Sorry there weren’t any News & Notes last week, but we’re back this week with everything you may have missed with the start of football season. 

Coastal officially joins the Sun Belt
We hit on this through various platforms including twitter, periscope and a Heat post, but the Chanticleers have formally accepted an invitation to the Sun Belt. Coastal will begin the transition following the conclusion of the 2015-16 athletic year meaning they will be eligible for conference championships and the FCS playoffs this season. It will be interesting to watch how this plays out with the Big South as a whole and Liberty going forward. 

Coastal #1 in Coaches’ Poll
Speaking of the Chanticleers, following their 3-point win over Furman (who was 3-9 a season ago) CCU has jumped from #5 to #1 in the Coaches’ Poll this week. Liberty moved up from #14 to #13 in the poll while next week’s opponent Montana jumped to #8 following their win over North Dakota State and loss to Cal Poly. 

Opponents update
The Flames have one of their toughest nonconference schedules in recent memory, arguably the toughest in program history. Here’s a quick update on how the Flames’ 2015 foes are faring:

  • Montana has had 2 nail biters decided in the final seconds. First, the Grizz defeated 4-time defending champ North Dakota State, 38-35, before falling to Cal Poly, 20-19, on a last second field goal. Montana is off this week before making the trek to Lynchburg next weekend.
  • The Flames face Southern Illinois on September 26th in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis nearly pulled off an upset over Power 5 opponent Indiana in their opener, falling 48-47. This week, SIU faces Southeast Missouri State. The Salukis have a bye on September 19th before facing Liberty on the 26th.
  • Georgia State opened their season last Friday, falling to FBS newcomer Charlotte, 23-20. The Panthers trailed 23-6 at the beginning of the 4th quarter before scoring a couple of touchdowns late. Georgia State opens Sun Belt play this weekend, travelling to New Mexico State. On the 19th, the Panthers face Oregon. GSU has a bye on the 26th before hosting the Flames on October 3rd. 

Football commits update
QB commit Rud Yearick had an impressive outing last week. He was 13/16 passing for 202 yards, 4 touchdowns, and he also added 54 rushing yards and another score. DB commit Jimmy Faulks finished with 9 tackles & a pick 6. In his previous game, Fauls recorded 7 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Brandon Tillmon, who will play safety for the Flames, threw for 116 yards and 1 touchdown and added 49 rushing yards in his last game. QB commit Stephen Calvert was 21/29 passing for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns leading Carol City to a win last week. 

Check us out on periscope
We’re also giving Periscope a run during football season this year, so be sure to follow us! We will attempt to do a Q&A session weekly, and we will also use periscope to enhance our game day coverage for all of the Flames’ home games. 

Flames in the NFL update
Walt Aikens & Rashad Jennings are listed as starters for their respective teams’ opening games this weekend. They are currently the only 2 former Flames on NFL rosters as Kevin Fogg, Mike Brown, Jacob Hagen, and Dominique Davis were all cut. 

chimaChima named Big South Defensive Player of the Week
Liberty defensive lineman Chima Uzowihe was named Big South Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against Delaware State. He finished the game with 2.5 sacks.

Injury update
Head coach Turner Gill says Kendall Couamin is out for Saturday’s game against West Virginia. No timetable was given for his return. Couamin was injured in the first half of the Delaware State game and immediately grabbed his left knee when he went down. Defensive lineman Nolan Spicer is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Darrin Peterson will be active and ready to go despite reportedly being carted off the field in the 4th quarter Saturday night.

True freshman participation
Four true freshmen saw playing time in the opener against Delaware State – CB Jeremy Peters, S Cameron Jones, DL Juwan Wells, and DL Will Brown. Due to the status of Nolan Spicer (listed as day-to-day), Brown is listed as a starter at DT this week following his 2 tackle performance in his debut. Cameron Jones added 1 tackle while Juwan Wells had 1 tackle and 1 QB hurry. Peters saw most of his playing time on special teams. Coach Gill mentioned 2 other true freshman during training camp that he expects to play that haven’t seen action yet – OL Dontae Duff and WR Damian King.

Other Sports update
Your weekly non-football Fall sports update:

  • The men’s soccer team has opened the season with a mark of 1-3. The Flames beat Bluefield before dropping 3 straight to William & Mary, NC State, and Marshall. LU hosts VMI Saturday afternoon.
  • The women’s soccer team has opened the season with a 1-4-1 record. The Lady Flames return to action Sunday in Lynchburg against VCU.
  • The women’s field hockey team is 4-0 this season with wins over JMU, Penn, Lafayette, and Richmond. The Lady Flames face Ohio this afternoon and #11 Louisville on Sunday.
  • The women’s volleyball team is 4-2 this season and is in Boone, North Carolina this weekend for the Appalachian State Invitational. The Lady Flames will face Charlotte, App State, and Missouri.

FlameFans thread of the week
Liberty has decided to cut its scholarship programs to local Christian schools and it has created a firestorm Read about in this week’s FlameFans thread of the week, Liberty cutting scholarships to LCA and other local schools.