This week the Flames head off to take on the University of Richmond Spiders. Liberty’s defense, currently allowing only 138.3 passing yards a game, will be handed the difficult task of limiting highly motivated Spiders quarterback Michael Strauss.
Spiders’ QB Michael Strauss is playing for his life (photo courtesy of timesdispatch.com)
Strauss saw his first NCAA playing time last season with Richmond, after transferring from the University of Virginia. He started the season as a backup, before starting the last 4 games of the season in place of injured starter John Laub. Strauss led the Spiders to wins in all 4 of those games, putting up big numbers against James Madison in his first start: 27-of-43 for 271 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 35-29 win.
The spotlight is on Strauss, but it could just as easily be pointed at the presence of another Spider quarterback, pushing Strauss to convince his coach that he deserves to start next year too.
Lynchburg’s own Michael Rocco has followed Strauss from UVA to Richmond, and is sitting out this year only because the NCAA denied his appeal for an eligibility waiver. Richmond coach Danny Rocco, Michael’s uncle, has been recruiting his nephew since he was playing at Liberty Christian Academy. Add Michael Rocco’s record-breaking play at UVA (no. 8 all time in passing yards) to the mix, and it is obvious that the future is uncertain for Strauss.
That uncertainty will play a factor this Saturday, as Strauss is playing with the belief that he still has a shot at starting in 2014. Strauss says of Rocco’s transfer, “[Coach Rocco] came to me and told me this was a possibility, not because of anything I’ve done or a lack of confidence in me. It was more of they just wanted to bring in another guy with experience at the position” (thecollegianur.com).
Clearly, Liberty’s defense will have their hands full as they try to stop the 20th ranked Spiders and their quarterback, who is playing for his life in Richmond’s tale of two transfers.
A glance at the 6’3″, 210 lb. redshirt junior’s stats through the first three games of this season reveal a prolific passer. He is averaging 290 passing yards per game, with 6 touchdowns. But the most eye-popping stat, to me, is the fact that Strauss has been picked off just once against more than 44 pass attempts per game.
