Terrell goes down, Hayes steps up for Flames

By Chris Lang
Published: October 4, 2008

CONWAY, S.C. — When Zach Terrell left Liberty’s game with Coastal Carolina on Saturday night with an apparent left knee injury, it opened the door for one of the Flames’ more intriguing players — redshirt freshman A-back B.J. Hayes.

Hayes entered the game with four carries for 54 yards and two receptions for 30 yards. He’s had little chance to get touches with Rashad Jennings and Terrell ahead of him in the pecking order.

Terrell left in the second quarter and didn’t return. Hayes made an immediate impact in the second half. His 44-yard reception moved the Flames in range for a Matt Bevins field goal. And after Coastal scored to cut Liberty’s lead to 27-17, Hayes went 66 yards untouched on the next play for his first career touchdown run.

“We’ve been working on that one at practice,” Hayes said. “I got my opportunity to do it, and I’m thankful to God I had a chance to score.”

Hayes finished with 120 all-purpose yards. In two years at Brunswick High School, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Hayes finished with 5,150 all-purpose yards and 51 touchdowns.

Terrell was walking with his left knee in a large protective brace after the game. LU coach Danny Rocco said he fears Terrell might have injured his MCL, though he won’t know until further tests are performed. Rocco said Terrell would likely be out for at least three weeks.

Cheek moves up

Rocco moved Wes Cheek from tailback to outside linebacker late in the summer, he certainly had plans to play Cheek often.

Saturday, Cheek got most of the snaps at weak-side linebacker, ahead of Pat Bannon. It wasn’t an indictment on Bannon’s play, though.

“What happens, when you get into a more open game, a throw game, Wes is just more suited for that,” Rocco said. “When it’s a run game, a more physical game, Pat’s more suited for that. That’s what that came down to.”

Jennings the blocker

Jennings finished the game with 195 yards on the ground and accounted for three touchdowns. But one of his most impressive plays came in the second quarter, when he didn’t even touch the ball.

On Brock Smith’s third touchdown pass late in the second quarter, Jennings picked up a blitzing Coastal linebacker perfectly, giving Smith a few extra seconds to find Dominic Bolden for a 23-yard touchdown.

“He’s really stepping up,” Smith said. “He’s an unbelievable athlete. You ask him to do anything, he’ll do it.”

Jennings also sprung a key block on Hayes’ touchdown run.

Big LU crowd

With Liberty students on fall break, the school urged students to make the 5-hour trip to the beach for Saturday’s game.

LU fans filled up three sections on the visitor side of Brooks Stadium and fans wearing red spilled into a fourth section. Liberty brought its band down for the trip as well.

“Everybody came down and got behind us, and we needed it,” Smith said. “Sometimes, we were louder than they were.”

Extra points

NFL teams represented with scouts in the press box Saturday: Buffalo and Jacksonville. … Punter Matt Larsson handled kickoffs at the end of the game as kicker Matt Bevins continued to nurse a sore quad and hip flexor. Bevins handled all field goals and extra points. … Guard Britt Stone, who had missed the last two games with a broken right leg, played about 25 snaps Saturday.