Liberty prepares for VMI’s triple option attack

Richard Anthony isn’t even on Liberty’s official football roster. Spencer Landis is a fourth-string quarterback who hasn’t played a snap this season.

Yet those two became important players at practice this week, as the Flames prepared for tonight’s game against VMI — Liberty’s home finale — and the Keydets’ triple-option offense.

Anthony, a walk-on, played Tim Maypray, the dynamic slot back/quarterback who is capable of breaking a big play at any moment. Landis was a more than reasonable facsimile of Keydets quarterback Kyle Hughes, who can tuck and run in the option or throw downfield once a defense commits to stopping the run.

The 16th-ranked Flames, winners of 14 straight Big South games, only face VMI’s unorthodox offense once a season, so any boost they can get from a well-prepared scout team helps. That’s a big reason why VMI was on the minds of the coaching staff as far back as early October. As Liberty went through its bye week, the Flames spent two days concentrating on VMI.

Liberty, traditionally a 3-4 team that plays a base Cover 2 zone defense, switches to a 4-3 defense for VMI week. The zone principles are replaced by man-to-man looks. Defenders must stick to their assignments and not stray from their assigned lanes. They must tackle well in one-on-one situations, as much of the run action happens in the open field.

“They don’t throw it very much, but when they do, there’s a lot of stress,” Liberty defensive coordinator Tom Clark said. “Because when they do, they throw it against a lot of one-on-one matchups.”

VMI ranks second in the nation in rushing offense (255.5 yards per game) but only throws for about 80 yards per game. The Keydets (2-6, 1-4 Big South) have only thrown for more than 100 yards in three games this season.

So it’s up to the cornerbacks to make sure that receivers don’t get behind them, giving Hughes easy downfield shots.

“The hardest thing with VMI is the cut blocks and basically just reading everything,” Liberty linebacker Ian Childress said. “They come out with all of the trickery and the motion and the play-action passes. There are just so many different things that go into scheming for them.”

VMI has improved defensively against the run this season, but that’s come at some cost. The Keydets are allowing 280 yards per game through the air. VMI brings its safeties up in run support, often leaving its cornerbacks exposed in one-on-one coverage.

Liberty has won the last three meetings between the schools, including a 73-34 victory in Lynchburg two years ago. LU coach Danny Rocco is plenty wary of the Keydets, who have been in every Big South game they’ve played this season until the fourth quarter.

Said Rocco: “I am confident that we’re going to get their best shot.”