- January 23rd, 2006, 8:04 am
#1198
here is chris' story on coach rocco's new offense in the lynchburg fishwrap. great job as usual.
LU offense takes shape
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
Monday, January 23, 2006
It's tempting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
New Liberty football coach Danny Rocco hires former Rice offensive coordinator Scott Wachenkeim to be the Flames' new O.C. Rice was known for running out of the Wishbone and utilizing the option to turn the Owls into one of the nation's most stout rushing offenses.
Liberty already possesses a phenomenal athlete (Zach Terrell) who played quarterback, tailback and wide receiver as a freshman.
Voila! Option offense, right?
Not quite. Rocco isn't adverse to implementing some option tendencies into his base offense, and having Wachenkeim's expertise and Terrell's ability will help in that area.
"I've always thought, as a defensive coach, every time you played a team that ran some option, it was an issue," Rocco said. "Whether it's three plays a game, five plays a game, eight plays a game, the thought that the option is there is something that forces the defense to be very disciplined and forces them to spend a lot of their preparation time in defending it."
But turning the Flames into a true option outfit would require a different set of personnel, and Liberty is returning too much strength at quarterback (Brock Smith) and wide receiver (Brandon Turner, Wynton Jackson, Dominic Bolden) to scrap throwing the ball altogether.
Instead, Rocco visualizes using Terrell in a way he is most dangerous. With Pittsburgh transfer Rashad Jennings set to be part of a running back rotation that Rocco hopes will see 50 touches a game, Terrell can go from being an every-down back to being an athlete who can line up at a number of positions.
Rocco can put Terrell in at tailback, wide receiver, slot back, even run trick plays in which Terrell throws out of the backfield. In short, he's the sort of player who can give opposing defensive coordinators fits if used properly.
"I've certainly spent a lot of time thinking about it," Rocco said. "We want to create some formations where they both can be in the game and have the opportunity to both carry the ball."
With the skill positions in good shape, Rocco addressed a major concern by coaxing East Carolina offensive lineman Zach Davis to transfer to Liberty. While not nearly as skilled, the 6-foot-4, 279-pound Davis is in the mold of Virginia All-American lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson (6-5, 295), a quick pulling lineman who overpowered foes with his quickness and athleticism rather than his sheer bulk.
"He can play center or guard," Rocco said. "We'll be doing some pull schemes in our offense, so it's important that our guards can run. It's also important that your center has good feet to slip the nose guard and get to the second level and block the linebackers. There are some things with the guard and center where power and size aren't as important as speed and athleticism."
The other transfers, Jennings and linebacker Stevie Ray Lloyd, both add to the level of enthusiasm around campus that's rising as the April 3 start of spring practice draws closer. Rocco said getting Lloyd to transfer was a coup, as he was very high on Lloyd's skills when he eyed the former Jefferson Forest star when he was Virginia's recruiting coordinator.
"When his name first came across my ear, I said without hesitation that I'd love to have Stevie Ray Lloyd," Rocco said. "He's a very dedicated, tough, committed football player who loves the game and is going to help us do what we need to get done on defense."
NOTES: Rocco is trying to get Rutgers off the 2006 football schedule. After a 1-10 season fraught with blowout losses against superior teams in 2005, Rocco wants to lighten the scheduling load so his team can gain some confidence early in the season. The Rutgers game was sandwiched in between road trips to Towson and Wake Forest. The Flames and Deacons will still meet in Winston-Salem, N.C., Sept. 30. Rocco hopes to fill the Sept. 23 date with a game against a Division I-AA school. The spring scrimmage will be April 29.
http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Sate ... th=!sports
LU offense takes shape
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
Monday, January 23, 2006
It's tempting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
New Liberty football coach Danny Rocco hires former Rice offensive coordinator Scott Wachenkeim to be the Flames' new O.C. Rice was known for running out of the Wishbone and utilizing the option to turn the Owls into one of the nation's most stout rushing offenses.
Liberty already possesses a phenomenal athlete (Zach Terrell) who played quarterback, tailback and wide receiver as a freshman.
Voila! Option offense, right?
Not quite. Rocco isn't adverse to implementing some option tendencies into his base offense, and having Wachenkeim's expertise and Terrell's ability will help in that area.
"I've always thought, as a defensive coach, every time you played a team that ran some option, it was an issue," Rocco said. "Whether it's three plays a game, five plays a game, eight plays a game, the thought that the option is there is something that forces the defense to be very disciplined and forces them to spend a lot of their preparation time in defending it."
But turning the Flames into a true option outfit would require a different set of personnel, and Liberty is returning too much strength at quarterback (Brock Smith) and wide receiver (Brandon Turner, Wynton Jackson, Dominic Bolden) to scrap throwing the ball altogether.
Instead, Rocco visualizes using Terrell in a way he is most dangerous. With Pittsburgh transfer Rashad Jennings set to be part of a running back rotation that Rocco hopes will see 50 touches a game, Terrell can go from being an every-down back to being an athlete who can line up at a number of positions.
Rocco can put Terrell in at tailback, wide receiver, slot back, even run trick plays in which Terrell throws out of the backfield. In short, he's the sort of player who can give opposing defensive coordinators fits if used properly.
"I've certainly spent a lot of time thinking about it," Rocco said. "We want to create some formations where they both can be in the game and have the opportunity to both carry the ball."
With the skill positions in good shape, Rocco addressed a major concern by coaxing East Carolina offensive lineman Zach Davis to transfer to Liberty. While not nearly as skilled, the 6-foot-4, 279-pound Davis is in the mold of Virginia All-American lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson (6-5, 295), a quick pulling lineman who overpowered foes with his quickness and athleticism rather than his sheer bulk.
"He can play center or guard," Rocco said. "We'll be doing some pull schemes in our offense, so it's important that our guards can run. It's also important that your center has good feet to slip the nose guard and get to the second level and block the linebackers. There are some things with the guard and center where power and size aren't as important as speed and athleticism."
The other transfers, Jennings and linebacker Stevie Ray Lloyd, both add to the level of enthusiasm around campus that's rising as the April 3 start of spring practice draws closer. Rocco said getting Lloyd to transfer was a coup, as he was very high on Lloyd's skills when he eyed the former Jefferson Forest star when he was Virginia's recruiting coordinator.
"When his name first came across my ear, I said without hesitation that I'd love to have Stevie Ray Lloyd," Rocco said. "He's a very dedicated, tough, committed football player who loves the game and is going to help us do what we need to get done on defense."
NOTES: Rocco is trying to get Rutgers off the 2006 football schedule. After a 1-10 season fraught with blowout losses against superior teams in 2005, Rocco wants to lighten the scheduling load so his team can gain some confidence early in the season. The Rutgers game was sandwiched in between road trips to Towson and Wake Forest. The Flames and Deacons will still meet in Winston-Salem, N.C., Sept. 30. Rocco hopes to fill the Sept. 23 date with a game against a Division I-AA school. The spring scrimmage will be April 29.
http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Sate ... th=!sports
- By LUOrange
- By ECC29