[Stevev]

Yea, lets kick the crap out of these guys first, then we can talk all we want to. Right now we are in no position to talk a lot of smack after what happened to us last year. Actions speak louder than words, you know. If you talk the talk then you must walk the walk. First things first.

[BJWilliams]

I agree with Stevev on this one. I mean we are still a month away from the start of the 2006 training camp. We can't be making statements like that. All it can do is motivate the opposing team. Yes a lot of things have changed (new coach, new players, new playing surface, new attitude, new operations building), but its all talk until the band marches into the stadium for the first time and the teams take the field and get things started on Aug 31.

BTW, with the game on a Thursday, is there anything in the works for TV coverage?

[A.G.]

Not going to be close. Most lopsided game in years. Flames win in a laugher. They'll be spanked like they're Eddie Griffin in an SUV.

[Sly Fox]

OK, I think we've let that joke run its course. I've killed that thread BTW.

[ATrain]

To all the SPC folk, welcome to our board.

This should be a great game, how long I'm able to stay for it depends on what they do about hall meeting that night (PL responsibilities and the like). Should be a fun game, and while I know we have to prove our worth I am predicting an LU victory by at least a respectable margin. 8/31 can't get here fast enough...and to reiterate BJ's question, since its on a Thursday night, is there TV coverage involved?

[givemethemic]

Alright, I will chime in on this topic about the TV coverage, it is being worked on right now...It comes down to a few things, also there 1 other game right now that is in the mix... more to come as week get closer to the start of the season

[TIMSCAR20]

Hopefully my phone will be ringing to do some sideline stuff or be a color commentator for these. I will be on the sidelines anyway more than likely so why not put me to work?

[thesportscritic]

Good points smooth and Steve. We are the team from last year who almost lost to a DII team and never won a game after that. The game has to be played and hopefully this team this year will prove themselves.

[Tiger Claw]

no. its you guys who are in for a surprise. 44 players on our team were freshmen! out of 60!!!!! and one of them was the VIRGINIA STATE FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR! uhhh, we also got a 250 pound beast from the university of pitt., our leading tackler and receiver is returning. should i go on?? i think you guys are the ones in for a surprise

No not really. Liberty already has an established football program w/ quality facilities and decent support from what I can tell from my last trip to Lynchburg. SPC on the other hand, last season was playing NCAA football for the 1st time since 1985. 9 of it's 10 games last season were on the road. The Tigers have no home stadium, and are still in the process of building lockerrooms, weightrooms, coaches offices, training rooms, ect. 2 of the 18 freashman are all conference performers as freshman and closing out close games(a trait the I consider a characteristic of a young team) are the teams only collective weakness. Our defense is fast and VERY physical. Our backfield is also strong. We have excellent receivers, and are solid up front.

No I don't think anyone will be too surprised if SPC falls to Liberty.

However, I'm not worried at all about matching up w/ Liberty in terms of talent. In fact, I'm even less worried now that I know the Flames seem to be as young as we are. Like I said before, I'm looking foward to visiting your beautiful campus next month.

[Sly Fox]

All the info on where you guys have come from is much appreciated, Tiger Claw. I have a feeling there is going tobe a great atmosphere on campus for this opener with all the buzz surrounding the new staff and all the new talent. Then you factor in what should be a decent tournout from SPC since the game is so close to home for them.

Does SPC have a band and will they be bringing it?

[Tiger Claw]

No! We don't have a marching band...yet. Bands are a MAJOR part of Black College Football, as many of the fans who come to our games are as interested in the halftime show, as they are in the game. However, SPC is going through a major, campus wide revitalization of which reinstating football is only a part of. So a band may be a few seasons down the road.

After visiting the Liberty website, let me rephrase a statement in my last post. I wrote that Liberty has decent facilities. This is inaccurate. Liberty has OUTSTANDING football facilities. Which only happen when you have an equal amount of support of your football program. I don't remember that fieldhouse in the endzone from the last time I was there. And I see that you are changing the surface in the stadium. Is the construction finished yet?

[SuperJon]

The only thing I can guarantee is the atmosphere will be different than anyone at Liberty will be able to remember.

[LU'sbestmanger]

i hope we can get some good chants started. and not just LU- LU

[SuperJon]

We will, check your PMs.

[Sly Fox]

They are laying down the new FieldTurf as we speak. And the new Football Operations Center in the endzone is still under construction. But the goal is for it to be completed by the season.

[SuperJon]

I doubt they're laying it down as we speak since the TRBC deal is over on the mountain today.

[Sly Fox]

Touche ... but they are in middle of the process figuratively speaking.

[SuperJon]

There ya go.

[LUconn]

Fine, I'll be the non-PC guy because everybody else is too scared.

If we don't cream these guys, it will be a disaster. I don't care how great you think they are, but there's a reason they're playing for a D2 team in their 2nd year of football that apparently has no facilities (or facilities in the works I guess). I'm not saying we are invincible and can't lose, because obviously anything can happen. We sucked last year, sure. We have most of the same players returning, sure. But I'd be willing to bet that on talent alone we still could have won with last year's team. Add in our brand new coach, and we should never ever lose to any D2 team. While all of this may seem harsh, which I'm not trying to offend any of our Tiger visitors, we fall under the opposite end of the spectrum when we play Wake Forest this year. If they lose to us, or any other AA team, they'll be the laughing stock of football. They don't need to prove anything to us before they start talking trash and feeling confident.



P.S. Everybody saying we have no room to talk before the game is just scared that they may have to eat crow after. If the unthinkable were to happen, I don't mind the taste. I eat it all the time.

[bigsmooth]

i do not believe anyone is being PC, im certainly not. yes we have more talent, and yes we should win big. it should be like that against any DII. point is we barely beat concord last year, and we were not a very good team, in fact we were pretty bad. so why not save the talk. i guess you youngsters like to run your pieholes too much. what good does is do to run smack against a DII team, that has restarted it's program recently anyway??...ooohh that is real classy. if we were the likes of appy st. or ga. southern, maybe the smack is justified, but not at this point.

[LUconn]

I'm not trying to be classy. But why try to sit here and pretend like I'm concerned? I'm not gonna patronize them. There's nothing worse than getting thouroughly beaten by someone and them saying to you, "you did really good" or "you were really close" or some false jargon like that. Besides, the Tigers are big boys. I'm sure they can handle it.

[A.G.]

I expect Coach Rocco to use this as a statement game--a statement that "This is not business as usual with LU football." Yes, the Flames will score early and often!

[ATrain]

I expect Coach Rocco to use this as a statement game--a statement that "This is not business as usual with LU football." Yes, the Flames will score early and often!

At least I hope so...we need to make a statement.

And yes, I feel confident that we'll win...and win convincingly as well. However, anything can happen and with so many things unproven it may just be that we could be in for another rough season...I don't think that we are, but constantly remind myself of that just to avoid getting my hopes up only to be let down.

You can make a lotta changes during the offseason, bring in new recruits/coaches/field whatever, but its not until the Flames are on the field playing and winning that they prove themselves.

[Sly Fox]

I think most of us feel uneasy after we nearly lost to a poor DII team at home in our opener last year. At least that is why I am being cautious even though I believe we should win big.

[A.G.]

Come on, Sly. Throw caution to the wind. The bandwagon is going to be full by the time you try to climb aboard.
(Of course, you being a Philly guy, I can understand WHY you are a little edgy. Your sports teams haven't exactly burned it up since the 80's).