Gardner-Webb Revisited: News & Notes
10/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Flames opened Big South Conference play with a 34-0 shutout victory over Gardner-Webb, thrilling the Family Weekend crowd at Williams Stadium on Saturday.
Included with today's news and notes are video highlights from Liberty's Big South opener against the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Throughout the season, LibertyFlames.com will run a similar feature online each Sunday, spotlighting the notable accomplishments and numbers from the previous day's gridiron battle.
Series with Gardner-Webb
• Following the win, Liberty now leads the overall series, 12-8-1, and holds a 9-4 edge since starting Big South play in 2002
• Liberty has won the last eight meetings in the series
• During its eight-game win streak against Gardner-Webb, Liberty has posted three shutout wins (2007, 2013 and 2014)
• Gardner-Webb is the second most common opponent in Liberty's program history, as the Flame have now faced the Bulldogs 20 times since 1976
Attendance Numbers:
• The game was played in front of a Family Weekend crowd of 20,217 fans
• The attendance figure is the second largest in stadium history
• Liberty now has had back-to-back home games with 20,000-plus fans (stadium record 20,838 for Homecoming against Richmond on Oct. 4)
• Following the game, Liberty now ranks No. 5 in the country in average home attendance (18,421), No. 6 in total home attendance (73,683) and No. 14 in filling stadium capacity (95.94 percent)
Team Talking Points:
• Liberty posted its second shutout victory of the year and third under head coach Turner Gill with its 34-0 victory over Gardner-Webb
• The last time the Flames posted two shutout victories in the same season was in 2008
• Liberty has shut out Gardner-Webb in back-to-back meetings and three times during its current eight-game win streak against the Runnin' Bulldogs
• Dating back to 2006, Liberty has won 21 of its last 22 Big South Conference home games
• Liberty finished the game with 499 yards of total offense and has averaged 6.0 or more yards per play in five of its last six games (6.7 average against Gardner-Webb)
• Liberty finished the game with 292 rushing yards, its second-highest team total of the season and its third 200-plus rushing yard total of 2014
• Liberty carried the ball 50 times during the game (5.8 average yards per carry), marking a season high for the team and the most carries for the Flames since 54 against Concord in 2012
• Despite a limited passing attack, Liberty averaged 8.6 yards per passing play to account for the sixth time in eight games this season
• The Flames have averaged more than 7.0 yards per passing play in a game (season average is 8.8)
• Liberty won the time of possession battle (36:36 to 23:24), its largest time of possession edge this season (13:12)
• Liberty failed to convert on both of its fourth-down plays, snapping a streak of five successful fourth-down conversions during the last two games (4-of-4 against Richmond and 1-of-1 at Appalachian State)
• Liberty limited Gardner-Webb to 56 total offensive yards, the fewest by a Flames' opponent since Kentucky Wesleyan finished with 56 total offensive yards in a game against Liberty in 2003
• Gardner-Webb finished the game with -17 team rushing yards, setting a new program record for fewest rushing yards allowed in a game (previous record was -10 by Kutztown in 1991)
• Liberty finished the game with five sacks for a loss of 37 total yards, the team's second-highest sack total of the year (Liberty had six sacks in a shutout win over Norfolk State)
• During the first half of play, Liberty limited Gardner-Webb to -11 total team yards on 23 plays and it was not until midway through the third quarter that the Runnin' Bulldogs found positive total team yardage
• Liberty forced a total of eight three-and-out series on Gardner-Webb's 14 total drives during the game and forced turnovers on two other drives that totaled three or fewer plays
• For the first time this season, Liberty finished a game with the same number of turnovers as its opponent, with both Liberty and Gardner-Webb having two giveaways in the game
• Liberty finished the game with a season-high 11 penalties for 105 yards, the Flames' second-highest penalty total in three seasons under head coach Turner Gill (12 penalties for 83 yards against Lehigh in 2012)
Notable Player Points:
• RB D.J. Abnar led the Flames with 27 carries for 137 yards and two rushing touchdowns, his fifth career 100-yard rushing game
• RB D.J. Abnar has rushed for 100 or more yards in the last three games, becoming the first Flame since current N.Y. Giants running back Rashad Jennings to post three-consecutive 100-yard rushing games (2007 to 2008)
• QB Josh Woodrum had one touchdown pass in the game, allowing him to move into a tie for fourth place on Liberty's all-time career passing touchdown list with 45 (Mike Brown/2008-11 also had 45 career passing touchdowns)
• QB Josh Woodrum finished the game with 204 passing yards, moving him into fifth place on the Big South career passing yards list with 6,651 passing yards (moved past Coastal Carolina's Tyler Thigpen who finished his career with 6,598 passing yards)
• QB Josh Woodrum had one of Liberty's three rushing touchdowns, extending his single-season career-best mark to seven rushing touchdowns in 2014
• QB Stephon Masha was a "jack-of-all trades" on Saturday, finishing the game with a career-best four carries for 49 yards, his first collegiate passing completion for three yards and two receptions for nine yards
• WR Jaquan Glover led the Flames' limited passing attack with four receptions for 41 yards and the senior's first career touchdown reception
• WR Dante Shells posted his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game, finishing the contest with two receptions for 106 yards
• WR Dante Shells had receptions of 45 and 61 yards against Gardner-Webb, giving him eight receptions of 35 or more yards in 2014
• P Trey Turner finished the game with a season-best 43.5 yards per punt average (four punts for 174 yards), giving him five games with a 40-plus yard per punt average this year
• K John Lunsford was successful on all four of his extra point attempts, giving the junior 85 consecutive extra points to set a new school record (previous record was 82 by Mark DeMoss/1980-83)
• DL Chima Uzowihe led Liberty's five-sack attack with 2.5 sacks, moving him into fifth place on Liberty's career sacks list (15.0)
• LB Nick Sigmon finished the game with three solo tackles, allowing him to become the first Flame since Nick Hursky in 2008 to have 200 or more career tackles (202)
• CB Wesley Scott recorded his first career interception, giving Liberty eight interceptions on the year
• DL Dominique Davis finished the game with 2.5 tackles for a loss, his second-highest tackle for a loss total of his career
• PR Dakota Kelly finished the game with six punt returns for 52 yards and now ranks No. 4 in the Big South with eight punt returns for 53 yards
