Flames notes

By Chris Lang
Sports writer
Published: October 7, 2008

The number that raised the most eyebrows on the stat sheet after Liberty beat Coastal Carolina 43-38 Saturday night was 534.

As in, the Chanticleers outgained the Flames 534-531. Liberty defensive coordinator Tom Clark said he can live with that, especially considering Liberty won the game to improve to 5-0. But after the game, LU coach Danny Rocco acknowledged that the defense needed to be addressed and that changes in scheme and personnel would be made as necessary.

Tuesday, Rocco announced those changes, though most of them will be barely noticeable to fans. Liberty has made some positional changes in its nickel package to try to help the defense get off the field on third down.

Ryan Greiser, who had been playing the “money” position, a hybrid linebacker-safety, will slip back to safety, where Chuck Duffey had been playing. Linebacker Ian Childress will then play in the “money” spot.

“So we’re going to do a little shuffling there, and we’re going to do a little shuffling in our nickel pass rush group,” Rocco said. “We are set up so that we’re rotating a lot of guys. As we got set up, we had some confusion out there.”

Clark noted the Flames need to do a better job of rotating on the defensive line in general. LU got caught in a tough spot Saturday, as the defense was on the field for 29 of 30 plays at one point thanks to having a Liberty scoring drive sandwiched by two long Coastal scoring drives.

“The play count was a concern,” Clark said. “Sometimes that gets out of your control. We’ve got to do little more rotating early, because that happens. You’ve got to have fresh kids, and they’ve got to be ready to go in those situations.”

The defensive numbers are skewed, too, because against Youngstown State, Liberty led by two scores in the fourth quarter, and at Coastal, the Flames led by three scores in the third quarter.

In both cases, the opponent abandoned the run, and Liberty was willing to give up short and mid-range passes to keep from allowing big, quick-strike plays.

Jennings’ play resonates

Both Rocco and Liberty athletics director Jeff Barber have received numerous phone calls and e-mails commending LU running back Rashad Jennings’ smart play at the end of the Coastal game.

With the Flames up 43-38 and needing just a first down to run the clock out and secure the victory, Jennings broke through the Coastal line on a third and short and raced to the Chanticleer 2. Instead of scoring, he dropped to a knee, and the Flames were able to take a knee twice and run the remaining time off the clock.

If Jennings would have scored, Liberty would have led by two scores, but its weary defense would have to take the field again to stop a Coastal team that shredded LU’s pass defense in the fourth quarter. Coastal nearly recovered an on-side kick after scoring to cut the lead to 43-38, so there was no guarantee the Flames would get the ball back.

“It showed great intelligence,” Rocco said. “It was the right thing to do from a tactical standpoint.”

Terrell out, Hayes in

Liberty A-back Zach Terrell will miss the next three to five weeks with a strained MCL in his left knee, Rocco said.

Terrell’s responsibilities will be split among three players. Danny Broggin will handle the duties when the Flames need a second back in two-back sets. B.J. Hayes, who scored on a 66-yard TD run at Coastal Carolina, will take on Terrell’s receiving duties. On the few plays where Terrell lined up at quarterback, Mike Brown will take his place.

Rocco said he hopes Terrell will be ready for the season’s final four games.

“It’s a non-surgical injury,” Rocco said. “I do think he’ll be a major factor down the stretch, and that’s when you usually need these guys, down the stretch.”

Terrell is the Big South’s sixth leading rusher with 281 yards on 52 carries. He’s scored three touchdowns this year and ranks third on the league’s all-time list with 29 rushing TDs.