As we pass the halfway point of the 2017 season and Liberty prepares to begin its final season of Big South football I thought I'd take a minute and talk about the first half and who better to ask than the man who has followed them the whole way, Damien Sordelett of the Lynchburg News and Advance (a paper I wrote for as a freelance writer from 2009-2012):
Fan the Flames: What have been the biggest positives and negatives that you've seen in the Flames so far this year?
Damien Sordelett: The biggest positive is undoubtedly the season-opening victory at Baylor. It is a program-defining victory that thrust the football program into national prominence and, in a way, verified the program was prepared to play against the big boys of college football in the Bowl Subdivision. That game was big for the program to establish itself in front of a national audience.
The biggest negative has to be inconsistencies on both sides of the ball. For three weeks the offense was in rhythm and the defense had difficulties preventing big plays and getting off the field. The roles have been reversed in the past two weeks with opposing defenses figuring out how to stymie the Flames offense, and the Liberty defense making adjustments to limit big plays and contain the running game.
FTF: If you had to name an MVP for the first half, who would it be and why?
DS: Buckshot Calvert. He and Monmouth quarterback Kenji Bahar are the two front-runners for Big South Conference offensive player of the year honors. The two are ranked first and second in total offense per game and the only ones averaging more than 200 yards per game. Even though Calvert has had back-to-back subpar performances, he still has thrown 14 touchdown passes, completed more than 60 percent of his passes and been a big reason why the Flames had so much success offensively through the first three weeks.
FTF: Who has surprised you the most?
DS: The biggest surprise player so far this season is cornerback Jeremy Peters. The coaching staff raved about his toughness, ability to cover any type of receiver and leadership. The hamstring injury he suffered in last season’s opener at Virginia Tech really prevented us from seeing what he could do on a weekly basis. His performance at Baylor and the subsequent games have really established him as one of, if not, the best cornerbacks on the roster with his sure tackling, physical nature and ability to take away half of the field. His emergence has given the team a cornerback opposite of Chris Turner so the safeties and linebackers can focus more on stopping the run game.
FTF: What do the Flames need to work on to prevent "mental autopilot" in the second half of the year and prevent results like the loss to St. Francis last week?
DS: Play with a sense of urgency. There was no urgency shown in the first half against the Red Flash, at least not the type shown against Baylor, Morehead State, Indiana State and Jacksonville State. The team can’t assume it will win just by showing up against an inferior team with fewer scholarships. That resonated the most after getting a chance to rewatch the game against St. Francis. Ideally, the Flames need to come out offensively like they did against Morehead State and look to score early and put the dagger in after 15 minutes. The defense also came out with the same urgency against the Eagles and forced three-and-outs.
FTF: How has Stephen Calvert grown in your view from last year when he became the starter in midseason to this as the full-time #1?
DS: Calvert is more comfortable in his decision making. There are times when he wants to extend plays and make something out of nothing, and that comes with being a sophomore and still being young in the offensive scheme. He has some tendencies that still need to be ironed out from that perspective -- looking to extend plays by a second or two when throwing the ball out of bounds will prevent him from taking a big hit the biggest tendency needed to be corrected -- and the bye week will serve as the best opportunity to watch film and see where he can improve. Calvert has more command of the offense and you can tell his receivers, running backs and linemen have the trust in him to make the right decisions.
FTF: This has been a topic of significant debate on the message boards, but with the back to back losses, do you think that Coach Gill's job is on the line these last 6 games?
DS: Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. publicly said last December that he wanted to give Gill and athletics director Ian McCaw one season together. McCaw told me during the summer that everyone associated with athletics -- administrators, coaches, players, everyone -- had to step up and perform better in every aspect with the move to the FBS. You’ve got to imagine Gill’s job status is under a microscope because performing at the same level as the previous two seasons will not cut it when competing against FBS programs. The next six weeks can be very telling to what direction this program goes heading into 2018. If the Flames reel off six straight victories and show continual improvement, then I feel Gill’s job should be secured. However, if the Flames have uneven performances and lose a game or two, then I imagine there will be a lengthy conversation to discuss the future of the program.
FTF: To wrap on an up note, what has been your favorite moment of the first five games?
DS: The Baylor game, for sure. It wasn’t the game entirely. McLane Stadium is the nicest stadium I have been to, period, and I had an opportunity to tour the stadium with Todd Patulski, Mickey Guridy and Dan Deter from Liberty before kickoff to see everything that went into the building of the $266-million facility. It is truly top-notch and something they have in mind for what Williams Stadium could look like in the next couple of seasons. There won’t be all the bells and whistles of McLane and Williams with the current infrastructure limiting what can be done, but there are elements that can be implemented to make the experience of being at Williams Stadium that much better for everyone involved. The game itself was a unique experience with seeing how it unfolded. There was a moment when Baylor took a lead late in the third quarter, and normally that would lead to blowout losses in the past. But this game was different in seeing the offense still methodically move the ball and find the end zone in a performance that turned into a typical Big 12 showdown.
