- October 7th, 2007, 1:25 pm
#116513
Coach Rocco has said from the outset that the goal of this team was to win the Big South Championship. As hard as our three losses have been, that goal is still possible. With two weeks to work on things, we could very likely run the table the rest of the way. Here's what we have left:
Chuck South: They're not very good. They'll likely give VMI a run for their money. They gave up 355 yards passing and another 100+ to Division II North Greenville. They also gave up over 300 yards to Johnson C Smith. They seem to be semi-successful running the ball, but if they get down, they're very quick to abandon it and start throwing the ball. That's a good thing because they've thrown 13 interceptions and only 10 touchdowns.
Presby: I posted last night that Presby could beat us because of their gawdy numbers. Then I thought about it. WEF was right, they're the VMI of football. Their offense is great. It really is. Their defense is terrible though. It really is. Their head coach only cares about offense, which he's good at, but there are two facets of the game. For example, North Greenville had three guys that averaged over 4.5 yards a carry against them yesterday. NGU was 25-35 passing for nearly 10 yards a catch. Presby also gave up a 57 yard kick return. With our special teams, and our skill players on offense, we should be able to put points on them like we never have before and beat them. Add in homecoming, and a crowd unlike any they've ever seen before, and we should be able to beat them pretty good.
Coastal: Coastal's down this year. It's worse than I think anyone thought it would be. Their quarterback is 79-144, which means he's completing only 54.8% of his passing. He's also about as mobile as a statue. He's very big so he's hard to take down, but he's a lot different than the Jake Thomas and Scott Riddle's we've faced this year. Richardson's thrown 4 interceptions and 5 touchdowns, but from reading the Coastal board, it seems like there are times he makes bad decisions that we could capitalize on. They've still got Jerome Simpson, so if Richardson can get him the ball he's still dangerous, but Richardson's had a hard time getting him the ball. Simpson is only averaging around 3 catches a game but he's getting 18 yards a catch. It's still unknown whether or not Simpson will play in this game. Someone on the Coastal board mentioned that Simpson's trial for assault and battery is in October, so if that is true (big if - you know message boards) and he is guilty, Coach Bennett will likely release him from the team. That's still a mystery though. They've went back to running the ball more than passing this year, running three backs mainly. They have two power backs and a speedster. Those three are averaging around 4.5 yards per carry. This is a big game for us. There should be a very good crowd, and a very good atmosphere for this game.
VMI: They haven't beaten a scholarship Division I team since us in 05 (I think). They run that little option type offense that can be very tricky, but we stopped it last year and they're not as good of a team this year as last. Last year we were able to run the ball at will on them, and I think this year will be the same.
Gardner-Webb: This is the toughest game of the last half I think. They're throwing the ball a lot, just like last year. However, just like last year, they're throwing more interceptions than touchdowns (6:4). Their run game is decent (108.5/game, 3.4/rush). Their defense has been decent (131.5 on the ground, 195.2 through the air). They played well against an FBS school, so they're nothing to slouch at. They're going to be a good football team. This will likely be for the Big South Championship on the last day of the season. My gut feeling is that they won't be full strength by that time. They've already played two FBS schools, App St, and they play Wofford next week. They have to play Coastal the week before they play us. It just seems like their schedule is going to beat them up. Let's not forget that our guys want payback from last year after giving up a 21 point lead. I hope we can get a good crowd down in Boiling Springs, and it should be the game that seals us our first ever Big South Championship.
We all said some things last night that we didn't mean (well, except for Medic). Most of us let our emotions get in the way of our thought process and, well, that happens with sports. We've all had a day to sit around and think about it, cool down, and let our logic take over again. We have the potential to be a great football team. We have the athletes to do it. We have the coaches to do it. We just have to execute. We play with a great intensity (save Elon). Our team is very well conditioned and is probably the strongest in the league. We just have to wrap up on our tackles, cut out the penalties, and play smart football. If we do that, we win. It's a simple as that. This isn't the time to back off this team. They need us now more than anything. If you can get to Charleston in two weeks, go. If not, you better be planning on being here for Homecoming. If there is anyone on this board within five hours of Lynchburg, and they're not at Williams Stadium for homecoming, then we can make the "Loyal-ish" statement. Everyone of us needs to stay supporting this team.
Chuck South: They're not very good. They'll likely give VMI a run for their money. They gave up 355 yards passing and another 100+ to Division II North Greenville. They also gave up over 300 yards to Johnson C Smith. They seem to be semi-successful running the ball, but if they get down, they're very quick to abandon it and start throwing the ball. That's a good thing because they've thrown 13 interceptions and only 10 touchdowns.
Presby: I posted last night that Presby could beat us because of their gawdy numbers. Then I thought about it. WEF was right, they're the VMI of football. Their offense is great. It really is. Their defense is terrible though. It really is. Their head coach only cares about offense, which he's good at, but there are two facets of the game. For example, North Greenville had three guys that averaged over 4.5 yards a carry against them yesterday. NGU was 25-35 passing for nearly 10 yards a catch. Presby also gave up a 57 yard kick return. With our special teams, and our skill players on offense, we should be able to put points on them like we never have before and beat them. Add in homecoming, and a crowd unlike any they've ever seen before, and we should be able to beat them pretty good.
Coastal: Coastal's down this year. It's worse than I think anyone thought it would be. Their quarterback is 79-144, which means he's completing only 54.8% of his passing. He's also about as mobile as a statue. He's very big so he's hard to take down, but he's a lot different than the Jake Thomas and Scott Riddle's we've faced this year. Richardson's thrown 4 interceptions and 5 touchdowns, but from reading the Coastal board, it seems like there are times he makes bad decisions that we could capitalize on. They've still got Jerome Simpson, so if Richardson can get him the ball he's still dangerous, but Richardson's had a hard time getting him the ball. Simpson is only averaging around 3 catches a game but he's getting 18 yards a catch. It's still unknown whether or not Simpson will play in this game. Someone on the Coastal board mentioned that Simpson's trial for assault and battery is in October, so if that is true (big if - you know message boards) and he is guilty, Coach Bennett will likely release him from the team. That's still a mystery though. They've went back to running the ball more than passing this year, running three backs mainly. They have two power backs and a speedster. Those three are averaging around 4.5 yards per carry. This is a big game for us. There should be a very good crowd, and a very good atmosphere for this game.
VMI: They haven't beaten a scholarship Division I team since us in 05 (I think). They run that little option type offense that can be very tricky, but we stopped it last year and they're not as good of a team this year as last. Last year we were able to run the ball at will on them, and I think this year will be the same.
Gardner-Webb: This is the toughest game of the last half I think. They're throwing the ball a lot, just like last year. However, just like last year, they're throwing more interceptions than touchdowns (6:4). Their run game is decent (108.5/game, 3.4/rush). Their defense has been decent (131.5 on the ground, 195.2 through the air). They played well against an FBS school, so they're nothing to slouch at. They're going to be a good football team. This will likely be for the Big South Championship on the last day of the season. My gut feeling is that they won't be full strength by that time. They've already played two FBS schools, App St, and they play Wofford next week. They have to play Coastal the week before they play us. It just seems like their schedule is going to beat them up. Let's not forget that our guys want payback from last year after giving up a 21 point lead. I hope we can get a good crowd down in Boiling Springs, and it should be the game that seals us our first ever Big South Championship.
We all said some things last night that we didn't mean (well, except for Medic). Most of us let our emotions get in the way of our thought process and, well, that happens with sports. We've all had a day to sit around and think about it, cool down, and let our logic take over again. We have the potential to be a great football team. We have the athletes to do it. We have the coaches to do it. We just have to execute. We play with a great intensity (save Elon). Our team is very well conditioned and is probably the strongest in the league. We just have to wrap up on our tackles, cut out the penalties, and play smart football. If we do that, we win. It's a simple as that. This isn't the time to back off this team. They need us now more than anything. If you can get to Charleston in two weeks, go. If not, you better be planning on being here for Homecoming. If there is anyone on this board within five hours of Lynchburg, and they're not at Williams Stadium for homecoming, then we can make the "Loyal-ish" statement. Everyone of us needs to stay supporting this team.
- By LU Armchair coach
- By Sly Fox