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Game # 4: @ Liberty Flames


GoZips86

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Let's go ahead and put last night behind us quickly...

 

Game 4 is at Liberty. The Flames are 2-1, coming off a loss by # 18 Wake Forest. Their first game was a 29-27 win in 4 OT against Southern Mississippi, and their 2nd game was a 21-14 win against UAB.

 

I haven't delved too deeply on how we matchup against them, but I will say I feel much better about this game compared to traveling to both MSU and Tennessee. Would be great to go into their stadium and pull off the win before coming home against BGSU.

 

Thoughts??

 

GO ZIPS!!!

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26 minutes ago, GoZips86 said:

Let's go ahead and put last night behind us quickly...

 

Game 4 is at Liberty. The Flames are 2-1, coming off a loss by # 18 Wake Forest. Their first game was a 29-27 win in 4 OT against Southern Mississippi, and their 2nd game was a 21-14 win against UAB.

 

I haven't delved too deeply on how we matchup against them, but I will say I feel much better about this game compared to traveling to both MSU and Tennessee. Would be great to go into their stadium and pull off the win before coming home against BGSU.

 

Thoughts??

 

GO ZIPS!!!

I don’t think we are there yet, but I like the strides we’ve made in most areas.

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I was at the Liberty vs. Wake game yesterday.  Here are my thoughts about Liberty.

 

Offense

  • If I needed to describe their offense yesterday, it would be in two words: opportunistic and talented.
  • Opportunistic - To be fair, their offense made some mistakes in the first half and that probably cost them the game. Now, in the second half they took what was in front of them and moved the ball great. Had they been more opportunistic, and probably adjusted to what Wake was doing faster in the first half, ESPNU would be talking about another G5 school upsetting a P5 school. Their run game moves the ball on first down and makes it easier to move the ball. Their QB is smart about when and when not to run.
  • Talented - They have some burners at WR who also make good catches. After the catch, they are very shifty. Very reliable group.
  • They have a decent offensive line. After halftime they were able to slow down Wake's rush and move the ball better. The QB was still under pressure, but not under siege.  Their offensive line is the weakest part of their offense, but still a good group. 
  • If the offense Liberty put on the field in the second half shows up in Akron next week, they will hang 50 on the Zips.

Defense

  • My word description for this group would be: focused.
  • They came to Winston-Salem with a game plan to stop Wake's running game and not give up a flood of big plays. I think they accomplished both.
  • Liberty held Wake to 26 yards rushing on 21 carries.
  • Wake lives and dies with the Sam Hartman to A.T. Perry combination down field. Everyone knows Hartman by now, but a lot don't know Perry. He is a very tall WR destined for the NFL and destroys teams downfield. Liberty held him to 33 yards on 4 catches. Wake could have done a better job of throwing some intermediate passes, but that isn't the nature of their offense so they were forcing the ball downfield a lot even though Liberty decided those plays would not beat them.
  • In the second half, this group played great. For most of the second half, Wake's offense was confused and out of sync. 
  • Liberty also forced two interceptions out of a QB not prone to throwing them.
  • Their defensive line made Wake's look like what I think they really are, average. They got just enough pressure on Hartman to throw off his game. I hope the Zips do something to move the pocket around against this group.
  • Their first down defense was great. Zips need to find a way to move the ball on first down more consistently than Wake did.

Special Teams

  • Their biggest success was a blocked punt through the end zone resulting in a safety.
  • On kick offs, they had a lot of success retuning to their left so the Zips need to watch out for that.
  • Liberty's PK has a huge leg and can easily place kickoffs through the back of the end zone. He also made a +50 yard FG with relative ease for a college kicker.

Coaching

  • Going into halftime, it was something like 20-8 in favor of Wake. I really thought with Wake getting the ball to start the second half and their ability to move the ball late in the first, the game would quickly get out of hand and a sold out homecoming crowd could head to the bars early. Whatever they did, it worked. Actually, I think "whatever" was just Liberty playing better.
  • Their offense is extremely creative and they are well coached in it.
  • The two things I would be upset about today if I was a Liberty fan were: the decision to go for two with 1:10 remaining in the game and the play call. Liberty had a ton of confidence and momentum. I would have tied the game, gone into overtime and trusted my team. Second, they ran a form of the "Philly Special" for their two point play. I don't like trick plays to begin with and I hate them with the game on the line. I would have passed and given my QB, who was playing great at the time, a couple of options in the end zone and allowed him to make a decision. If the play would have broken down he had great legs and could have run in if the opportunity presented itself. I have seats on the 50 (actually, the 48) and could see from my view the play had no shot from the start. Too slow developing and Wake played disciplined defense on the play and had it well covered. The WR had no shot to do anything with the ball. I just felt like the decision and play were a form of desperation and they were too in control of the game for desperation. 
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1 minute ago, GP1 said:

I was at the Liberty vs. Wake game yesterday.  Here are my thoughts about Liberty.

 

Offense

  • If I needed to describe their offense yesterday, it would be in two words: opportunistic and talented.
  • Opportunistic - To be fair, their offense made some mistakes in the first half and that probably cost them the game. Now, in the second half they took what was in front of them and moved the ball great. Had they been more opportunistic, and probably adjusted to what Wake was doing faster in the first half, ESPNU would be talking about another G5 school upsetting a P5 school. Their run game moves the ball on first down and makes it easier to move the ball. Their QB is smart about when and when not to run.
  • Talented - They have some burners at WR who also make good catches. After the catch, they are very shifty. Very reliable group.
  • They have a decent offensive line. After halftime they were able to slow down Wake's rush and move the ball better. The QB was still under pressure, but not under siege.  Their offensive line is the weakest part of their offense, but still a good group. 
  • If the offense Liberty put on the field in the second half shows up in Akron next week, they will hang 50 on the Zips.

Defense

  • My word description for this group would be: focused.
  • They came to Winston-Salem with a game plan to stop Wake's running game and not give up a flood of big plays. I think they accomplished both.
  • Liberty held Wake to 26 yards rushing on 21 carries.
  • Wake lives and dies with the Sam Hartman to A.T. Perry combination down field. Everyone knows Hartman by now, but a lot don't know Perry. He is a very tall WR destined for the NFL and destroys teams downfield. Liberty held him to 33 yards on 4 catches. Wake could have done a better job of throwing some intermediate passes, but that isn't the nature of their offense so they were forcing the ball downfield a lot even though Liberty decided those plays would not beat them.
  • In the second half, this group played great. For most of the second half, Wake's offense was confused and out of sync. 
  • Liberty also forced two interceptions out of a QB not prone to throwing them.
  • Their defensive line made Wake's look like what I think they really are, average. They got just enough pressure on Hartman to throw off his game. I hope the Zips do something to move the pocket around against this group.
  • Their first down defense was great. Zips need to find a way to move the ball on first down more consistently than Wake did.

Special Teams

  • Their biggest success was a blocked punt through the end zone resulting in a safety.
  • On kick offs, they had a lot of success retuning to their left so the Zips need to watch out for that.
  • Liberty's PK has a huge leg and can easily place kickoffs through the back of the end zone. He also made a +50 yard FG with relative ease for a college kicker.

Coaching

  • Going into halftime, it was something like 20-8 in favor of Wake. I really thought with Wake getting the ball to start the second half and their ability to move the ball late in the first, the game would quickly get out of hand and a sold out homecoming crowd could head to the bars early. Whatever they did, it worked. Actually, I think "whatever" was just Liberty playing better.
  • Their offense is extremely creative and they are well coached in it.
  • The two things I would be upset about today if I was a Liberty fan were: the decision to go for two with 1:10 remaining in the game and the play call. Liberty had a ton of confidence and momentum. I would have tied the game, gone into overtime and trusted my team. Second, they ran a form of the "Philly Special" for their two point play. I don't like trick plays to begin with and I hate them with the game on the line. I would have passed and given my QB, who was playing great at the time, a couple of options in the end zone and allowed him to make a decision. If the play would have broken down he had great legs and could have run in if the opportunity presented itself. I have seats on the 50 (actually, the 48) and could see from my view the play had no shot from the start. Too slow developing and Wake played disciplined defense on the play and had it well covered. The WR had no shot to do anything with the ball. I just felt like the decision and play were a form of desperation and they were too in control of the game for desperation. 

 

Great post, thank you! Helps me better understand us going into Liberty

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1 hour ago, GP1 said:

I was at the Liberty vs. Wake game yesterday.  Here are my thoughts about Liberty.

 

Offense

  • If I needed to describe their offense yesterday, it would be in two words: opportunistic and talented.
  • Opportunistic - To be fair, their offense made some mistakes in the first half and that probably cost them the game. Now, in the second half they took what was in front of them and moved the ball great. Had they been more opportunistic, and probably adjusted to what Wake was doing faster in the first half, ESPNU would be talking about another G5 school upsetting a P5 school. Their run game moves the ball on first down and makes it easier to move the ball. Their QB is smart about when and when not to run.
  • Talented - They have some burners at WR who also make good catches. After the catch, they are very shifty. Very reliable group.
  • They have a decent offensive line. After halftime they were able to slow down Wake's rush and move the ball better. The QB was still under pressure, but not under siege.  Their offensive line is the weakest part of their offense, but still a good group. 
  • If the offense Liberty put on the field in the second half shows up in Akron next week, they will hang 50 on the Zips.

Defense

  • My word description for this group would be: focused.
  • They came to Winston-Salem with a game plan to stop Wake's running game and not give up a flood of big plays. I think they accomplished both.
  • Liberty held Wake to 26 yards rushing on 21 carries.
  • Wake lives and dies with the Sam Hartman to A.T. Perry combination down field. Everyone knows Hartman by now, but a lot don't know Perry. He is a very tall WR destined for the NFL and destroys teams downfield. Liberty held him to 33 yards on 4 catches. Wake could have done a better job of throwing some intermediate passes, but that isn't the nature of their offense so they were forcing the ball downfield a lot even though Liberty decided those plays would not beat them.
  • In the second half, this group played great. For most of the second half, Wake's offense was confused and out of sync. 
  • Liberty also forced two interceptions out of a QB not prone to throwing them.
  • Their defensive line made Wake's look like what I think they really are, average. They got just enough pressure on Hartman to throw off his game. I hope the Zips do something to move the pocket around against this group.
  • Their first down defense was great. Zips need to find a way to move the ball on first down more consistently than Wake did.

Special Teams

  • Their biggest success was a blocked punt through the end zone resulting in a safety.
  • On kick offs, they had a lot of success retuning to their left so the Zips need to watch out for that.
  • Liberty's PK has a huge leg and can easily place kickoffs through the back of the end zone. He also made a +50 yard FG with relative ease for a college kicker.

Coaching

  • Going into halftime, it was something like 20-8 in favor of Wake. I really thought with Wake getting the ball to start the second half and their ability to move the ball late in the first, the game would quickly get out of hand and a sold out homecoming crowd could head to the bars early. Whatever they did, it worked. Actually, I think "whatever" was just Liberty playing better.
  • Their offense is extremely creative and they are well coached in it.
  • The two things I would be upset about today if I was a Liberty fan were: the decision to go for two with 1:10 remaining in the game and the play call. Liberty had a ton of confidence and momentum. I would have tied the game, gone into overtime and trusted my team. Second, they ran a form of the "Philly Special" for their two point play. I don't like trick plays to begin with and I hate them with the game on the line. I would have passed and given my QB, who was playing great at the time, a couple of options in the end zone and allowed him to make a decision. If the play would have broken down he had great legs and could have run in if the opportunity presented itself. I have seats on the 50 (actually, the 48) and could see from my view the play had no shot from the start. Too slow developing and Wake played disciplined defense on the play and had it well covered. The WR had no shot to do anything with the ball. I just felt like the decision and play were a form of desperation and they were too in control of the game for desperation. 

 

My thought on one of your thoughts( in bold above) and a couple of my own.

If Liberty's offense shows up in Akron Next weekend, I think the Zips may win the game.

If their defense does too, I'm sure we will win the game.

If both units stay home, we are in for another long day.

Their schedule reminds me of the Zips schedule back when we were an independent and scheduled opponents with a wide range of talent.

Their schedule this year includes three ranked opponents and three of the worst D1 teams.

They just lost to one of the ranked opponents because they failed on a last second 2 point conversion.

Edited by Zipmeister
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3 hours ago, Zipmeister said:

 

My thought on one of your thoughts( in bold above) and a couple of my own.

If Liberty's offense shows up in Akron Next weekend, I think the Zips may win the game.

If their defense does too, I'm sure we will win the game.

If both units stay home, we are in for another long day.

 

Oh, Akron plays at Liberty. I could not bring myself to care about our moronic and self destructive schedule to check. 

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1 hour ago, ZippyRulz said:

 

Seemed like he could stay with his man, just couldn't turn around and make a play on the ball without interfering.

 

He doesn’t lack in the physical ability department, but for whatever reason(s) he just isn’t getting the job done. All 3 teams we’ve played have made him their primary target in the passing game. Sooner or later Hooks will either step it up or he’ll need to be replaced.
 

I say replaced, but to be honest I don’t know who on the roster we have to replace him. Unfortunately, we seem to be lacking at viable options at the CB spot this year.

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I now live about an hour and a half outside of Lynchburg and plan to drive in for this game. Any other Zips fans plan to attend? I brought my daughter to Liberty for a track meet last year and their campus and athletic facilities are out of this world.  Beautiful surrounding area too if you're into mountains and hiking.

 

I don't know much about their team other than they finished the year as a top 25 team in 2020 and their QB from last year was drafted in the 3rd round. I did a little research on their fan site. Looks like Charlie Brewer, who was a 4-year starter at Baylor, transferred in and was set to be their starter this year but went out for the season their first series of the season.  They're now down to their 3rd string QB, which is the guy that played against Wake, Kaidon Salter, a former 4-star recruit.

 

Looking at their schedule, Southern Miss taking them into OT gives me some hope, but a win over UAB and a stupid coaching decision away from a win over Wake Forest doesn't bode well for our rebuilding Zips. Regardless, I'll be there rocking my blue and gold, so if anyone else is coming down and wants to link up, let me know!

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On 9/18/2022 at 10:23 AM, kreed5120 said:

This could actually be a game if the Zips weren't in year 0 of a rebuild. Akron will look less over matched compared to their prior two games, but Liberty is far more talented still. I say the Zips lose this game 35-14

I believe this is year 4 of year 0 of a rebuild.

 

I'll take Liberty minus 27.  Liberty 38-7.

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Looking at Liberty's statistics...

 

- Their QB is a "freshman" transfer from Tennessee, after he was dismissed from Tennessee last year for 2 run-ins with police (looks like they both may have been marijuana related). He was previously a Top 50 prospect when he committed to Tennessee, ranked as the #6 QB in his class by 247 and the #5 prospect in Texas. 

 

- Their #1 receiver is a 5'8" presumed burner. He has 15 receptions for 272 yds and 4 TDs. No other receiver has a TD, and the next closest receiver (actually their RB - Dae Dae Hunter) has 8 receptions for 31 yds (2 receivers have 6 receptions for 91 and 88 yds respectively). They have 2 key receivers at 6'3" and 6'4" respectively, so they have size. Our old pal Treon Sibley is also on their roster.

 

- Salter leads the team in rushing with 38 attempts for 216 yds and 2 TDs. Dae Dae Hunter (5'10" 190 lbs) has 38 attempts for 215 yds and 2 TDs. Shedro Louis (5'8" 170 lbs) has 32 attempts for 120 yds and 1 TD. 

 

- Their OL looks big and seems to have some experience. No idea how they are at protecting, but Salter is athletic enough to get out of any bad blocking situation. 

 

This game should be competitive. A 2-3 score deficit would be understandable and acceptable, but I expect us to be in this game for 3.5-4 quarters. 

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1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Looking at Liberty's statistics...

 

- Their QB is a "freshman" transfer from Tennessee, after he was dismissed from Tennessee last year for 2 run-ins with police (looks like they both may have been marijuana related). He was previously a Top 50 prospect when he committed to Tennessee, ranked as the #6 QB in his class by 247 and the #5 prospect in Texas. 

 

- Their #1 receiver is a 5'8" presumed burner. He has 15 receptions for 272 yds and 4 TDs. No other receiver has a TD, and the next closest receiver (actually their RB - Dae Dae Hunter) has 8 receptions for 31 yds (2 receivers have 6 receptions for 91 and 88 yds respectively). They have 2 key receivers at 6'3" and 6'4" respectively, so they have size. Our old pal Treon Sibley is also on their roster.

 

- Salter leads the team in rushing with 38 attempts for 216 yds and 2 TDs. Dae Dae Hunter (5'10" 190 lbs) has 38 attempts for 215 yds and 2 TDs. Shedro Louis (5'8" 170 lbs) has 32 attempts for 120 yds and 1 TD. 

 

- Their OL looks big and seems to have some experience. No idea how they are at protecting, but Salter is athletic enough to get out of any bad blocking situation. 

 

This game should be competitive. A 2-3 score deficit would be understandable and acceptable, but I expect us to be in this game for 3.5-4 quarters. 

Shredo Louis is also an old friend, him & Treon where not eligible & both took off for Liberty at the same time.

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1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Looking at Liberty's statistics...

 

- Their QB is a "freshman" transfer from Tennessee, after he was dismissed from Tennessee last year for 2 run-ins with police (looks like they both may have been marijuana related). He was previously a Top 50 prospect when he committed to Tennessee, ranked as the #6 QB in his class by 247 and the #5 prospect in Texas. 

 

- Their #1 receiver is a 5'8" presumed burner. He has 15 receptions for 272 yds and 4 TDs. No other receiver has a TD, and the next closest receiver (actually their RB - Dae Dae Hunter) has 8 receptions for 31 yds (2 receivers have 6 receptions for 91 and 88 yds respectively). They have 2 key receivers at 6'3" and 6'4" respectively, so they have size. Our old pal Treon Sibley is also on their roster.

 

- Salter leads the team in rushing with 38 attempts for 216 yds and 2 TDs. Dae Dae Hunter (5'10" 190 lbs) has 38 attempts for 215 yds and 2 TDs. Shedro Louis (5'8" 170 lbs) has 32 attempts for 120 yds and 1 TD. 

 

- Their OL looks big and seems to have some experience. No idea how they are at protecting, but Salter is athletic enough to get out of any bad blocking situation. 

 

This game should be competitive. A 2-3 score deficit would be understandable and acceptable, but I expect us to be in this game for 3.5-4 quarters. 

 

So you say Salter is athletic enough to get out of any bad blocking situation. Easy fix. I suggest we dress several (if not all) of our defensive team as

narcs because it sounds like he's not real good at avoiding cops.

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1 hour ago, Zipmeister said:

 

So you say Salter is athletic enough to get out of any bad blocking situation. Easy fix. I suggest we dress several (if not all) of our defensive team as

narcs because it sounds like he's not real good at avoiding cops.

 

Someone call in Alex Abreu for some tips. 

 

Too soon?

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