[Ill flame]

JC’s reference to having the right defensive calls made in crucial situations make me hopeful that there will be a new defensive coordinator next year. On the other side of the ball, besides keeping Dickens on the mountain, IMHO, we need to have a QB that can create some big plays and not just manage the game.

I was actually thinking the opposite with the QB situation. We don't need a Malik Willis (although i'd love to have one) but just having a proper game manager QB that has minimal turnovers wouldve made a huge difference this year.

[WinterIsComing]

We lost seven games this season by 14 points or less. Let's say there is a return to the mean of close game outcomes and we win, being generous, four and lose three of those two-score games. Is an 8-4 record "good enough" with this Charmin soft schedule? No. Is that "good enough" at this university? Depends on the day. Is that "good enough" for the playoff? Nope. Now the hard questions; Is that "good enough" for this coaching staff? Is that "good enough" from this coaching staff?

Dickens goes back home to GA and transfers to Kennesaw State University I have no insight my gut says the poachers and a couple others: Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Miami, Pitt, Indiana, Colorado. All of those programs except Pitt will probably have new/new-ish QBs next year and will want the ability to establish a ground game if the passing attack falters.

[LU Armchair coach]

Why would any player like Dickens play for HCJC?

[Humble_Opinion]

Why would any player like Dickens play for HCJC?

Because LU is a run heavy offense with a proven ability to be one of the top rushing attacks in the country. I'm going to go out on a slight limb and say that if Dickens returns next year and stays healthy, he will surpass Cooley and could come close to being better than Rashad Jennings. He has some of the power and balance that Cooley had, but he's more agile and has a different gear than Cooley had. I hope LU offers him a good chance to stay. At the same time, given the choice between keeping Dickens and upgrading the OL, I'd choose the latter. We have to replace the tackle spots, and we also need a little more size on the interior. Good offensive linemen are getting harder to find. There's a reason most NFL teams draft RBs in the later rounds of the draft. While unproven (to some degree) I think LU has a bright future at RB with Fannin-Render and Coleman (assuming they both stay).

[Humble_Opinion]

I agree with you about the quarterback situation. We took a massive step backward going from high-level quarterbacks like Malik Willis and Kaidon Salter to Ethan Vasko. That’s a recruiting failure by this staff — they should have brought in a stronger quarterback option, especially knowing how critical that position is in Chadwell’s system.

After listening to Chadwell’s press conference, it does sound like staff changes are coming. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing an entirely new defensive scheme or system. At this point, they may need to replace the entire defensive staff and allow a new defensive coordinator to bring in his own assistants who fit the vision and philosophy of the new system.

We also have to be aggressive in the transfer portal and fully utilize NIL to bring in better talent. Other schools with far fewer resources are doing this successfully — there’s no reason Liberty shouldn’t be doing the same.

Personally, I think LU had one of the more talented rosters in the CUSA this year. RB (we ended the season very deep), WR (our production faltered due to QB), TE (lots of experience but under-utilized in the pass game). The main issue on Offense was QB, sprinkled in with a little bit of inconsistency at OL in pass blocking situations. Personally, I was pretty impressed by Merdinger's play last Saturday against KSU. He was a little shaky at first, but he got into a good rhythm and made some really nice throws - especially the deep shot he had to Mobley under duress. He also didn't force the ball anywhere and did a good job of utilizing his checkdowns, which Vasko struggled with all year. Defensively, we were good too. We had A LOT of depth at LB and our secondary was tops in the league. Where we lacked production was maybe the most important position group on that side of the ball... Defensive Line. We have struggled to generate any sort of pressure with our front 4 for three straight years now. If there's any position group coach that should be let go, it has to be Magee at the DL spot. In short, the most important positions that determine the overall success of a team's season are 1) QB 2) OL and 3) DL. We did poorly in 2 of the 3 and we paid the price. That's where the focus needs to be heading into the portal and offseason.