[krh44]

Wow. It will make his seat warm. But not get him fired
There are 2 competing issues. On the one hand there is a new QB and some holes to fill. That would buy any coach time. On the other hand, with Coastal gone, LU should have an easier chance to make the playoffs. Even the annual WTF game won't hurt as bad because the rest of the league is down
So there are built in excuses either way

You would think that we would be able to win the auto bid with Coastal gone but we have a tendency to choke. We waited and waited for the auto bid because either our schedule wasn’t tough enough or we would lose a game we shouldn’t. The conference finally got it. Then Coastal dominated for a while then when they were down for a few years Stoney Brook comes into the conference, they leave and Coastal is back to where they were. Now CSU wins the conference. At one point I don’t think CSU offered as many scholarships as we did nor do they have near the facilities. I used to think that winning the BSC would be a given but that has not been the case.

[Purple Haize]

You can go all revisionist history if you want, but there was a palpable feeling inside of the building that the staff was in serious, serious trouble had they lost that Coastal game. That one play did turn a season that was about to be a complete disappointment into a stirring run. If they lose that game, I know of several coaches that feel like they would have paid for it with their jobs. As well as Liberty did to put itself in that position for that play to matter, it was still a hundred to one shot that you block a 24-yard field goal to win a game. It just doesn't happen.

I'm too far removed to comment on whether or not Gill's seat is hot now, but the week leading up to that Coastal game was, uh, tense.

I agree that had they lost the game things would have turned out different. But the team was is a position where that block allowed a lot of good things to happen. As opposed to several years ago when LU beat Stony Brook and it did t matter 1 bit

[Humble_Opinion]

I voted yes. I just don't see how you can bring a coach in with FBS success (at Buffalo not KU), pay him better than virtually any coach in FCS, explicitly cite the pursuit of championships as a rationale for the hire, build all of the facilities/infrastructure necessary to compete at an FBS level and then only go to the playoffs once in four years. Were I JB, I'd be getting awfully frustrated with the performance of my money sports, were the scenario mentioned above were to play out this fall.

[jinxy]

This season will go a long way toward determing whether that blocked kick pushed us forward or held us back as a program like the layer run did. It's not completely apples to apples but it is similar if we don't rebound strong. The main difference is that layer stunk the whole time other than the first year.

[Purple Haize]

That's sort of a huge difference.

[VAGolf]

I actually like the fact that JB keeps coaches slightly longer than he should. The best organizations have one thing in common, stability. Organizations with a high turnover in leadership tend to fail. What's confusing about JB is how he handles contracts. Extending Layer's contract for anything more than one year after that tournament run was ridiculous.

I guess you could blame JB for the program's current expectations but to me, having the expectation to win a championship in FCS is pretty ridiculous. As much as people like to credit luck with the blocked FG against Coastal, what had our football program accomplished up to that point?

[jinxy]

Not at all. Gill has underperformed in 3 of 4 seasons. Hence the discussion.

[Purple Haize]

Not at all. Gill has underperformed in 3 of 4 seasons. Hence the discussion.

What? He over performed his first year. The only year that really sucked and was under performed was this past season

[olldflame]

Not at all. Gill has underperformed in 3 of 4 seasons. Hence the discussion.

What? He over performed his first year. The only year that really sucked and was under performed was this past season

I'm with you on this one Purple. Rocco put all his eggs in the basket of that Senior class with Mike Brown, Chris Summers and co. his last year at LU and came up snake-eyes. Gill did well to go 6-5 in 2012 after a tough start. Prior to last year he had exactly 1 BSC loss each season, and as much as some may hate to claim it, we were in fact conference co-champions each of those years. Last year was bad, and this year needs to be better.

[Purple Haize]

Not at all. Gill has underperformed in 3 of 4 seasons. Hence the discussion.

What? He over performed his first year. The only year that really sucked and was under performed was this past season

I'm with you on this one Purple. Rocco put all his eggs in the basket of that Senior class with Mike Brown, Chris Summers and co. his last year at LU and came up snake-eyes. Gill did well to go 6-5 in 2012 after a tough start. Prior to last year he had exactly 1 BSC loss each season, and as much as some may hate to claim it, we were in fact conference co-champions each of those years. Last year was bad, and this year needs to be better.

Be careful. Being on the right side of the issues can be habit forming!!

[BJWilliams]

Im with PH on this one as well. Gill went 6-5 with a very young squad (mostly Rocco guys too) and only a couple weeks to recruit before NSD. 2013 the team improved significantly and if not for a blocked field goal by CCU, LU wins the Big South outright. 2014 is another 8 win season and of course getting the autobid plus winning our first EVER playoff game. 2015 was a disappointment and we certainly underperformed...to say that he has done that 3 of 4 seasons is at best short sighted.

[Purple Haize]

Interesting no one brings up THAT blocked FG

[olldflame]

Interesting no one brings up THAT blocked FG

That FG was not for the win. It would only have tied the game and sent it to a 3rd OT.

[Jonathan Carone]

Interesting no one brings up THAT blocked FG

Because he crapped away a game at Old Dominion that week before the would've locked up an at-large.

Or because he gave up a 10-7 lead vs Kent State in the opening week that would've gotten us an at-large as well.

And because we had given up a 42-23 lead at home on homecoming just to be put in the spot where we had to kick a 40-yard field goal just to tie the game and send it into a third overtime.

[Purple Haize]

Interesting no one brings up THAT blocked FG

That FG was not for the win. It would only have tied the game and sent it to a 3rd OT.

Where LU could have won

[olldflame]

Interesting no one brings up THAT blocked FG

Because he crapped away a game at Old Dominion that week before the would've locked up an at-large.

Or because he gave up a 10-7 lead vs Kent State in the opening week that would've gotten us an at-large as well.

And because we had given up a 42-23 lead at home on homecoming just to be put in the spot where we had to kick a 40-yard field goal just to tie the game and send it into a third overtime.

Way out of line to say "he" (as in Gill) did all those things. Nobody wants to say it, but we lost all 3 of those games when our opponents wore us down physically late in the game. I don't blame the HC for that. ODU and Kent State had more scholarship athletes than us, but one might think having the best S&C coach in the world would have at least somewhat made up for that. Coastal had the same number as us and we were at home.

[Jonathan Carone]

He's the head coach. He gets credit for the wins and takes blame for the losses when it comes to his overall record.

And, for the record, he was over the special teams which is exactly what cost us the game against ODU (punt return) and CCU (fake punt).

[olldflame]

He's the head coach. He gets credit for the wins and takes blame for the losses when it comes to his overall record.

And, for the record, he was over the special teams which is exactly what cost us the game against ODU (punt return) and CCU (fake punt).

You can ignore the elephant in the room and look for something else that will put the blame on Gill if you want to, but we lost those games late because our players were gassed and their opponents were not. It was talked about at the time, steps were taken to address it, and by all appearances we have held up better the last couple of years. Everyone denies we have sacred cows around here, but the reality seems to be otherwise.

I will wager that is the first time in the history of FF the words elephants and cows were used in the same post.

[Purple Haize]

He's the head coach. He gets credit for the wins and takes blame for the losses when it comes to his overall record.

And, for the record, he was over the special teams which is exactly what cost us the game against ODU (punt return) and CCU (fake punt).

You can ignore the elephant in the room and look for something else that will put the blame on Gill if you want to, but we lost those games late because our players were gassed and their opponents were not. It was talked about at the time, steps were taken to address it, and by all appearances we have held up better the last couple of years. Everyone denies we have sacred cows around here, but the reality seems to be otherwise.

I will wager that is the first time in the history of FF the words elephants and cows were used in the same post.

First you agree with me. Now you are wagering? Wow

[BJWilliams]

I think you are pretty spot on olldflame. At the end of the day while the HC can be held responsible for some things, sometimes its matters that, though some may find this hard to believe, he just cannot 100% control that come into play with wins and losses. HCs are not mind readers

[ballcoach15]

Only question I have about Coach Gill is "why we went to Gardner Webb last year "not ready to play" ?

As I have posted several times, we are only 2 or 3 players away in every sport. This can be fixed through recruiting. (without getting BJ stirred up), we need to recruit the good players from the area (and state) in every sport. It burns me up to see athletes from Lynchburg and surrounding areas sign with other Big South schools.

Jeff Barber is the best AD in FCS in my opinion.

[BJWilliams]

Its one thing to pursue the "good players" from the area ballcoach, but you have to ask yourself a couple questions if youre a coach (football, basketball, baseball, etc.)

1) How will this player fit within the philosophy of the coach (offensive, defensive, etc.)? To use the football example, if Im a coach and I run an uptempo, fast paced offense that requires a mobile QB who can run as well as pass, Im not exactly going to be jumping through hoops to try to sign a 6-4, 240 Lb QB who is about as mobile as Michaelangelo's David just because he happens to be from a school in my area, when there is a 6-2 200 Lb QB somewhere else who has the skill set that would match better within my offense.
2) How will this player fit within the philosophy of my institution? Its been discussed ad nauseum et infinitum (apologies to any Latin scholars on the board if that isn't exactly right) what Liberty is all about. Do we bring in questionable players in an effort to "just win baby" or do we bring in guys that match our philosophy but may not be a "D1 talent"? Or perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the middle of those two possibilities?

[olldflame]

Its one thing to pursue the "good players" from the area ballcoach, but you have to ask yourself a couple questions if youre a coach (football, basketball, baseball, etc.)

1) How will this player fit within the philosophy of the coach (offensive, defensive, etc.)? To use the football example, if Im a coach and I run an uptempo, fast paced offense that requires a mobile QB who can run as well as pass, Im not exactly going to be jumping through hoops to try to sign a 6-4, 240 Lb QB who is about as mobile as Michaelangelo's David just because he happens to be from a school in my area, when there is a 6-2 200 Lb QB somewhere else who has the skill set that would match better within my offense.
2) How will this player fit within the philosophy of my institution? Its been discussed ad nauseum et infinitum (apologies to any Latin scholars on the board if that isn't exactly right) what Liberty is all about. Do we bring in questionable players in an effort to "just win baby" or do we bring in guys that match our philosophy but may not be a "D1 talent"? Or perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the middle of those two possibilities?

The answer is you do your best to get players who have talent AND fit. There is no middle ground IMHO on recruiting players who are "questionable" as to behavior and/or character. If a kid has a history, but appears to have gotten his act together, maybe you do some careful due diligence, and if everything seems to check out, you give him a chance. If not, you red light him and move on. Once that hurdle has been cleared, you look at overall talent and specific skills to determine if the recruit can play for us. If all of that is equal maybe you give preference to a local player.

I get tired of the whining over a player or 2 from Virginia we pass over (or who passed US over) and they end up doing well elsewhere. Good for them. It doesn't mean they would have succeeded on and off the field/court at LU. The nature of the school pretty much demands we recruit on a more regional/national level than other schools in our conference and our profile and resources make it possible. Get used to it.

[Purple Haize]

I've been one of the staunchest advocates of recruiting VA players. Whether there are more local players on the roster or not my perception is there are and the effort to do so is there. I have no complaints in that area

[olldflame]

I've been one of the staunchest advocates of recruiting VA players. Whether there are more local players on the roster or not my perception is there are and the effort to do so is there. I have no complaints in that area

In the 2 sports I follow most closely, I would say McKay definitely seems to be working VA harder than Layer did, while Gill seems to be recruiting more nationally than Rocco did. I think both current coaches seem to be more selective in who they recruit when it comes to being a Liberty fit. Baseball is skewed by the large number of JUCO players Toman brings in, but it seems he has been focusing more on VA HS players in upcoming classes, with some nice early commits.