[whmatthews]

I'm not sure if this article has been posted earlier not, but here it is again anyway. It's a few weeks old now, but this is from collegeburg.com, a website my buddy is involved in, a project that is working to unite all the colleges here in Lynch Vegas.

http://collegeburg.com/v2/tier_2/?C4

Intensity. Pride. Excitement. Those are the three words that can be used to describe the atmosphere of what happened at Williams Stadium at Liberty University last Thursday evening. The Flames football squad hosted the St. Paul Tigers in a showdown of two up-and-coming Division 1-AA football programs. As correctly forecast by the lovely and always accurate (cough cough) Lynchburg-area weather team, the entire game was consumed by a steady rain. In the past, that would have been quite enough to deter the Liberty faithful from attending the game; but not this time. A crowd of a little fewer than nine thousand fans packed the newly revamped (and very fresh) stadium. Donning Liberty garbs and flaunting an uncompromising school spirit, the fans gave Liberty a tremendous advantage over St. Paul’s from the very beginning.

As Liberty was romping St. Paul’s, a few players really stood out to me. Stud running back Rashad Jennings was unstoppable as he rushed for 160 yards (a nice 6.2 yards per carry average). He is the big, explosive back that Liberty has been missing since the departure of Sam Gado. People at Liberty are already endearing him with such nicknames as “the Bus”. Jennings is a potential Big South Conference MVP.

Zach Terrell was the X-factor type of player that reminds me of an Antwaan Randle-El clone. He lined up at quarterback, running back and even wide receiver a couple of times. Terrell definitely impressed me and judging by the crowd response, it is clear that he is a fan favorite.

Sophmore Quarterback Brock Smith made some good decisions. The game was wet and messy, so he didn’t get many chances to showcase the rocket that he has attached to his arm. Hopefully he starts throwing the ball more and connecting with his receivers and tight ends on a consistent basis.

Wynton Jackson was absolutely electric as a punt returner. He almost broke two long returns for touchdowns and put the Flames in great field position every time he touched the ball. I’m really anxious to see what Jackson has to offer as a receiver. They need to get the ball in his hands on offense more.

It goes without saying that thedefense put together a pretty good performance. Whenever you relegate a team to zero points, you had a pretty good day on the gridiron. The run defense was a bit of a concern though. Let’s face it; St. Paul’s running backs are probably the worst caliber that Liberty is going to face all season. The fact that they had a pretty nice day running against the Flames is something to be somewhat concerned about. You better believe that Coach Rocco’s ears are perked up and that he is making the necessary adjustments to his defense so the same mistakes do not happen this week.

Liberty University has been the joke of the Big South Conference for years because of its miserable performances on the football field in seasons past. The first thing that the hiring of Coach Rocco did was validate the program as an actual contender. As evidenced by the spring game (in which over 8,000 people attended), the hype that Coach Rocco brought to Liberty was undeniable. Williams Stadium was packed with screaming fans that stood in the steady rain for three hours just because they believed in Liberty football. The Flames only won one game last season; they have already won a game this season. That was definately a statement game to all of the ney-sayers that continue to disrespect the Liberty football program. On Thursday, the ney-sayers took the form of the St. Paul’s Tigers- and they looked more like domestic house cats.

Andy Claudio
Senior Sports Writer, Collegeburg

[Flamesfanva]

There's a definite change in atmosphere at the games. Should only get better from here on.

[givemethemic]

Yeah I know a few guys who are working with that site and they where shooting some video during the game...

[BJWilliams]

I am diggin the cover for the 06 football media guide!!!

[Stevev]

Nice article. I disagree with the statement that our run defense was poor on that day. Most of the rushing yards were agains't our 2nd and 3rd string defense and they never crossed there own 40 yard line. But that is division 2 competition. Our games agains't Towson, W Carolina, Wake, W & M, and Coastal are really going to expose our weaknesses whatever they may be.

[PAmedic]

The Flames football squad hosted the St. Paul Tigers in a showdown of two up-and-coming Division 1-AA football programs.

really? Liberty and who?

not to nitpick

[thepostman]

the article was full of small little errors, but at least he was talking about LU

[Purple Haize]

Actually, I think we have to be refered to as Born Again for proprietary reasons