woodrumJosh Woodrum OUT
Coach Gill announced Thursday after practice that Josh Woodrum will be out for the regular season finale against #1 Coastal Carolina. It’s a huge blow for the Flames. An injury that could end up costing Liberty it’s first ever playoff berth. Stephon Masha, who started in place of Woodrum against Charleston Southern, gets the nod again. Masha finished the CSU game 21/32 passing for 238 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He also added 99 rushing  yards on 10 carries. Masha did settle down as the game progressed though, in the final 3 quarters he was 19/28 passing for 228 yards 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. With a full week to prepare, he should be ready to go against the Chanticleers.

#beatCoastal week
There’s not much else to say here about the game, we’ve covered it pretty in depth all week. If you’ve missed anything, or simply want to re-read everything, just click on the Football tab.

Uniform combo
Last regular season game and the Flames go with the red helmets, white jerseys, and red pants.

Flames pick up commitment from DE
Liberty picked up its 4th commitment of the season from defensive end Juwan Wells. Wells is a 6’3″, 250 pound prospect from Dublin High in Dublin, Georgia. He also had offers from Old Dominion, Troy, and South Alabama. The coaching staff seemed pumped with his verbal.

Men’s hoops update
Liberty basketball kicked off their 2014-15 season this week with wins over Randolph and Delaware and a close loss to Virginia Tech. The Flames 2-0 start was the first for the program since the 1999-2000 season. Coach Layer is trying to figure out what he has in all his new pieces, as he’s played 11-13 guys each night. Early returns on David Andoh, the JUCO transfer from Merritt College, have been impressive. Liberty is still looking for consistent guard play early in the season. The team heads to Ohio to face Miami Ohio on Saturday at 3:30. Following the trip to Ohio, the Flames head to Cancun where they face North Florida on Tuesday, and either Elon or Morgan State on Wednesday. All 3 of these games should be winnable. Is it just me, or is this team fun to watch so far this year? gielo2

3 Basketball signees
The early signing period closed on Wednesday with the Flames signing 3 early in Caleb Homesley, Robin Jorch, and Jakub Karwowski. Homesley is a 6’4″ guard from just outside of Charlotte who had offers from Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb, High Point, and UNC Greensboro. Jorch is a 6’9″ forward from Germany and Karwowski is a 6’11” forward from Poland. The Flames still have one open scholarship for 2015-16 which could be used in the spring signing period. Be sure to check our basketball scholarship grid if you’re ever wondering what the roster makeup looks like for this year and the next several years.

Baseball schedule released
Liberty’s 2015 baseball schedule was officially released earlier this week. It’s a good looking schedule which features games against Georgia Tech, a 4 game series with Bryant, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Duke, Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland. The season opens February 13th against Kennesaw State. The Flames open conference play March 20-22 with a series at Radford, and the regular season finishes at home May 14-16 against High Point.

Other sports update
Your weekly non-football sports update:

  • The women’s volleyball team split their final regular season matches beating Gardner-Webb and falling to UNC Asheville. The Lady Flames are 23-9 overall and 10-4 in conference play. Conference tournament action began Thursday night, and the Flames were knocked off by #6 High Point. A disappointing ending to a once promising season.
  • The women’s field hockey team lost to #1 North Carolina, 2-1, on Saturday. The Lady Flames finish their season with a mark of 14-8 and 4-0 in conference play. Congrats on a great season ladies!
  • The women’s basketball team opened their season with a loss to Charlotte, but the Lady Flames bounced back with a win over VCU on Tuesday. LU host Saint Joseph’s on Saturday at 2pm in the Vines Center.

FlameFans thread of the week
Can I say the entire Football forum? The place has been on fire this week. Picking just one thread though, I’ll go with Why we will BEAT COASTAL – 2014 BSC Championship Edition.