Liberty football notes

By Chris Lang
Sports writer
Published: August 30, 2008

Asa Chapman, Liberty’s nearly 400-pound freshman nose guard, certainly made his presence felt Saturday night in the Flames’ 49-10 season-opening victory over North Greenville.
Though he only had two tackles, he was in the Crusaders offensive backfield often, pressuring NGU quarterback Richard Harb four times. Saturday’s showing was a sign of things to come for the talented Chapman, who came to Liberty after failing to qualify academically at Virginia and West Virginia.
He spent one season at Fork Union Military Academy, where he had 94 tackles and nine sacks.
“This kid has the ability to do some very rare things,” Flames coach Danny Rocco said. “There is a learning curve, though. There is a lot of work to be done in terms of his technique.
“He’s been able to get away with so many things in the past just because he’s been able to overwhelm people with his physical size. That’s not quite happening right now. He’s going against Mike Godsil. It’s a little different than going against the guys at Fork Union or in high school.”
Chapman’s arrival provided LU’s equipment staff with some logistical problems. Liberty didn’t have pants or a helmet in his size, and the school had to order extra large knee braces to accommodate Chapman’s thick legs.
Godsil, Liberty’s starting center, said he’s been impressed with what he’s seen of Chapman so far.
“He’s a big boy, and moving 400 pounds isn’t the most fun thing to do,” Godsil said. “He has a ways to go, in terms of learning the defense. But he’s going to be good.”
Weaver bides time
In 2006, Josh Weaver was set to start at right tackle for Liberty as a redshirt freshman. Then Eddie Pinigis had a falling out with the Virginia coaching staff and transferred to Liberty, and Weaver was out of a job. Pinigis started at right tackle for most of the last two seasons.
The time as Pinigis’ understudy has proven valuable for Weaver, though. The starting right tackle this season for Liberty, Weaver was solid in Saturday’s season opener, as the Flames rolled up 241 yards on the ground.
“Josh has been flirting with being a full-time player here for a couple of years,” Rocco said. “It’s probably worked out best for everybody. It worked out best for Eddie. It worked out best for us. It worked out best for Josh because Josh is now ready. He’s had a really, really good summer.”
Patriots no more
Former Flames Vince Redd and Stephen Sene lasted until the final round of cuts, but New England released both Saturday as the team pared its roster to the NFL-mandated 53 players.
Redd, an outside linebacker, was signed by New England as a free agent immediately after April’s NFL Draft. Sene, an offensive tackle, originally signed a rookie free-agent deal with the St. Louis Rams but was cut from that team’s camp earlier this month. He landed on New England’s roster as the Patriots looked to bolster their preseason depth on the offensive line.
Extra points
Liberty tailback Terry Williams left the game in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury. “I don’t know for sure if it’s his right knee or his right leg, in terms of a bone fracture of sorts,” Rocco said. “I don’t know all the specifics. But he was in a lot of pain. It happened right in front of me. I feel very sorry for Terry.” Williams’ career has been plagued by knee and leg injuries. … FB Derek Bishop left with a concussion. … Liberty freshman Mike Larsson didn’t notch his first career punt until nearly 54 minutes had elapsed from Saturday’s game. … Mike Brown, Liberty’s third-string quarterback, made his first career catch in the second half Saturday. He still hasn’t attempted a pass.