Buckshot Calvert started 43 straight games at quarterback for Liberty, and he re-wrote the record book for career, single season, and single game passing marks. For all the great things Buckshot accomplished, there was one area that he did not excel at – running the ball.
During his career, Calvert had -472 rushing yards. Yes, that’s a negative 472.
He could make every throw on the field, but extending plays and picking up yards with his feet was not his forte.
Enter Malik Willis, Liberty’s new starting quarterback.
Willis, in many ways, is the exact opposite of Buckshot. He can be very explosive on the ground, but questions remain about his passing accuracy.
“We won’t change our offense,” Freeze said about having an entirely different type of player at quarterback. “We’re a tempo, RPO offense. We’ve got to find out if (Willis) can do those things. We will go into the game trying to be who we’ve always been and that is a tempo, RPO type offense that will look very similar. We do have the option to run him, whereas last year with Buckshot, that just wasn’t his deal at all, but he sure could throw it. We will find out, but we will go in trying to be who we want to be.”
Liberty hasn’t had a quarterback who could affect them game with their legs since Mike Brown was under center in 2011. Against a talented defense like Liberty will face Saturday at Western Kentucky, having a quarterback with the ability to keep plays could be critical.
“We will have a full package of quarterback-run game,” Liberty QB Coach Kent Austin said. “It doesn’t mean that all of it will get called obviously. The play calling will be determined on the complexion of the game that is playing out in front of us and what the defense is doing, but certainly we need to use Malik’s athletic ability in the run game. It’s an extra weapon and it helps us play 11 on 11 football when he’s running the football.”
The Flames’ coaching staff has also been working with Willis to ensure he values the football and does not make costly mistakes which could negatively affect the team.
“You don’t want to hinder Malik’s big play ability and his ability to just change the game athletically,” said Austin. “At the same time, when Malik is moving and then tries to reestablish his feet to deliver the throw is where he has gotten in trouble because he’s never been taught how to move and to reestablish a quick base. When he misses, he misses high. We’ve worked really hard at correcting that. He’s gotten a lot better at that so it doesn’t hinder his play-making ability, but when he tries to buy time and find a receiver, he still needs to fundamentally make sure he is in a position to make that throw more times than not.”
A new era at quarterback for Liberty football begins Saturday. The Flames’ faithful are cautiously optimistic it could be a special ride behind Willis.
“He brings the ability to make big plays with his feet, his athleticism,” said Austin. “He’s a dangerous player.”
