LIBERTY REPORT: Liberty-Charleston Southern game blog

Welcome from Williams Stadium, where the sun is desperately trying to make an appearance.

First, some personnel notes:

* Punter Mike Larsson is dressed and warming up, but LU coach Danny Rocco said Thursday that Larsson wasn’t ready, going as far as to say Larsson looked horrible in Thursday’s practice. My best guess: Matt Bevins continues to punt and Ben Shipps continues to handle kickoffs.

* LU special teams coach Chad Wilt is on the field, which is good since’s he’s lighter one appendix after surgery this week. No word if the Flames’ special teams play last week sent Wilt to the emergency room. (I keed, I keed).

* The Flames are wearing red jerseys and white pants for homecoming today.

* Linebacker Ian Childress is dressed and warming up. He missed every practice this week with a knee injury. Defensive end Trey Jacobs, who missed most of the week with an ankle injury, is dressed as well.

* As expected, safety Ryan Greiser isn’t dressed and won’t play today.

* Update from Charleston Southern SID Blake Freeland—Tailback DeMarcus Moon is out with a leg injury. He was listed No. 1 on the Bucs’ depth chart. Antwan Ivey and T.J. Lattimore will split carries. Also, receiver Dee Brown (ankle), who has been out since Week 2 against Wofford, won’t play today.

Now on to some random musings:

1. Some interesting games going on around the country in FCS, if you’re a Liberty fan. And I assume if you’re reading this blog, you are probably one. (Apologies to any Charleston Southern fans who may be reading. I like y’all too.) Western Carolina leads Georgia Southern 24-0 at halftime. If the Catamounts hold on, it would be a huge boost to Liberty’s out of conference schedule. Georgia Southern has lost by a combined four points to Wofford, Elon and Appalachian State. Also, Lafayette, which beat Liberty last week, is handling Fordham 28-6 at the break.

2. I was talking to local media maven and ace William Campbell stat keeper Bob Alvis the other day about the Flames’ out of conference schedule this season. (Quick plug, check out Alvis’ podcasts here.) We came to the conclusion that Liberty’s recent string of success will make the Flames a more appealing non-conference opponent for teams from the FCS power conferences, like the Missouri Valley, CAA and Southern. Some series I’d love to see LU try to start up:

* Hampton. The Pirates are nearly always near the top of the MEAC standings, and both teams recruit the state well.

* Delaware. The Blue Hens don’t have a lot of openings on their schedule, especially as long as they continue their yearly series with DII West Chester. Good intersectional matchup.

* Wofford or Furman. Liberty is trying to recruit South Carolina, and a game against either of these SoCon powers would benefit those efforts, plus beef up the non-league schedule.

* Hawaii. Because I’m selfish and want a trip to Honolulu on the company dime. No really.

* Texas State/Stephen F. Austin/Sam Houston State. All of these teams struggle to get DI non-conference games, and a home-and-home with one of the schools would get Liberty’s foot in the door in Texas in terms of recruiting.

3. Hoops anyone? I finally had a chance to get out to men’s basketball practice Friday. My first impressions:

3a. Jesse Sanders is well built for a true freshman, which means he’ll be able to mix in with bigger players for rebounds. He seems to practice with a ton of confidence and will be a factor right away.

3b. Seth Curry can shoot. “Well, he is a Curry,“ Liberty coach Ritchie McKay noted. True.

3c. Brolin Floyd can fly. Very athletic wing who can use a little more bulk. That will come. The athleticism will allow him to develop very quickly.

3d. Tyler Baker is practicing. Baker’s really had a tough time of it injury-wise ever since he stepped on campus. The dynamic between Baker and McKay is interesting. McKay was at New Mexico when Baker was in high school in Albuquerque, and McKay didn’t recruit Baker very hard. Instead, Randy Dunton brought him to Liberty. Now Baker could end up being one of McKay’s biggest contributors this year, as long as he stays healthy. The team is taking steps to ensure Baker’s health, giving him some days off during the week to rest his feet.

3e. Because Liberty had a volleyball match scheduled against Coastal Carolina, Vines Center workers were busy putting the nets up for the match. Anthony Smith, Floyd, assistant coach Brad Soucie and strength and conditioning coach E.L. Estes broke into an impromptu game of 2-on-2 volleyball. Floyd and Smith can jump, no doubt. They could use some help with their ball-handling, though.

That’s it for now. Have any questions? Shoot me a line at and I’ll try to answer.

UPDATE: Liberty 14, Charleston Southern 0 (end of first quarter)

* Solid start for the Flames, who got a critical third-down stop on CSU’s first possession. They scored on their first possession, with Brock Smith hitting Jonathan Crawford for a 69-yard touchdown. Then, after a blocked punt, LU scored on a 25-yard double reverse run by Dominic Bolden.

* Ian Childress got the start at linebacker but moved over to the weak side, switching with Pat Bannon. The two reversed roles later on, with Childress going back to his strongside spot. Trey Jacobs started at defensive end and recorded an early sack.

* Charleston Southern looks lost on offense. The Bucs have little to speak of in terms of a run game, and Liberty is keying in on stopping the short pass.

* At one point, Charleston Southern was called for four straight penalties, turning a 2nd-and-5 to a 2nd-and-25. Oops.

* Liberty has one interception, by Chris Rocco, and Larry Claiborne should have had another one, but he dropped it. The Flames are doing a solid job defensively keying in on the pass. CSU is just too one-dimensional to do much damage here.

UPDATE: Liberty 35, Charleston Southern 0 (halftime)

* I’m not sure if Liberty is playing THIS well or if CSU just didn’t show up at all. CSU has done nothing defensively. Rashad Jennings is running through monster holes and Dominic Bolden and Jonathan Crawford are doing pretty much whatever they please. Liberty punched the Bucs in the mouth early and Charleston Southern never recovered.

* Georgia Southern scored 35 unanswered points and stunned Western Carolina 38-31 in overtime. Wow.

* For whatever reason, the stadium folks stopped playing that third-down music. Hmm.

* Liberty has now recorded six straight shutout quarters against Big South teams.

* I get the sneaky feeling that Rocco won’t take the foot off the gas today. The Flames need to make a statement today.

UPDATE, Liberty 35, Charleston Southern 0 (3rd quarter)

* Announced attendance: 14,563. I declare shenanigans. If there are 14,563 people here, 3,500 of them are dressed like aluminum bleachers.