Liberty Flames 2010 Review

2010 Record: 8-3 (5-1), Tied 1st Big South
2010 Postseason: None
2010 Schedule/Results
St. Francis (PA), W 52-7
@ Ball State, W 27-23
@ Robert Morris, L 30-23
@ James Madison, L 10-3
Savannah State, W 52-14
Charelston Southern, W 44-20
@ VMI, W 41-7
@ Presbyterian, W 34-24
Gardner-Webb, W 40-14
@ Coastal Carolina, L 45-31
Stony Brook, W 54-28

OFFENSE

Mike Brown blew the roof off of the game in 2010, as he passed for 2956 yards and rushed for another 799 yards. IN essence, he was the foacl point of everything offense, and managed to put himself on the radar in a great big way. Brown passed for 23 TDs and rushed for another 9 in 11 games, making him the soloe provider of power in the Flames attack. Brown returns in 2011, making Liberty the early favorite to rectify a collapse against Coastal Carolina and win the Big South title.
SirChauncey Holloway was the only other threat in the running game, but his numbers were not exactly off the radar, as he rushed for 524 yards. He did, however, manage to score 10 TDs, so all was not lost. If he can be counted on more in 2011 during what will be his junior year, the Flames will be the best team in the Big South.
Chris Summers was one of the best receivers in the nation, and was a runner-up for the All-Bilo Receiver of the Year award. Summers was a direct beneficiery of having Mike Brown as his QB, as he racked up 76 grabs for 1081 yards and 15 TDs. Summers will be returning in 2011 as a senior, and should be a key cog in making this one of the best offenses in the FCS. Pat Kelly and BJ Hayes return as well, as they combined for 95 receptions and 1181 yards and 5 TDs.

DEFENSE

The Flames had an up and down season defensively. The offense carried a tremendous amount of the load, and at times the D could be very good as well. The Flames held teams under at 20 points or under 6 times, but against some of the better opponents, they seemed to cave, and really collapsed against Coastal Carolina in a loss that cost them the postseason. 4 TDs seperated the Flames from an 8-3 record and an 11-0 record, so the defense has to shore up a few issues.
LB Kyle O'Donnell led the team with 75 tackles, which seems to mean that the Flames were lacking playmakers defensively. Doncel Bolt was second on the team with just 53 tackles, so very few players were getting in the mix.
O'Donnell was very adept at times of getting into the backfield, as he registered 15 TFLs on the season, good for second in the Big South. Terry Adams, was the only other player on the team that picked up double digits in TFLs with 13. The Flames need to get more aggressive. If they do, the Flames will be a force and could very well dominate the conference.
Danny Broggin finished tied for 3rd in the Big South with 4 picks on the season, but big plays in the secondary were few and far between on the year.
The Flames, as I have said, need some upgrades across the board and need a major uptick in aggressive defensive philosophy in 2011, as Offense seems way ahead at this time in both talent and productivity.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Matt Bevins nailed 20 of 27 FG attempts in 2010, and that was the best in the conference, but that being said, Bevins needs  to upgrade his accuracy. 20 FGs is solid, while 7 misses is not so much. If he can work it out, again, nobody has the talent to top this team.
Punting across the league was awful, so that is an issue here as well.

FINAL NOTES

When you looked up the word "choke" in a dictionary, there was a picture of the Liberty football team from 2010 right next to it. Liberty was cruising into a Big South title and postseason appearance, and then came a horrible collapse against a streaking Coastal Carolina team that was not as good as the Flames on many levels. Somehow, the Chanticleers pulled off the major upset, and it came so late in the season that the Flames could not recover. CCU did not lose again, and they stole the lone spot in the playoffs for the Big South, leaving Liberty out in the cold with an 8-3 mark. That cannot be repeated in 2011, as Liberty looks to be light years better than any other team in the league next season, and with talent on offense like Brown, Summers, and Holloway, Liberty should cruise into the playoffs.