[jcmanson]

Quick hit notes - http://www.libertyflamesnation.com/quic ... -richmond/

[SumItUp]

That one stings. It was harder than I thought to see Rocco on the other sideline. This loss was disappointing. I only have a few thoughts.

- Except the game against VMI, the Richmond running attack has struggled this year. They gained 218 yards today.
- We did not perform in the special teams area. Bad snap on a punt and two blocked field goals.
- Desmond Rice played a good game, but the fumble inside the 10 is what will be remembered.
- The rain was a factor and favors the team that has the lead. Richmond got on top and stayed there.
- Disappointing to see Hagen get ejected on a play that appeared to be a clean hit on a dropped pass. It seemed that he led with his shoulder into the body. There is a place for the rule, but it should not have been called on that play.

[SuperJon]

I'm going to ask the question that everyone's thinking:

Why can't we win games that matter?

G-W will be ranked this week. Coastal will be ranked this week. We're sitting at .500 and staring a .500 season (against Division I opponents) right in the mouth. I love Liberty and I love Liberty football, but our football program is the only male sport to not make the postseason since Barber came on staff. Split championships and Division II blowouts don't excite me anymore.

[rogers3]

That one stings. It was harder than I thought to see Rocco on the other sideline. This loss was disappointing. I only have a few thoughts.

- Except the game against VMI, the Richmond running attack has struggled this year. They gained 218 yards today.
- We did not perform in the special teams area. Bad snap on a punt and two blocked field goals.
- Desmond Rice played a good game, but the fumble inside the 10 is what will be remembered.
- The rain was a factor and favors the team that has the lead. Richmond got on top and stayed there.
- Disappointing to see Hagen get ejected on a play that appeared to be a clean hit on a dropped pass. It seemed that he led with his shoulder into the body. There is a place for the rule, but it should not have been called on that play.

Spider boards mentioned the bad call in ejecting Hagans... If opposing fans see that, what's up with the refs?

[SumItUp]

I'm going to ask the question that everyone's thinking:

Why can't we win games that matter?

G-W will be ranked this week. Coastal will be ranked this week. We're sitting at .500 and staring a .500 season (against Division I opponents) right in the mouth. I love Liberty and I love Liberty football, but our football program is the only male sport to not make the postseason since Barber came on staff. Split championships and Division II blowouts don't excite me anymore.

I agree with this if we are having this conversation at the end of the season. That changes if we win the Big South outright. We definitely have our work cut out for us. Coastal and GWU are going to be tough. Charleston Southern appears ready to play with everyone in the conference also.

[SuperJon]

I'm by no means giving up on the season, but we haven't done anything to make the rest of the year look exciting. We've got a DII game followed by a game that could get ugly quickly. Then we play the best team in our league. We could potentially go until November without winning another Division I game.

[g-webb1994]

Odd thing is with our layout, our first two conference games are at CCU, then a week off, then you guys here in the Springs of Boiling.

[thepostman]

Richmond is better then we are. I get what you are saying Jon because I am sick of it too, but the better team won today in my opinion. In a lot of cases in the past WE were the better team and still found ways to lose. That is the difference I think.

Either way, I am frustrated with our football program. We have not made any progress in the last few years and I am not sure why that is.

[newoldschool17]

Postman - Richmond has a better history, but Gill started with a much better team than Rocco with way more resources! I'm with you - what's the problem - there has been little impact....

[Chippy]

[quote="SuperJon"]I'm going to ask the question that everyone's thinking:

Why can't we win games that matter?


Granted they are few and far between, Elon #14 and SB #6, over the last few years but those games were home games. We really need a win on the road against a comparable or better team, preferably a ranked team to get us over the hump.

[flameshaw]

Right now, I feel we win this game except for the rain coming down much harder when we had the ball, early in the second half.
Miscues all caused by weather:
Rice funble
Missed FG
Missed FG
Bad snap to the punter.
Now Richmond had to play in some of the same weather, but it seemed like it was worse when we were on offense and they also handled it better that we did. We came out strong in the second half and had the momentum strongly in our favor until these miscues cost us big. I don't think any of them happen on a dry field.
Not sure we deserved to win any way, play action/mis-direction fooled us all night. Had too many penalties. They score on us in the red zone twice without one of our players even touching the guy who scored.
I share the concern of most here, when are we going to win a meaningful game? What will take us over the top? I would like to see us go to the spread option game, but we have to have some different personnel to be effective.
Hopefully we can beat ODU and go into the Big South season on a positive note.

[SuperJon]

Those were great wins, and I don't want to discount them at all, but you're right about the road part of it. The fact we have Coastal at home is what gives me hope that we will beat them.

[thepostman]

what??? what??? Ball State!

thought I beat BJ to it

[SuperJon]

That actually brings up a good point: we've won big games. We've had the home wins that were mentioned and the Ball State win. Is it safe to say that those are overlooked because we fail to win the games that matter? Those were all good wins, and even big wins, but none of them mattered terribly much. Ball State was an FBS win but didn't put us in the playoffs. Elon was in a year where we were the longest of long shots for the playoffs. SBU was after we'd already been eliminated from the playoffs and were hoping for a three way tie of the conference title. We can win big games, just not when they matter, and that's what so frustrating as a fan.

[LUnpretty11]

How was that a bad snap to Bowden? He couldn't grip the ball and it slipped out of his hands.

Agreed with SJ. There is something that keeps us from winning the important one. The big game. Maybe the players psych themselves out because they know how big of a game it is, and cause them to lose it? We needed to catch a break and we didn't all game. They did on Rice's fumble at our own 5 yd line. I really like Woodrum and his abilities, but he still has some maturing to do before he is the elite QB that we all know he has the potential to be.
Des Rice played very well and really showed he can run the ball against a big opponent. Liked what I saw out of him. I really liked that we targeted Apon more tonight. He's the real deal.
Both blocked FGs were from a slippery handle on the hold, more so on the second FG attempt.

We have a lot of potential, but we need a game like this to really be able to beat our chests. Blow out KWU, and get ready for ODU.

[Purple Haize]

Postman - Richmond has a better history, but Gill started with a much better team than Rocco with way more resources! I'm with you - what's the problem - there has been little impact....

[jimflamesfan]

Whoever said Gill started with a better team has to be smoking something. I also know that a lot of Liberty fans think we have "more money than God" these days, but we don't have more money than the University of Richmond...and as Rocco would point out, UR has things money can't buy, ie prestige.

I have a lot of thoughts on this topic, and I will save most of them for my column. Frustrating night, frustrating school to be a fan of for sure.

+1

Gill inherited a program that was going to have at least one rebuilding year.

That being said, I thought the defense did a good job at adjusting in the second half. Also, I thought our crowd was much louder than theirs, it felt like it was a home game for LU.

I can remeber the Karcher days where a road game against a CAA school would be a 63-3 loss. (That's not totally a knock on Karcher...he was hear when LU was practically bankrupt...we played 2 1a schools on the road to pay the bills and would be demoralized for the rest of the year.

Our biggest problem this year seems to be an offensive identity. Who are we...we don't have that one consistant big playmaker...the Rashad Jennings or Chris Summers, or Dre Barnes, or Mike Brown. We have no go to guy that we can just put the ball in his hands in a crucial situation.

As far as scheduling...at least Monmouth and Morgan state were 1aa teams...we should despartely try to schedule some Patriot and Socon out of conference games...maybe they just won't play us.

It is true that we can't win the big game because we're not used to playing in the big game. We get tight.

I loved the fans that came, and I appreciate that we fought hard to the end. And it's a good thing that the Big South is getting better.

[bluedevilflame]

This one definitely stings

[NotAJerry]

Postman - Richmond has a better history, but Gill started with a much better team than Rocco with way more resources! I'm with you - what's the problem - there has been little impact....

What are you talking about? If you're saying that the starting point for Gill at LU was better than Rocco, I agree. If you're saying that Gill started with more at LU than Rocco at Richmond, I'll disagree. Richmond had a horrible coach for 2 years but prior to that was excellent, and Rocco was able to get them turned around right away. Richmond is a better team, period.

[jinxy]

I was sitting in the stands thinking ive read this story several times before and i never like the ending. We have been stuck since 2009. Ill say this, none of the results will change until we upgrade both lines. We always struggle against the jmus richmonds etc in the trenches. Hopefully all these big boys gill has stock piled will develop. Im to the point where we need to put up or shut up. Im just so tired of all the hype then getting let down. Btw, their pa system is the worst ive ever heard and there may have been 250 students there. Sad that we couldnt get it done

[jcmanson]

Our photo gallery can be found here - http://www.libertyflamesnation.com/phot ... -richmond/

[LUconn]

At no point during this game did I think we would win. I'm sure deep down most of you felt the same even if you tried to put on a brave face for the prediction thread. This is just not a game that Liberty ever wins.

[BJWilliams]

Im frankly not surprised by the reaction Im seeing after this game. This is why I had much more measured (by my standards) expectations for this team. While I do share in the frustration of losing yesterday (regardless of who is on the opposing sideline), by no means am I throwing away the season and declaring that the conference has "passed us by" or anything like that. CCU beat a very bad Hampton team yesterday as expected, G-W won over a down Wofford team (who did beat Georgia Southern I will make sure to note that) in a freaking monsoon, and Charleston Southern beat a Norfolk State team that rates slightly above Hampton in terms of badness by a touchdown (VMI goes without saying).

This season right now is trending about as I expected it would. We have 8 games left, and the conference autobid is still ours for the taking so there is no reason to stand on the ledge contemplating whether to jump on this season just yet.

[LUconn]

I'm not an FCS expert, but how is top 10 Wofford "down"?

[TH Spangler]

Whoever said Gill started with a better team has to be smoking something. I also know that a lot of Liberty fans think we have "more money than God" these days, but we don't have more money than the University of Richmond...and as Rocco would point out, UR has things money can't buy, ie prestige.

I have a lot of thoughts on this topic, and I will save most of them for my column. Frustrating night, frustrating school to be a fan of for sure.

Can't wait to read your column ... !!!