There were some major bright spots despite the loss. Redshirt freshman Todd Macon finished with 67 yards and his first two rushing touchdowns in a Liberty uniform, which bookended the scoring for the Flames on Saturday night.
Another bright spot came from one of the biggest question marks for Liberty, the defensive secondary. Kenny Scott, preseason all-conference at corner, as well as Gary Sampson and newcomer Alpha Jalloh snared a pass on the night against a team that threw a total of 11 interceptions the entire 2013 season.
Finally, the offensive line did a marvelous job against a top level defense, allowing just 1 sack and only 9 yards in negative plays on the night.
There is no rest for the weary as the Flames hit the road once again to take on their first of two in-state opponents on the schedule:
Liberty (0-1, 0-0)
vs.
Norfolk State (0-1, 0-0)
Matchup
Location: Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA
Series: Sixth Meeting (Liberty leads 3-2)
Last Meeting: 2012 (Norfolk State 31-24)
Last Meeting: 2012 (Norfolk State 31-24)
Kickoff: 4:00 PM
Radio: Victory FM Radio Network (Liberty) Alan York play-by-play. NSU Spartans Radio Network, Star 1310 (NSU) Ross Gordon play-by-play
Radio: Victory FM Radio Network (Liberty) Alan York play-by-play. NSU Spartans Radio Network, Star 1310 (NSU) Ross Gordon play-by-play
Television: Liberty Flames Sports Network/ESPN3 (Liberty) Mike Tilley play-by-play. Spartan Showcase Media (NSU)
Coaches: Turner Gill (3rd season at Liberty, 14-10 Record); Pete Adrian (10th season at Norfolk State, 50-53 Record
Last Week: Liberty 26-59 vs. #23 North Carolina (FBS), Norfolk State 6-10 vs. Maine
Norfolk State has carried the most recent success in this series, winning the last two meetings (34-17 in 2005 and 31-24 in 2012). Liberty has not won a game in Norfolk (following a 21-17 loss to ODU in 2013)since 1997.
Coach Adrian is actually tied for the longest tenured coach in Spartans history along with the man whose name is on the stadium where Adrian's Spartans call home, Dick Price. Adrian enters this season 3rd all-time in wins behind Price and the only other coach with more than 7 seasons at the helm of the Spartan ship, Willard Bailey.
Prediction:
This is not the same Norfolk State team that came into Lynchburg and got one of the biggest non-conference wins in the history of the program in 2012. Their top running back from 2013, Deuce Finch, graduated, as well as the triggerman for the offense that year, Nico Flores. Liberty will want to make a statement in this game after the performance down in Chapel Hill. Duke Cuneo, from LibertyFlamesNation.com made an interesting point on the FlameFans message board, and Chris Lang, beat writer from the Lynchburg News and Advance, echoed that sentiment in his notes today. This game is probably the most important game on the schedule from a non-conference standpoint, because its the one game that could be a "WTF game" on the schedule for Liberty. The only other games on the schedule after this week where Liberty probably will not be favored will be Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and possibly Richmond as well. Win this one and you have a chance to be 4-1 going into homecoming weekend. Lose this one and you probably can kiss the at-large goodbye two weeks into the season. I think the Flames recover from the Tar Heel funk and make a statement down in Norfolk. This is a game I plan to be at in person and I believe it ends much differently than my last trip into Dick Price Stadium
Liberty 31
Norfolk State 14
As a postscript, an interesting angle to this game is that of freshman QB Terrance Ervin. After starring at LC Bird High School, Ervin committed to the Flames last year, and was going to be the jewel of the class for Turner Gill, likely battling with Stephon Masha for the starting job once Josh Woodrum finished up his career on the mountain. Ervin, however, had other ideas, no doubt expecting to compete for the job right away. So, he reopened his recruitment and eventually signed with Norfolk State after being connected to Delaware State, North Carolina Central and even JMU. Ervin no doubt will want to show the Flames what they may have missed out on by not signing him this past February.
Last Week: Liberty 26-59 vs. #23 North Carolina (FBS), Norfolk State 6-10 vs. Maine
Norfolk State has carried the most recent success in this series, winning the last two meetings (34-17 in 2005 and 31-24 in 2012). Liberty has not won a game in Norfolk (following a 21-17 loss to ODU in 2013)since 1997.
Coach Adrian is actually tied for the longest tenured coach in Spartans history along with the man whose name is on the stadium where Adrian's Spartans call home, Dick Price. Adrian enters this season 3rd all-time in wins behind Price and the only other coach with more than 7 seasons at the helm of the Spartan ship, Willard Bailey.
Prediction:
This is not the same Norfolk State team that came into Lynchburg and got one of the biggest non-conference wins in the history of the program in 2012. Their top running back from 2013, Deuce Finch, graduated, as well as the triggerman for the offense that year, Nico Flores. Liberty will want to make a statement in this game after the performance down in Chapel Hill. Duke Cuneo, from LibertyFlamesNation.com made an interesting point on the FlameFans message board, and Chris Lang, beat writer from the Lynchburg News and Advance, echoed that sentiment in his notes today. This game is probably the most important game on the schedule from a non-conference standpoint, because its the one game that could be a "WTF game" on the schedule for Liberty. The only other games on the schedule after this week where Liberty probably will not be favored will be Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and possibly Richmond as well. Win this one and you have a chance to be 4-1 going into homecoming weekend. Lose this one and you probably can kiss the at-large goodbye two weeks into the season. I think the Flames recover from the Tar Heel funk and make a statement down in Norfolk. This is a game I plan to be at in person and I believe it ends much differently than my last trip into Dick Price Stadium
Liberty 31
Norfolk State 14
As a postscript, an interesting angle to this game is that of freshman QB Terrance Ervin. After starring at LC Bird High School, Ervin committed to the Flames last year, and was going to be the jewel of the class for Turner Gill, likely battling with Stephon Masha for the starting job once Josh Woodrum finished up his career on the mountain. Ervin, however, had other ideas, no doubt expecting to compete for the job right away. So, he reopened his recruitment and eventually signed with Norfolk State after being connected to Delaware State, North Carolina Central and even JMU. Ervin no doubt will want to show the Flames what they may have missed out on by not signing him this past February.
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