Todd Macon is available for Saturday’s game
Injury report
Wide receiver Dante Shells remains out, but Jimmy O’Grady and Todd Macon are upgraded. O’Grady is updated to probable while Macon is available, both have been out since the Indiana State game. O’Grady will slot back in as Nick Sigmon’s backup at the Mike linebacker spot while Macon could get some carries behind D.J. Abnar.
Ray suspended
Liberty center Greg Ray has been suspended for the Charleston Southern game following his ejection from the Monmouth game late in the 4th quarter. Coach Gill said it was a decision with multiple parties involved in making from the Big South to the Athletic Director to himself. Ray apparently kicked a Monmouth player while on the ground. Either Grant Jones or Ethan Callison will get the start in Ray’s absence.
Senior Day
Saturday’s game against Charleston Southern marks Liberty’s Senior Day. Prior to the game, 17 seniors will be honored: Shane Blanchard, Dylan Bowman, Dominique Davis, Jaquan Glover, Jacob Hagen, Mitch Hanson, Gabe Henderson, Dexter Herman, Andrew Jauch, Dylan Lewellyn, Garret Long, Toby Onyechi, Bobby Partilla, Greg Ray, D’Ante Shaw, Nick Sigmon, and Joshua Yoda. The Flames have won 8 consecutive Senior Day games.
Gill 9-0 in November
Head Coach Turner Gill is 9-0 in the month of November during his 2+ seasons at Liberty. If he improves that mark to 11-0, the Flames will advance to the FCS playoffs for the first time in school history. Here’s a look at those 9 wins:
11/3/12: Liberty 26, Charleston Southern 12
11/10/12: Liberty 28, #6 Stony Brook 14
11/17/12: Liberty 33, VMI 14
11/2/13: Liberty 17, VMI 7
11/9/13: Liberty 35, Presbyterian 14
11/16/13: Liberty 59, Brevard 21
11/23/13: Liberty 56, #16 Charleston Southern 14
11/1/14: Liberty 28, Presbyterian 7
11/8/14: Liberty 34, Monmouth 24
Liberty’s defense stepped up in the 4th Q against Monmouth
Get off to a fast start
We highlighted this last week, but it’s even more important against Charleston Southern. The Flames are 6-0 in games they score on their first possession while the Buccaneers are 7-0 in games they score first. So, the game could be decided in the opening minutes of play. It makes sense for CSU to be better when playing ahead as they are such a strong run team. If they get behind, they generally have a difficult time catching up due to their lack of a strong passing attack.
GPI update
Liberty continues to creep up the GPI rankings as they check in at #19 this week, up from #20 last week. The Flames’ final 2 regular season games are against #4 Coastal and #38 Charleston Southern. Here’s where the rest of the Flames’ opponents rank:
- #4 Coastal Carolina
- #12 Indiana State
- #18 Richmond
- #22 Bryant
- #38 Charleston Southern
- #48 Presbyterian
- #66 Monmouth
- #83 Gardner-Webb
- #95 Norfolk State
Men’s hoops gets started this week
Coach Layer and the men’s basketball team tip off the 2014-15 season Friday night as they host Randolph College. The Flames also host Delaware Monday before travelling to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech on Wednesday. Liberty has a team with several new faces, but 3 returning starters in point guard Joe Retic and forwards Tomasz Gielo and Drew Smith. Freshman Peter Moller and San Diego State transfer James Johnson will round out the starting lineup for opening night. While there’s several new faces, Liberty is not young. 6 of the Flames’ rotational players are upperclassmen.
Homesley signs
Coach Layer announced the signing of Caleb Homesley who committed to the Flames following his visit to Lynchburg in September. Homesley is a 6’4″ guard from Indian Trail, North Carolina which is just outside Charlotte. He averaged nearly 20 points and 4 assists per game during his junior season.
Two Podcast episodes this week
We had two episodes of the FlamesNation podcast this week, so be sure to check out each one. The first, was football-focused with quarterback Josh Woodrum and running back D.J. Abnar on as our special guests. The second, was our men’s basketball 2014-15 season preview. We discussed the starting lineup, key rotation pieces, the schedule, and Dale Layer’s job status.
Baseball schedule update
We have been able to track down the majority of Liberty’s 2015 baseball schedule from other teams who have already released their schedule. The schedule is highlighted by games against North Carolina, Georgia Tech, 2 against Maryland, 2 against Duke, 2 against Virginia, and a 3 game home stand against Penn State.
Other sports update
Your weekly non-football Fall sports update:
- The men’s soccer team concluded their season in the first round of the Big South Tournament, losing to #4 Winthrop, 4-1. The Flames finished the season 11-6-1 overall and 6-3 in conference play.
- The women’s soccer team advanced to the Big South Championship game following wins over #8 Radford and #4 Campbell. The Lady Flames faced #3 High Point in the championship game. LU lost 5-4 on penalty kicks. Liberty finishes the season 14-4-2 overall, 8-1-1 in conference play, and won the regular season conference championship.
- The women’s volleyball team has lost their last 3 matches after previously winning 13 straight. The losses all came on the road at the hands of Radford, High Point, and Campbell. The Lady Flames are now 22-8 on the season and 9-3 in conference play. Liberty concludes their regular season this weekend with home matches against UNC-Asheville and Gardner-Webb.
- The women’s field hockey team won the NorPac conference championship, defeating Stanford in the championship. The Lady Flames advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Richmond in the opening round. Liberty advances to face #1 North Carolina on Saturday. It will be a rematch from the October 19th match played at Liberty where UNC won 4-0.
FlameFans thread of the week
This week’s FlameFans thread of the week is Congratulations Liberty Field Hockey. Join the discussion on the terrific performance by the Liberty Field Hockey as they are still playing in the NCAA Tournament.
