Football Weekly Recap: Gardner-Webb
11/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Following each Flames football contest during the 2010 season, LibertyFlames.com will revisit the prior day's game, providing news and notes from the game and a complete postgame interview with head coach Danny Rocco (either audio or video).
Today's recap includes audio highlights from Rocco with the Flames Sports Network radio postgame coverage. The Flames picked up their fifth win in a row and 11th straight over a Big South foe at home with a 40-14 victory over Gardner-Webb on Saturday.
News and Notes from Gardner-Webb game:
• For the fourth-straight season, Liberty has started Big South Conference play with a 4-0 record and is the first team in league history to start conference play 4-0 four years in a row.
• The Flames have now won five games in a row, which is tied for the third-longest winning streak under head coach Danny Rocco.
• Liberty's five-game winning streak is tied for the ninth-longest active winning streak in the country among FCS programs.
• Liberty has now won 11-straight games at home against Big South Conference foes, a streak that dates back to the 2006 season.
• With the victory, the Flames move to 12-2 during the month of November under head coach Danny Rocco.
• The game was played in front of 16,441 fans, the third-largest home attendance in Williams Stadium history.
• Following the game, Liberty now ranks No. 7 nationally in average home attendance (18,114).
• The Flames had their second-lowest first down total of the year, finishing the game with 20 first downs.
• Despite the lower total, Liberty still ranks No. 2 nationally in first down offense (averaging 24.11 first downs per game).
• For the first time this season, Liberty finished a game with less than 10 passing first downs, as the Flames posted nine against Gardner-Webb.
• For the third-straight game and the fourth time in five outings, the Flames finished a game with double digit rushing first downs (10 against Gardner-Webb).
• After opening the year with 26 rushing first downs during the first four games, Liberty has now recorded 57 rushing first downs during the last five games.
• For the third-straight game, the Flames finished a contest with 40 or more rushing attempts (42 against Gardner-Webb).
• Liberty posted its fourth-best rushing total of the season against Gardner-Webb, rushing for 168 yards and averaging 4.0 yards per carry.
• Despite Gardner-Webb coming into the game with the No. 6 passing defense in the country, Liberty was able to post its ninth game in a row this season with 200 or more passing yards (228 yards).
• Following the game, Liberty now ranks No. 7 in passing offense, averaging 285.56 yards per game.
• The Flames finished the game with two passing touchdowns and now rank No. 10 nationally with 22 passing touchdowns.
• Gardner-Webb was able to hold the Flames to their third-lowest total offensive yard total of the year, as the Flames finished with 396 yards on 79 plays.
• Following the game, Liberty now ranks No. 5 nationally in total offense (454.11 average yards per game).
• The Flames finished the game with a season-high four turnovers (one interception and three fumbles).
• Liberty now ranks No. 58 nationally with a 0.00 turnover margin (17 turnovers lost to 17 turnovers gained).
• For the second-straight game, Liberty struggled in the penalty category, finishing the game with eight penalties for 80 yards.
• Liberty has been flagged for 17 penalties for 171 yards during the last two games, after averaging 4.28 penalties per game and 38.57 penalty yards per game during the first seven contests of the season.
• Liberty now ranks No. 24 nationally in fewest penalties per game (5.22) and No. 33 in penalty yards per game (49.00).
• The Flames finished the game with two interceptions, its third game in four contest with multiple interceptions.
• The Flames have picked off seven passes since starting Big South play, after opening the year with two interceptions during the first five games of the season.
• Liberty continued to control the clock of late, finishing the contest with an 8:50 time of possession edge.
• Liberty has finished the last three games with a combined 37:16 time of possession edge (12:44 against VMI, 15:42 against Presbyterian College and 8:50 against Gardner-Webb).
• Following the game, Liberty now ranks No. 12 nationally in average time of possess (32:33).
• Liberty finished the game 4-of-5 on red zone scoring opportunities and now ranks No. 11 in red zone efficiency (34-of-38/.89 percent).
• Liberty held Gardner-Webb to 93 team rushing yards, marking the third time in four Big South games that Liberty has allowed less than 100 rushing yards to a conference foe.
• Liberty is now allowing 77.8 rushing yards in Big South games as compared to 150.8 rushing yards per game against non-conference opponents.
• For the third-straight game and the seventh time this season, the Flames held an opponent below the 200-yard passing mark, as Gardner-Webb finished the game with 159 passing yards.
• For the third-straight game and the fifth time this year, Liberty held an opponent to less than 300 total offensive yards, as Gardner-Webb finished the game with 252 total offensive yards.
• Liberty now ranks No. 11 in the country in total defense, allowing 288.44 total offensive yards per game.
• Liberty held Gardner-Webb to just two touchdowns, marking the fifth time the Flames have held an opponent to 14 or less points in a game this season.
• Liberty now ranks No. 10 nationally in scoring defense, allowing 16.56 points per game.
• Gardner-Webb finished the game 4-of-17 on third-down conversion attempts and the Flames now rank No. 14 nationally in third-down conversion defense (38-of-122/31.15 percent).
• Gardner-Webb was 1-of-4 on fourth-down plays, marking the first time the Flames have allowed a fourth-down conversion this season.
• Liberty is tied with Bucknell for No. 1 in the country in fourth-down efficiency defense, as opponents are 1-of-9 this year on fourth-down plays against both programs.
• Gardner-Webb scored on 1-of-2 red zone opportunities on Saturday and Liberty is now ranked No. 3 nationally in red zone efficiency defense (12 scores on 20 drives/60.0 percent).
• For the seventh time this season, Mike Brown finished as Liberty's leading rusher, as he carried the ball 15 times for 77 yards.
• Mike Brown has now been Liberty's leading rusher in all four Big South games, averaging 91.8 rushing yards in four conference games.
• Mike Brown extended his program and Big South record by throwing for 200 or more yards in nine-straight games, as he finished the Gardner-Webb contest with 220 passing yards.
• Mike Brown finished the Gardner-Webb game with 297 of Liberty's 396 total offensive yards and now ranks No. 1 in the country in total offense for the second week in row (330.11 yards per game).
• Mike Brown was responsible for all three of Liberty's offensive touchdown against Gardner-Webb (one rushing and two passing) and now ranks No. 9 nationally in points responsible for (16.67 points per game).
• Following the game where he completed 20-of-31 passing attempts for 220 yards and two touchdowns, Mike Brown now ranks No. 9 nationally in passing yards per game (260.89), No. 11 in total passing yards (2,348), No. 9 in passing efficiency (150.15) and No. 10 in passing touchdowns (19).
• Chris Summers posted his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the year, finished the contest with seven catches for 119 yards.
• Chris Summers also posted his fifth multiple touchdown game of the year, catching two scoring passes against Gardner-Webb.
• With his two scores against Gardner-Webb, Chris Summers now leads the nation with 14 touchdown receptions on the year.
• Following the game, Chris Summers also ranks No. 4 in total receiving yards (954), No. 6 in receiving yards per game (106.0) and No. 6 in receptions per game (7.67).
• Chris Summers now has 69 receptions on the season, which is the third most in single-season program history and sixth best in Big South history.
• Chris Summers needs just six more receiving yards to become the fourth player in program history to have a 1,000-yard receiving season.
• Chris Summers' 14 receiving touchdowns on the year also already set a program record and ranks second in Big South Conference history (behind Jerome Simpson's 16 touchdowns in 2006).
• For the fourth-straight game and the fifth time in six contests, Mike Larsson finished a game with a punting average above 40 yards (46.0 yards per punt).
• Mike Larsson finished the game averaging 46.0 yards per punt (four punts for 184 yards), his second best single-game average of his career.
• Danny Broggin returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a score, marking the first time Liberty had returned a kickoff all the way since Aaron Hewlett scored on an 80-yard kickoff return against VMI on Nov. 7, 2009.
• Matt Bevins tied a career high on the day, finishing the contest with four field goals and 16 points scored.
• Matt Bevins connected on all four of his field goal attempts (23, 39, 28 and 23 yards).
• Matt Bevins has now connected on eight-straight field goal attempts and 10 of his last 11.
• After missing four of his first five attempts of the year (all attempts longer than 40 yards), Matt Bevins has connected on 14-of-17 field goal attempts.
• Matt Bevins currently ranks No. 3 nationally in field goals (15) and No. 13 in scoring (8.89 points per game).
• Matt Bevins also finished last year's VMI game with 16 points scored.
• The Gardner-Webb game marked the third time in his career Matt Bevins has connected on four field goals in a game.
• For the fifth time this year, Kyle O'Donnell finished as Liberty's defensive leader, as the senior had 10 stops against Gardner-Webb.
• For the second time this year, Kyle O'Donnell finished a game with double-figure tackles (other game was 14 tackles against James Madison).
• Kyle O'Donnell finished the game with a career-high six tackles.
• Cory Freeman had a career day, as he finished with six tackles, after coming into the contest with five stops in eight previous career outings.
• Asa Chapman finished the contest with a season-best six stops, all being assisted tackles.
• Doncel Bolt finished the game with a forced fumble and fumble recovery, marking his first career fumble recovery and second career forced fumble.
• Patrick Bannon finished the game with four tackles, giving him 100 career stops.
