LIBERTY REPORT: Practice begins Thursday

By Chris Lang
Sports writer
Published: July 29, 2008

Football practice in July? Well, for one day at least. Liberty opens its fall training camp Thursday at Williams Stadium.

The practice schedule for the first week:
Thursday - 2:15-5:15 p.m.
Friday - 6:45-9 p.m.
Saturday - 2:20-5 p.m.
Sunday - 2:20-5 p.m.
Monday - 2:20-5 p.m.
Tuesday - 9-10:55 a.m.; 3-4:55 p.m.
Wednesday - 2:20-5 p.m.

Here’s a quick primer of position battles to keep an eye on as the Flames prepare for their Aug. 30 season opener with North Greenville.

-- No. 2 quarterback: LU coach Danny Rocco said Friday at Big South media day that he expects this to be one of the more interesting battles in camp. Both Spencer Landis and Mike Brown bring something to the field. With Landis, it’s experience and sound decision making. With Brown, it’s tantalizing athleticism and the prospect of having a true dual-threat QB on the field. The general thought after spring ball was that Landis was fairly far ahead of Brown on the depth chart, but Rocco’s comments Friday made me reconsider.

-- No. 2 tailback/A-back: Rashad Jennings has an NFL future ahead of him and Zach Terrell is as just as dangerous as a tailback/receiver hybrid. But there are some talented guys behind them making a push for playing time. Wes Cheek is physically punishing and is an excellent blocker. He showed some surprising hands at points last season, too. Rocco mentioned B.J. Hayes’ name a few times during spring ball. Hayes is small (5-9, 185) but very athletic. I’m curious to see if Terry Williams (5-9, 185, rSo.) contributes anything this season. LU’s coaches have loved his speed for two years, but Williams has had trouble keeping healthy. Terron Lawrence, a bowling-ball type, might fit into this mix somewhere as well.

-- No. 3 receiver: Dominic Bolden and Jonathan Crawford are the top two guys, that much is certain. Beyond that, there are options. At 6-4, Chris Summers has the size to be a game-breaker on the edge. The only question is what kind of physical shape he is in. He was a stringbean as a freshman last year, but a year in Bill Gillespie’s weight room has probably done him wonders. Another player worth watching is Matt Lambros, who was clocked at 4.4 in the 40 and had as solid of a spring as any LU receiver. Former William Campbell standout Danny Broggin fits into this mix as well.

-- No. 1 left tackle: Zach Davis is the presumed starter here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex Stadler and Justin Vargas pushed for playing time there as well.

-- One of the starting defensive end spots: Kevin Richard is a two-year starter, but he hasn’t been much of a pass-rush threat in his career. Trey Jacobs is penciled in as the other starter right now, but he has minimal experience. Virginia Tech transfer Daryl Robertson will get a look here, as will sophomore Tim Smith.

-- Backup linebackers: The starters are seemingly set heading into camp—Ian Childress and Pat Bannon on the outside; Nick Hursky and Kyle O’Donnell on the inside. But there are some interesting players lurking at No. 2, meaning competition should be fierce throughout camp. Doncel Bolk, Mik Connolly, Derek Lisko, Chad Brown and Pierre Tinsley are capable of stealing snaps.

-- No. 2 corner: Kent Hicks heads to camp as the starter, but his troubles last year mean he isn’t cemented into the role. He had academic problems last fall that caused him to miss a game, and his propensity for talking too much smack to opponents got him in trouble a couple of times too. If Hicks keeps his head on straight, he has the talent to be an all-conference player. If not, Chuck Duffey and Donald Manns are more than capable of taking his playing time.

-- Kicker/punter: Who knows what will happen here? LU opens camp with six kickers on the depth chart. David Drake has been inconsistent and hasn’t shown a lot of range when he’s gotten his opportunities in practice, but Rocco seems to want to start freshman Matt Bevins off at punter. We’ll see how that goes. Paul Young, a New Mexico State transfer, could be in the mix at kicker too. Call it a sneaking suspicion, but I get the feeling Bevins will end up as LU’s field-goal kicker by the end of camp. I may be totally wrong on this, though.

Look for Liberty notes in the Friday paper, as well as a quick-hit blog post after practice Thursday.