LU’s ground game stalls

Inadvertently, Rashad Jennings has made life extremely difficult on Liberty’s two young tailbacks. Every game film opponents study of Liberty from last season features Jennings blowing through the front line and rushing for 100-plus yards nearly every single game.

The defensive schemes Liberty has faced early on this season have reflected what opponents have seen on film. Teams are stacking the box to make sure the Flames can’t get into a rhythm with the bread and butter of their offense — the power run game.

“Other teams are just filling holes and gaps and getting us jammed up real quick,” freshman Aldreakis Allen said.

“Our offensive line is getting good push, but teams are shooting gaps real quick. Everyone has been game planning against our run game.”

That defensive pressure is reflected in the results. Through four games, no Liberty tailback has 200 rushing yards, and no tailback is averaging at least 50 yards per game on the ground. B.J. Hayes leads the Flames with 189 rush yards, one more than quarterback/receiver Mike Brown. Allen, the most physical of the tailbacks thus far, has rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown in four games.

Liberty’s failure to establish a consistent ground game cost the Flames on Saturday against James Madison in a 24-10 loss. And finding a way to get Hayes and Allen on track will be a major emphasis as Liberty prepares to host Division II West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday at Williams Stadium.

“We’re going to run the ball here this week,” Liberty coach Danny Rocco said. “We’re going to run the ball out of the ‘I’ more this week, and hopefully we’ll be able to see some evidence on film that we are able to move the ball with more consistency.

“But we’re not in panic mode right now.”

For the better part of the last decade, Liberty has been stacked at the tailback position, whether it be Dre Barnes, Eugene Goodman, Jennings, Zach Terrell or Sam Gado. But the Flames are young at tailback this season. Allen is less than a year removed from playing high school football in Georgia. Hayes was a receiver in the spring before moving back to tailback.

Hayes’ strength is his pure speed, so Rocco would prefer to get him out on the perimeter where he has a chance to use his moves to shake defenders and get past the first level of the defense, because when that happens, he’s tough to chase down.

Allen is more of a traditional power back, but as Liberty running backs coach Pete Sundheim notes, Allen is still young, as is another back Liberty will give an extended look to this week — SirChauncey Holloway.

“We’re going to be fine,” Sundheim said. “We’re going to be good. We’re going to get it going. I have a lot of confidence in them.”

Rocco noted that the Flames haven’t displayed the patience this season at times to stick with the run game when it wasn’t working.

Part of that is the inexperience. Another is that Liberty’s short passing game has been an effective substitute for the run game at times. Plus, Brown has been able to get going at times running out of direct-snap formations.

If Holloway can develop, giving the Flames a one-two punch of young backs who can consistently take physical punishment, Hayes might be moved into the slot, where he can catch short passes and use his quickness to make defenders miss.

“He’s capable of playing either,” Rocco said. “But I think playing on the perimeter as a receiver, he wouldn’t be dealing with the durability issues that he deals with at tailback. At tailback, he can be very good. But I don’t know if he can be the guy to carry the ball 22, 28, 30 times in a game.

“So in an attempt to keep him healthy and keep all of our weapons active and on the field, we have been kind of moving him around a little bit.”