Liberty football has come a long, long way in the past decade. Facilities have been built, upgraded, and built again to the point where the athletic portion of the campus in Lynchburg no longer resembles that of an FCS program. The results on the field have turned around as well. The latter years of the Rutigliano era saw a downward trend for the program, and Ken Karcher ushered the Flames into a perennial FCS bottom dweller. However, since Danny Rocco stepped onto campus in 2006, the Liberty Flames have been ascending to where they are today. The team has become a fairly regular Top 25 FCS program, and broke through last season with their first playoff appearance and win.
This week #14 Liberty can make an announcement to the FCS world, and prove that they are among the elite at this level of football. Most Liberty fans probably consider their team to be elite already, and they could be right. However, this is the week to make it somewhat official. Montana is coming into Williams Stadium this Saturday night, and it’s time to prove it to the world. Yes, Liberty has played and beaten higher ranked opponents. Last season’s upset over #1 Coastal, followed by the playoff win over James Madison immediately come to mind. Despite that, the #7 Montana Grizzlies bring a pedigree and reputation that perhaps no other FCS program can match.
The Flames welcome Montana into Williams Stadium for the first time on Saturday.
So here we are in Week 3, and Liberty sits exactly where almost anyone would have imagined, 1-1 with a loss to a very strong Big 12 school. If the Flames want to be considered what most of their fan base believes they are, the team must beat the #7 team in the nation at home on Saturday night. It’s as simple as that. This isn’t a make it or break it conference match up like we are all anticipating seeing in November against Coastal. Liberty can lose this game, perform well for the bulk of the season, make the playoffs, and everyone will consider 2015 a success.
We want more than that though, right? We want to be talked about as one of the great programs. After being spurned over, and over again by FBS conferences for less prepared programs, this team, this fan base, and this university are craving a show of dominance. The Flames have a chance to do that Saturday against Montana. Week 3 is a chance to do something special, to announce Liberty’s arrival as a National Championship contender. If Coach Gill’s team does its job, it is going to be a beautiful night in Williams Stadium.
Good read. Actually the Griz have 22 playoff appearances, seven national title game appearances and won two championships. Looking forward to watching (if possible) the Liberty game. Us knowledgeable Griz fans know about the Flames offense. Good QB, two good running backs, great reciever and solid kicker (except for the last game.) It sounds like the Flames secondary is a bit weak. If that’s true, our receivers will put up yards. Should be a great game, no matter what happens.