Liberty 5-5 (4-1)
vs.
VMI 2-8 (1-4)
Its the regular season finale for these two in state rivals and major Big South championship implications ride on this game as well as Coastal Carolina's finale against Charleston Southern.
Looking at Liberty:
The Flames are coming off the biggest win in the history of the program at the I-AA/FCS level, when they knocked off #6/8 Stony Brook 28-14 in Lynchburg on Saturday. Stony Brook, which has made a living on big plays on the ground and in the air, had only three plays of more than 20 yards, none of them from top back Miguel Maysonet, who finished with only 70 yards on 25 carries. In fact, the longest run for the Seawolves came from quarterback Kyle Essington on their first drive of the game. The Seawolves finished with their lowest team rushing total on the season at 156 yards, the fewest total rushing yards for the Seawolves since finishing with 150 in the second round of the 2011 I-AA/FCS Playoffs.
The defense carried the day with Nick Sigmon causing two turnovers, both leading to Flames touchdowns. Sigmon first intercepted Kyle Essington and went 21 yards for a touchdown to put Liberty up 21-7, and then in the fourth quarter, with Liberty clinging to a 21-14 lead, he forced Maysonet to fumble, and Jacob Hagen picked it up and went 44 yards for a touchdown to clinch the victory. Sigmon also fittingly made the tackle on the final play of the game, sandwiching Miles Campbell of Stony Brook after he took a lateral from Adrian Coxson. Sigmon was rewarded for his efforts with the Big South Defensive Player of the Week. The sophomore from nearby Roanoke is third on the team with 49 tackles, and first with 11.0 tackles for loss.
After starting the season 0-4, Liberty has won five of six, allowing 11.5 points in the last four victories.
Looking at VMI:
The Keydets have been heading in the wrong direction in the second half of the season. Since beating Presbyterian 17-7, the Runnin Roos have done very little running, losing five in a row, outscored on average 35.2-11.8 with an average margin of defeat of 23.4 points, averaging 53 yards on the ground in those five losses.
Most of the offense has come from junior quarterback Eric Kordenbrock, who had one of the best games of his career against Liberty in Lynchburg last season. Kordenbrock, from Gibsonia, PA, comes into the finale with 1,788 yards passing and 6 TDs with 9 interceptions, after finishing last year with 9 total interceptions and 10 TDs.
VMI fell to former Southern Conference foe The Citadel in the "Military Classic of the South" on Saturday 27-24. Kordenbrock finished 10-21 for 191 yards and a TD, and leading rusher on the season Jabari Turner finished with 48 yards and a touchdown.
This is an important game for Liberty. With a win, the Flames will clinch not only a share of their fifth Big South Conference championship, but also their seventh consecutive winning season (after only one winning season since 2000 and 4 since 1990), but, with a loss by Coastal Carolina, can clinch their first ever bid to the NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs. Coming off an emotional high like this, a game like this can be best described in three words according to Admiral Akbar:
This could be a bonafide trap game for Liberty. That said, the Flames have not lost to VMI since 2006, and have not lost in Lexington since 2002 (four straight wins). Coach Gill will have this team ready to play and will go out firing and win this one easily, and then the boys will become Charleston Southern fans during the fourth quarter.
