Tulsa) prior to the start of the 2006 season. Liberty VMI 4-1 has posted a 12-2 record at home since the Note: Elon was a member of the Big South in Championships Won: new surface was installed.