Liberty Flames
Overall Rank: #25
#1 Big South
Liberty Team Page
2010 Record: (8-3, 5-1)
2010 Postseason: none
Coach: Danny Rocco (40-16 at Liberty, 40-16 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Mike Brown, QB, 854 yards
Passing: Mike Brown, QB, 2,956 yards
Receiving: Chris Summers, WR, 1,081 yards
Tackles: Asa Chapman, DT, 41
Sacks: Asa Chapman, DT, 2.0; Kevin Fogg, CB, 2.0; Chris Mayo, S, 2.0
Interceptions: Kevin Fogg, CB, 2
Liberty has been atop the Big South for the last four years. They usually rank within the Top 25 at the end of the year. Yet, with all that success, the big trip to the playoffs has eluded Coach Danny Rocco and company. Last year the Flames ended up with a 5-1 conference mark, tied with Stony Brook and Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers got the bid to the playoffs. The road will again go through Coastal Carolina and Stony Brook. This year the Flames get Coastal Carolina at home, but have to end the season with a road trip to Stony Brook.
Strengths:
The Flames return just about every skill position player on the roster. The big name is quarterback Mike Brown. The senior is the reigning Offensive Big South Player of the Year after throwing for 2,956 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2010. He was also Liberty’s top rusher, tallying 854 yards with nine more trips to the end zone. Brown makes this offense go, but he will have plenty of help. Just about every receiver is back, including Chris Summers, who tallied 1,081 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. The 6-4 senior could be in for an even bigger senior season. Summers is not going to sneak up on anybody this year, so big years are expected from Pat Kelly, B.J. Hayes and Ervin Garner as well. This was a passing attack that ranked seventh in the nation with nearly 289 yards per game. That left running back Sirchauncey Holloway out of the spotlight. He did not even lead his own team in rushing, the honor went to Brown. Holloway is a speedster who is deceptively strong. He rushed for 564 yards and ten touchdowns last year. With Korey Davis and sophomore Aldreakis Allen, who led the team in rushing in 2009 before missing the 2010 campaign, also in the mix, this will be a great group of running backs who will get a lot of room to run thanks to the potent passing attack.
Weaknesses:
But there is one major concern on offense. The line returns just one starter in junior guard Malcolm Boyd. Making matters worse, Toney White is the only senior offensive linemen returning. The team does add another senior in VMI transfer Mark Tomlin, but any way you look at it, this is an inexperienced group. There are a handful of players who have paid their dues and the starting five on the line will likely be all upperclassmen, but they are relatively unproven and the depth behind them is a bunch of freshmen. The defense lacks star power, but they did last year too and performed pretty well. Yet, with just five starters returning there is certainly some concern. Linebackers Kyle O’Donnell and Doncel Bolt are gone after leading the team in tackles in 2010. Mike Connolly is the only returning starter and he missed the last five games of the 2010 campaign and missed the spring with the same injury. On the outside the Flames hope Brent Vinson can join up with Connolly to provide a dangerous group. The middle linebackers have even less experience and it is possible that freshman Nick Sigmon and sophomore Scott Hyland will be starting from day one. Cornerback KaJuan Lee took a step back last season and it is hoped that he regains his form from 2009. Illinois transfer Walt Aiken will certainly help out the secondary, which also has some experienced safeties led by Brandon Robinson.
The Bottom Line:
The defensive front lost a lot of talent, but they do have nose guard Asa Chapman. The big 6-5, 380 pound senior is a superb run stuffer. Finding some new faces to attack from the ends is the bigger issue, but there are some quality options and Coach Danny Rocco will find three or four quality ends to rotate around Chapman. There are questions that need to be answered, but the good news is this team has five non-conference games to start off the season to sort out issues they have on the offensive line and throughout the defense. By the time Big South play starts, Liberty will be the team to beat.
Projected Postseason: FCS Playoffs
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 171.00 (39th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 288.91 (7, 1)
Total Offense: 459.91 (2, 1)
Scoring Offense: 36.45 (3, 1)
Rushing Defense: 115.73 (20, 1)
Pass Defense: 193.45 (47, 3)
Total Defense: 309.18 (17, 2)
Scoring Defense: 20.18 (24, 1)
Turnover Margin: .00 (55, 2)
Sacks: 2.18 (37, 1)
Sacks Allowed: .64 (5, 2)
